Ronny Smith

While growing up in Baltimore, Maryland, Ronny was exposed to music as a young child in church and school. Having a father that was both a music professor and a church organist along with being surrounded by a mother and sister that sang influenced his early years. By the age of twelve he was playing by ear to the sounds of Wes Montgomery, Joe Pass, George Benson and even Roy Clark. Ronny demonstrated his youthful talents performing in R&B bands (basement style) and in jazz and "jam" bands, while in grade school and high school. He later played in the jazz band at the University of Maryland, at Morgan State University and also Elizabeth State University in North Carolina. During his college days he was exposed to the music of Pat Martino, who became one of his greatest influences, as he eagerly pursued his technical studies on the guitar. He even had the opportunity to be part of a band that played with the famed Motown singing group, the Marvelettes and also with drummer and Philadelphia jazz icon Bobby Durham? .
"Serving my country has been the most rewarding and honorable experience that I have been associated with"
Ronny left college in his senior year to enlist and soon became a member of the U.S. Army Band. His time in the Army Band allowed him the rare experience to tour extensively in the United States and Europe enjoying the opportunity to share the stage with renowned vocalist and actress, Melba Moore. “Serving my country has been the most rewarding and honorable experience that I have been associated with. As a musician, my duties include providing troop morale, community service and ceremonial support. There is no better way to support those who support you," said Smith.
With four previous CDs under his belt including, "Long Time Comin,” "Laid Back.” "Got Groove" and "Simply Stated," this new release reveals a satisfying and individual approach to his compositional style. Ronny has succeeded in working seamlessly with the technological musical advancements by creating his own approach to arranging and recording the songs on “Just Groovin.” He describes the process: “Once I’m satisfied with the draft and I am convinced that this is the sound that I am shooting for, I usually start contacting the musicians that I would like to perform each part (i.e., the drummer, bass player, horn players, etc.). They will generally do a couple of takes of their parts for me to choose from. They return their parts to me either by CD via postal service or by email. After listening to each part, I choose the part that I think fits the song the best. They return their parts in either wav. Files, or some form of audio file. I import the parts into my DAWS (Digital Audio Workstation) and then the editing process begins. For this project I used Cakewalk’s Sonar 7 Producer DAWS. After a lot of editing and listening, I usually end up with a piece that for now I can sit and listen to for a while just to make sure it’s still what I like. Then, I move to the next song and start that process all over again until I have written enough songs for a CD. Once all songs have been completed my files are mixed down to an audio format and sent to a mastering house for the final editing, mixing, and mastering to begin.”
On “Just Groovin,”, besides Smith’s skillful guitar work, the instrumentation includes: Alan Alexander (keyboards/piano), Jeff Knoettner (keyboards/piano), Karl McNeil (bass), Sam Bates (bass), Vernell Mincey (drums), Scott Martin (sax), Stan Martin (Trumpet), and Andy Martin (trombone). Ronny Smith revels in the exploration and growth of each musical project and “Just Groovin” is a substantial part of that journey.