Ronnie Milsap

Just as Ray Charles brought country music back to rhythm and blues, Ronnie Milsap brought rhythm and blues back to country—and like Charles, he did it his own way. With a catchy, danceable country pop sound, he dominated radio during the ’70s and ’80s and pushed the genre beyond its rural roots and into mainstream entertainment.

Born blind in a poor region of North Carolina, Ronnie lived with his grandmother until he was six years old. He attended Morehead State School for the Blind in Raleigh, where he was given strict classical training. But late at night he listened to his favorite country, gospel, and R&B broadcasts. The music reminded him of home.

Milsap studied pre-law at Young-Harris Junior College near Atlanta, eventually earning a scholarship to Emory. Instead of moving forward with law, he threw himself into music, forming his own band.  During the mid-’60s, he landed a stint with J.J. Cale and session work with producer Chips Moman, notably on Elvis Presley’s “Kentucky Rain” and “Don’t Cry Daddy.”

In 1973, Ronnie moved from Memphis to Nashville. Before you could say “overnight success,” he was signed by RCA and released the two-sided hit, “All Together Now (Let’s Fall Apart)” and “I Hate You.” He followed up with “That Girl Who Waits on Tables” and “Pure Love.”

A year later, he had three No. 1 songs. The biblical flood of hits wouldn’t let up for 15 years: “Daydreams About Night Things,” “(I’m A) Stand by My Woman Man,” “Smoky Mountain Rain,” “Lost in the Fifties Tonight (In the Still of the Night),” “How Do I Turn You On,” and “Don’t You Ever Get Tired of Hurting Me” all stormed the charts.

Along with his multiple gold and platinum albums—including the only gold braille album ever awarded—Milsap has earned six Grammys and loads of CMA and ACM Awards. The ebullient performer and original stylist changed the face of country music, but has never forgotten his own difficult road to stardom and his good fortune along the way. In 1986, he established the Ronnie Milsap Foundation to aid the blind and visually impaired. “In some way it’s a blessing that I was born blind,” he once said. “If I had been born sighted in western North Carolina ... I certainly wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing now.”