Ronnie Smith - Biography

Born in London, RONNIE SMITH began studying music at the age of 14, initially due to the influence of his father, an accomplished violinist. At eighteen, after developing his musical abilities and playing clarinet and percussion, Ronnie joined the Army and continued his musical education at the Royal School of Music, Kneller Hall, where he studied piano and percussion for classical and military march music. On leaving the Army he studied jazz under the great Dill Jones and at the age of 23 became the youngest Band Leader in the Butlin's Organisation in command of a 16 piece orchestra. Ronnie then signed to the Rank Organisation as Musical Director. Influenced by his agent Ronnie went on to form his own band in which Steve Gray (orchestrator for Count Basie and Woody Herman amongst others) was a member.

Ronnie was the youngest bandleader at the age of 23, and MD for many artists, such as Bob Monkhouse, Lesley Crowther, Jon Pertwee, Cliff Richard and Tommy Steele, plus the Jimmy Young Show. Ronnie later formed the Ronnie Smith Big Band, which was featured on Terry Wogan’s and Dave Lee Travers's shows on BBC Radio One. He also gave many more performances for the BBC.

In 1964 Ronnie moved with his band to Top Rank Ballroom in Watford and was there for six years. He worked with many musicians that have subsequently become successful, including one certain keyboard player who would join the band Yes, Rick Wakeman. Ronnie fired Rick a couple of times but always re-instated him. Rick always said that he was going to be a rock star but Ronnie would tell him in no uncertain terms that 'I’m the star in this band!'. Ronnie has appeared Rick's This Is Your Life for Thames TV. Tuesday 17th November 1998, 'a night I will never forget. Rick certainly got his own back on that show. He told Michael Aspel, on live TV, why I sacked him for the third time'.

Dave Holland, bass player, joined my band when we were in Watford. He had just left The Guild Hall School of Music, age 18. As soon as he joined the band just got better and better. Dave stayed with my band for six months.

'One night, Dave said, “I need to have a word with you, Ronnie. I’m afraid I will have to leave the band”.

'My world fell apart then. I said, “Is money the problem?” I was paying around £30 a week in those days. He said, “No, it’s not the wages”. I offered an extra £10 a week. “No”, he said. “I was playing at Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club. Elvin Jones heard me and phoned Miles Davis. He's rung me and asked me to join his band ”. The rest is history. Now a jazz legend all over the world, Dave still meets up with me from time to time.

For the next twenty years Ronnie was one of the Rank Organisation's top musical directors. He was also a guest band leader for late night shows and the Swing Along programme on BBC Radio Two. He has worked with many other top names including, Tommy Cooper, Freddie Starr, Mike Reid, Tina May, Pete King, Alan Skidmore, Mica Paris and Geri Halliwell (Ronnie even gets a mention in her autobiography). He was featured in the BBC's Thats Life programme playing the piano underwater. Ronnie started composing in the seventies. He wrote jingles and library music, including one for Polo mints. Over the last few years Ronnie has turned his talents to composing a major work of contemporary classical music.

The music for “Four Seasons of Woman” was started in 1988 . It has rapidly become one of Ronnie's most satisfying and rewarding experiences. Ronnie contacted Robert Farnon (who won the Ivor Novello award for his music for the film Colditz) for advice on where to go with his project. The work was progressing well and when Robert recomended Paul Bateman to orchestrate the project, Ronnie finally saw his dream come to fruition. Before his death in 2004 Robert said he regarded Ronnie as a very talented composer.

Paul Bateman is a renowned and multi-faceted muscian, who is equally at home working in the spheres of classical, film or light music. His arrangements and compositions are performed all over the world by internationally acclaimed stars such as Lesley Garrett, Sarah Brightman, Charlotte Church and Jose Carreras.

With Paul on board Ronnie was able to complete the work and in 2004 he started looking for an orchestra to record his labour of love. After Paul recommended the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra Ronnie travelled to the Czech Rebublic to hear them.

“It all started after landing in Prague Airport at 7 o’clock at night where I was met by a camera team. By 9 o’clock the next morning we were in the Smecky Studios which were next door to the hotel. The musicians were just arriving and tuning up, and I was feeling very excited about hearing my music for the first time. It had taken me about 6 years to reach this point. In front of me was an 80 piece orchestra with all the studio engineers and producers running around. It was to be a memorable day. Paul Bateman took to the rostrum to begin conducting my music and as soon as the orchestra started to play the first four bars of Spring, I felt that the doors of heaven had just opened up and my dad was there to greet me, saying “Well done, son.”

"The music that Paul had orchestrated for me was wonderful. Everything that I had written and heard was there. We completed all the music in 5 days but we still had to do a lot more when we got back to England, like organising a 60 member choir, which was put on the end of Journey & Time. It had the required effect: very gothic, as if they were the angels welcoming you through the gates of heaven.

"It was very exciting for me to be there in the studios when we added them. The work is now completed and the documentary film is complete."

Ronnie Smith has nurtured for some time the idea of composing a musical work dedicated to surely that most complex of species, which one may fail to understand yet never cease to admire: Woman.