Fact #62221
When:
Short story:
Former Small Faces' songwriter/bassist Ronnie Lane dies of multiple sclerosis, aged 51, at his home in Trinidad, Caribbean.Full article:
Born in East London, Small Faces founder member Ronnie Lane earned his nickname, Plonk, following early attempts to play guitar before switching to bass. Summer 1965 found him playing rhythm and blues in East End pubs with drummer Kenny Jones in a band that had everything except a convincing lead guitarist and singer. Enter Stevie Marriott.
In October 1965 they signed to Decca and produced their first single, What Cha Gonna Do About It. It duly made the Top 20. A month later organist Ian MacLagan joined and they began developing a boisterous stage act which was later honed to shambolic perfection by the Faces. The Small Faces were the original lads, and frequently loaded.
More hit singles followed, with Marriott and Lane gradually taking over the writing and finding even greater success. All Or Nothing became their first number one, dislodging the Beatles' Eleanor Rigby/Yellow Submarine.
In 1967, the Small Faces shucked off the dying embers of the mod movement, embraced hippiedom and entered their most fertile musical period. First came the heavily-phased Itchycoo Park (a hit again in 1976, and in 1995 when covered by M People), then the equally psychedelic Tin Soldier and finally the concept album Ogden's Nut Gone Flake. Light relief came with the faux-cockney masterpiece Lazy Sunday.
In 1969, Stevie Marriott left to form Humble Pie, breaking up one of the great writing partnerships in British pop. Six months later, the remnants of the Small Faces linked up with two refugees from the Jeff Beck Group, guitarist Ron Wood and singer Rod Stewart, to become the Faces. Lane contributed songs. You're So Rude, Ooh La La, Last Orders (get the picture?). to the albums but it was onstage that the Faces came alive, turning gigs into rollicking, rabble-rousing parties. It was spontaneous fun, rehearsals tending to the perfunctory. One ex-roadie recalled how "They turned up late, did a stupid version of Crazy Horses pretending to be the Osmonds, wrote out a set list and then went off down the pub.”
By 1973 Lane had tired of rhythm 'n' booze plus the tensions caused by Stewart's solo success and he quit. "For me, Lanie was the Faces," a rueful Rod remembered. "Once he left it took the ass out of it for me."
Lane became a rock 'n' roll gypsy, living in a caravan and debuting his new band, Slim Chance, in a circus tent. The first single, How Come, went into the Top 20, its follow-up The Poacher did well and the debut album Anymore For Anymore charted. Two more fine albums followed before the highly acclaimed Rough Mix with the Who's Pete Townshend. But his resources and health were draining away. By the end of the decade and MS was diagnosed.
In 1983, the cream of British rock - Eric Clapton, Stevie Winwood, Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page - turned out at The Royal Albert Hall for a concert in Ronnie's name in aid of MS research. Lane himself, obviously very ill, was on hand to provide a poignant finale, singing Goodnight Irene with the superstar cast.
He moved to the US but efforts to resume his career were severely hampered by the crippling disease. It was a tragic fate for a musician who asked for nothing more than the opportunity to give everyone a good time.
(Source : not known)
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In October 1965 they signed to Decca and produced their first single, What Cha Gonna Do About It. It duly made the Top 20. A month later organist Ian MacLagan joined and they began developing a boisterous stage act which was later honed to shambolic perfection by the Faces. The Small Faces were the original lads, and frequently loaded.
More hit singles followed, with Marriott and Lane gradually taking over the writing and finding even greater success. All Or Nothing became their first number one, dislodging the Beatles' Eleanor Rigby/Yellow Submarine.
In 1967, the Small Faces shucked off the dying embers of the mod movement, embraced hippiedom and entered their most fertile musical period. First came the heavily-phased Itchycoo Park (a hit again in 1976, and in 1995 when covered by M People), then the equally psychedelic Tin Soldier and finally the concept album Ogden's Nut Gone Flake. Light relief came with the faux-cockney masterpiece Lazy Sunday.
In 1969, Stevie Marriott left to form Humble Pie, breaking up one of the great writing partnerships in British pop. Six months later, the remnants of the Small Faces linked up with two refugees from the Jeff Beck Group, guitarist Ron Wood and singer Rod Stewart, to become the Faces. Lane contributed songs. You're So Rude, Ooh La La, Last Orders (get the picture?). to the albums but it was onstage that the Faces came alive, turning gigs into rollicking, rabble-rousing parties. It was spontaneous fun, rehearsals tending to the perfunctory. One ex-roadie recalled how "They turned up late, did a stupid version of Crazy Horses pretending to be the Osmonds, wrote out a set list and then went off down the pub.”
By 1973 Lane had tired of rhythm 'n' booze plus the tensions caused by Stewart's solo success and he quit. "For me, Lanie was the Faces," a rueful Rod remembered. "Once he left it took the ass out of it for me."
Lane became a rock 'n' roll gypsy, living in a caravan and debuting his new band, Slim Chance, in a circus tent. The first single, How Come, went into the Top 20, its follow-up The Poacher did well and the debut album Anymore For Anymore charted. Two more fine albums followed before the highly acclaimed Rough Mix with the Who's Pete Townshend. But his resources and health were draining away. By the end of the decade and MS was diagnosed.
In 1983, the cream of British rock - Eric Clapton, Stevie Winwood, Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page - turned out at The Royal Albert Hall for a concert in Ronnie's name in aid of MS research. Lane himself, obviously very ill, was on hand to provide a poignant finale, singing Goodnight Irene with the superstar cast.
He moved to the US but efforts to resume his career were severely hampered by the crippling disease. It was a tragic fate for a musician who asked for nothing more than the opportunity to give everyone a good time.
(Source : not known)