Ronnie Dove Likes To Hear From His Fans

When nationally acclaimed recording star Ronnie Dove emerged on the music scene more than 60 years ago, he and his manager purposed that if Ronnie could build a solid nightclub reputation and consistently produce hit records, he would be a star with an enduring future.

Despite his natural "boyish" good looks and charismatic stage presence, Ronnie didn't believe in positioning himself as a teen idol like many of his contemporaries of 1964 - the year he released his first chartbuster, "Say You". Yet, ironically, it is these teenagers, who now as adults, continue to reminisce over other such nostalgic classics as "Cry" and "One Kiss For Old Time's Sake". He followed that up with 22 more consecutive chart songs like “Right Or Wrong” and “Mountain Of Love”. 

In 1965 he earned 8 awards from Billboard and Cashbox magazines including "Top Male Singles Artist of 1965", "Top Make Selling Artist of 1965", "Tope Male Easy Listening Artist of 1965" and "Top Male Easy Listening Selling Artist of 1965", "Best Selling Male Vocalist of 1965", "Best LP Male Vocalist of 1965". "Best R&B Male Vocalist of 1965" and "Best R&B Records of 1965".

Born and raised in Herndon, Virginia, Ronnie Dove heard the roar of applause at an early age. He honed his vocals and musical proficiency as a four-year member of his high school glee club. After graduation, he joined the U.S. Coast Guard and was stationed on a buoy tender off the coast of Baltimore. It was during these four years that Ronnie became a burgeoning pop performer, singing Elvis covers in local pubs on his evenings off.

After completing his duties with the Coast Guard, he returned to Baltimore and formed Ronnie Dove and the Belltones. The group devoted the next four years to playing the club circuit as often as seven nights a week.

In the fall of 1964, Ronnie broke from the band and headed to Nashville. Shortly thereafter, he recorded "Sweeter Than Sugar" which would become his first single on the Diamond Record label. A fitting title, "Sweeter Than Sugar" characterized his rise to stardom which began with a subsequent string of hit singles including, "Say You", "Right or Wrong" - which was his biggest success - and "Little Bit of Heaven".

Considering the climate of the record industry in the mid-60's with the British invasion and the Motown sound, Ronnie's success was doubly impressive. He went on to produce 23 consecutive nationally and inter-nationally-charted top 10 records and packed venues throughout North America.

During the following ten years, Ronnie was either in the studio, touring or debuting on prestigious radio and television shows including Mike Douglas, Merv Griffin and American Bandstand. His most notable appearance was on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1967.

Ronnie signed a new deal with Decca Records in 1971 and pointed his career in a more country oriented direction, scoring two minor country chart hits and an album. Later, he moved to the Motown country label Melodyland and had a top 40 country hit with a cover of Bobby Darin’s "Things", which would become his highest charting country hit.

By the early 1980's, the nationwide resurgence of the "golden oldies" sound prompted Ronnie to come out of retirement. Touring again and sounding better than ever, Ronnie was filling venues with more than 5,000 fans per show.

Then in 1989, he was dealt a shocking blow. His mother, who had been his most devoted supporter through the years, was diagnosed with two aneurysms and given only three to six months to live. Ronnie again took time off from his career to care for her. His mother lingered on for another two years with Ronnie by her side tirelessly. After her death in 1991, he again started to tour throughout the United States and Canada. Music seemed to be the only thing to keep him going.

In 2018, Ronnie Dove Music reissued his 1967 album Cry album digitally, sourced from newly available tapes. As of 2021, all of his Diamond Records albums including 1988's “From The Heart” have been reissued digitally. In 2019, Ronnie’s song “Happy Summer Days” was featured in an Amazon commercial.

Before retiring earlier this year, Ronnie also performed in the Baltimore area, where it all started for him. Singing his hits from the sixties and other country flavored tunes, the fans keep coming. There are lots of baby-boomer fans from that era, as well as younger fans who can't get enough of this terrific talent.

Alan Mercer:Ronnie, I wrote you a letter telling you how much I enjoyed all your recordings before I asked you to do this interview. Do you enjoy hearing from your fans?

Ronnie Dove: Oh yes, I go to my Post Office box every day.

AM:  And you receive a lot of fan mail all the time?

RD:  Oh yes. My fans are like my family.

AM:  I can see that, based on how nice you are with me. I know you grew up in Virginia.

RD:  Do you know where Dulles Airport is?

AM:  Yes.

RD:   That’s where I grew up on a farm that was there before they built the airport.

AM:  Did you sing as a youngster?

RD:  My first public performance was when I was five years old. I sang “Away In The Manger” at our Church Christmas show. The audience clapped and clapped and that as pretty exciting to a five-year-old.

