HISTORY

Ron Brown

Ron was raised on traditional country music. From his childhood he listened to such artists as Marty Robbins, Merle Haggard, and Chris LeDoux. At age 13 he picked up an old guitar that was lying around the house and began to teach himself to play. With hard work, and a determination to follow his dreams (like his favorite singers), he was soon playing tunes like "Long Black Veil" and "Night Riders' Lament."

While his love for the old cowboy tunes never faded, he found himself writing songs that seemed to blur the lines between genres. "I've always felt you should stay close to your roots, but at the same time I never believed [music] should have boundaries. If you do it from your heart and keep it something you can relate to, then how can it be wrong?"

Drawn from personal experience and deep feelings, Ron's stories run the gamut from triumph to heartbreak, from slow, tender ballads to full-tilt cowboy rock & roll. "There's a time for settling back and making it sound sweet, and then there are other times when you've just got to throw the hammer down and go for broke!"

After years of paying the obligatory ‘dues' as a cover band - clubs, weddings, private parties and such - Ron decided it was time to focus on his own material, and in 1997 his original band Whiskey River was born. This was followed quickly by a simple name change to Ron Brown, or The Ron Brown Band. With the help of some of the best musicians in the country his sound began to take shape.

In short order, Ron inked two publishing contracts, received radio air play, made TV appearances, and even did some studio voice-over work. Finally he was offered a recording contract with a Nashville-based firm. All this promising experience seemed to be telling him to pursue his musical dream with complete dedication.

In 2002 Ron released a two-song CD single. The feedback was more positive and widespread than he could have dreamed, with countless spins on radio and jukeboxes throughout many western states. In 2003 Ron's first full CD of original material was recorded and released, the two-song single being tacked on behind eight great new songs.

The Ron Brown Band has since headlined at numerous state fairs, county fairs, small town celebrations, throughout the western states - all to much acclaim. Voted New Artist Radio "Country Group of the Year" for NAR's annual awards presentation, the Ron Brown Band has received significant radio air play around the western United States as well as in such distant markets as the U.K., Australia, Belgium, and the Netherlands.

"Ron is a professional Independent Artist that "works for you"! He and his band come fully self contained and can deliver any type of performance including, headlining concerts, opening for national acts, ground shows and corporate functions. Look for the new CD and Video to be completed sometime this year. Feel free to contact them for more information by visiting their contact link.

BAND MEMBERS

Daniel Ferguson - electric and acoustic guitars, mandolin, background vocals

"I was born in Oakland, California, in 1952 and raised in the East Bay. We had a very diverse musical stew in my home during my childhood years. My Scottish, Scots-Irish, and English ancestry, and ‘Okie' roots on my father's side, insured the heavy presence of traditional roots music in the home. Among my first musical memories are the ‘high lonesome sound' of mountain music (some of my Ferguson ancestors came west from the hollers of West Virginia), Hank Williams, the Sons of the Pioneers, and Hollywood singing cowboys like Roy Rogers and Gene Autry. Being of the World War II generation, my parents also listened to quite a bit of swing, as well as 40s and 50s pop, to which they added a liberal sprinkling of classical orchestral music.

"The chronology of my life has mirrored the birth and evolution of rock & roll as well. As a little four year old rug rat I watched in awe as Elvis Presley writhed his way into my living room from the Ed Sullivan stage in 1956. I immediately asked my parents for a guitar. My first instrument was purchased at Disneyland in 1957, and my brother and I posed for photos with our twin guitars in full western regalia - proud as peacocks in cowboy hats, boots, and fringe leather jackets - on the front lawn.

"I took guitar lessons for a while in Lafayette, CA, learning mostly pop tunes and movie themes from Fred Tapia, former guitarist with the Arthur Godfrey Band. Then one Sunday night in February 1964, four boys from Liverpool changed my life. I've been devoted to music and the guitar ever since.

"At 15 years old my father accepted a foreign posting with the State Department, and we moved overseas, first to Taiwan, then to Colombia. I have hardly stopped moving since. I've spent many years living in China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, and have traveled extensively in Asia, the Pacific, Latin America, and Europe. I took a Bachelor's degree in music composition, then went on to receive Master's and Ph.D. degrees in ethnomusicology. After years of moving I finally put down roots in New York City where I was on the music faculty at Columbia University. I consider myself a New Yorker, since the city is the only permanent home I've known since I was 15.

"I am single and father to the two most handsome, talented, intelligent, brilliant, gifted, fabulous sons ever to grace the earth! (How's that for obnoxious parental pride?)

"I joined the Ron Brown Band in early 2002 and have found great satisfaction in making modest contributions to the shaping of Ron's songs and style. It's a great gig!"

Bob Daly - electric bass guitar, background vocals

"I was born November 9th, 1956, in a little town thirty miles southwest of Salt Lake City called Tooele, Utah. My mother's family was from East Texas so I listened to a lot of Country & Western music growing up. My grandfather played fiddle and guitar and he loved to listen to artists like Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys. I got my first guitar when I was 8 years old and my grandfather showed me some of my first chords. I took lessons from an older lady in Tooele for many years.

"I played my first gig at the Moose Lodge in Tooele at thirteen and then played in various incarnations of the same band for dances at most of the fraternal organizations in Tooele. I played rhythm guitar and drums. I took up the bass in 1973 and played at school dances and in stage band in high school.

"After high school, I attended college, where I studied architecture and music. While in college I played in many cover bands in the Salt Lake City and Ogden area. I played everything from rock & roll to country and blues. I also played in a folk band in the early nineties. I have been with Ron Brown since the summer of 1999.

"My main influences are Jaco Pastorius, James Jamerson, Lee Sklar, David Hood, and Donald "Duck" Dunn. I listen to a lot of blues artists like Stevie Ray Vaughn, B.B. King, and Robert Cray. I also listen to jazz artists like Stanley Clarke, Marcus Miller, and Victor Wooten, as well as vintage recordings by Miles Davis and Willie Dixon.

"I also like to watch bad sci-fi movies from the ‘50s.

"I am divorced with two grown children."

Don Kardeema - drums, background vocals

Our newest member, assuming the drum riser after the departure of former drummer and good friend Jimmy Page, is Harry Donald Karadeema.

Don was born on October 10th, 1966. He has played the drums for over 25 years, during which time he has played with numerous local Utah bands, recorded three CDs, and appeared on sundry tracks by other local Utah artists. The diversity of his influences has allowed him to create a unique style that creatively blends rock & roll, gospel, country, and fusion. His deep spiritual beliefs and his love for God are his main influences. Don is looking forward to recording and touring with Ron Brown.