AM:  And then you formed a group while you were in high school?

RD:  Yes, Ronnie Dove and The Rockers. We performed at the Herndon Theater about every six months or so.

AM:  Then you joined the Coast Guard and started the group, The Belltones, correct?

RD:  Yes, I was in the Coast Guard for four years.

AM:  Did you enjoy your time serving the country?

RD:  It was wonderful. I was stationed here in Baltimore. I was stationed on a buoy tender. We would go around and change all the batteries in the buoys the Chesapeake Bay.

AM:  And you were singing while in the Coast Guard?

RD:  I started singing in 1955 while I was in the Coast Guard. I’d go into downtown Baltimore and sing in different clubs. The audiences were always so appreciative. They always told me how much they enjoyed all the songs in my show.

AM:  You sure do have a knack for picking the good songs.

RD:  Yes, I do and I wrote a lot of them.

AM:  I didn’t know you wrote.

RD:  I’ve recorded 350 songs, and I wrote a lot of them.

AM:  What was the first song you recorded that you wrote?

RD:  I wrote “Lover Boy” while I was on the buoy tender. I was a machinist working with the steam engine and that’s where I wrote my first song and that was it. Then I wrote “Betty Jean’ and quite a few more songs.

AM: After you got out of the military you recorded a few more songs and had a monster hit with ‘Right Or Wrong” on Diamond Records.

RD:  I was signed with Diamond Records after they came to see me perform in Baltimore. I was with them for quite a few years. Then I ended up owning Diamond Records after I bought the company.

AM:  1965 seems to be your year.

RD:  That was the year I started in California, and we did so many tours. All of the tours lasted for 90 days, and you would start in California and end in Florida. I started out on the bus with Dick Clark, but I ended up in a chauffeur driven limousine. Riding on the bus was fun, but I enjoyed the driver and the car. I would often take someone with me in the car. One time I took Tom Jones with me for a week. I would do it so they wouldn’t have to ride the bus the whole time.

AM:  Did you get along with everyone?

RD: Yes, everyone got along in those days. I’m still friends with all of them that are still here. I went to see Tom Jones in concert last February. Of course, I went backstage and got to talk with him. We had some good times. He told his audience about riding with me in the limousine.

AM:  Did you get a driver and a car because you were having the big hits at the time?

RD: Oh yeah. We were working all over the place. I was the Number One Singer in Canada.

AM:  In the 1960’s you were a big pop star, but then by the 70s and 80s you ended up in Country Music. What made you shift to Country music?

RD:  I didn’t shift. I thought I was always a Pop Singer, but the people would tell me they loved my Country songs. At the time Country music was getting so big, so I decided, “OK, I’m now a Country Singer.” (Laughter)

AM:  Is that when you started being friends with people like George Jones?

RD:  I lived in Nashville for 16 years. I became friends with all those guys. I got stories about all of them.

AM:  Have you thought about writing a book about your career?

RD: I have thought about it and people have asked me to do it so I might someday. I should have done it when it would have been popular. Not many people know who Ronnie Dove is anymore. All the people that came to see me perform have passed on.

AM:  I know an entertainer’s audience ages with them, but I also think that you can always get new fans if they just hear your music.

RD:  I do still find it exciting to be able to sing a few songs. I’m officially retired but I have a couple guys I go see when they perform, and they always ask me to come up on stage and sing a couple of songs. The Doug Lester Band was my band, and his father was the first guitar player in my band. He started working for me when he was 17 years old.

AM:  What is your life like today?

RD:  I am sitting here drinking coffee and I might go to the casino later.

AM: You are still having fun! What’s your secret to a long life?

RD:  Vitamins! My hair started falling out when I was 24 so I got a book about vitamins and read it. I started taking vitamins and still take them every day and I have all my hair now. I got everybody started on them back when we were touring. I met every singer back in the 60’s.

AM:  I love two of your biggest hits, “Say You” and “Kiss Away”.

RD:  “Say You” was the first one. Jamie Coe released it first in 1960, but it was more of a cha cha. I said to myself that was a love song so that’s how I recorded it.

AM:  You sure know what to do to make it work.

RD:  That’s my favorite of all my songs.

AM:  Everything about that recording is timeless.

RD: Yes, that was very exciting.

AM:  I’ve heard the song “Kiss Away” by others, but I like yours the best.

RD:  The two guys that wrote it brought it to me and I was the first one to record it. Billy Sherrill was one of them and he turned into a dear friend while I lived in Nashville.

AM:  Billy Sherrill was an unbelievable talent, himself.

RD: Yes, he was. It was such a joy to be around all these people that I never dreamed I’d be famous enough to meet. I started having hit records with Diamond Records and it was all wonderful.