Born on September 4: Mick Ronson, discreet guitar hero of glam rock

Born in 1946 in Kingston-upon-Hull (England), he was a key member of David Bowie's Spiders of Mars and passed away in 1993.

An exceptional composer, producer, and guitarist, Mick Ronson cut his teeth in the late 1960s with forgotten local bands like The Hype and The Rats, and later, Mott The Hoople alongside Ian Hunter in 1974.

Spotted by producer Mike Chapman in 1969, he soon entered David Bowie's world. He initially contributed discreetly to the arrangements of "Changes" on "Hunky Dory" (1971) and quickly became a cornerstone of Bowie's glam rock sound as a key member of Spiders from Mars. Ronson transformed Bowie's almost folk-like sketches into epic anthems. Indeed, we must give Mick his due; he was the one who shaped the sonic identity of the four iconic albums of the Ziggy Stardust era, from "Hunky Dory" (1971) to "Pin Ups" (1973), including "Aladdin Sane" (1973), a masterpiece of all. At the time, David without Mick would have been a bit like Lennon without McCartney in the Beatles! In a documentary entitled "Beside Bowie: The Mick Ronson Story," Suzi (his wife) adds: "They were truly like the fingers of a hand. They were like Jagger-Richards in the Rolling Stones or Daltrey-Townshend in The Who."

After his painful split from Bowie, he worked with Mott the Hoople, Ian Hunter for his solo albums, and also Lou Reed for "Transformer" (1972), Bob Dylan with the Rolling Thunder Revue, with whom he recorded "Hard Rain" (1975), and John Cougar Mellencamp. After attempting to launch his own career with "Slaughter on 10th Avenue" (1974), which also reached number 10 in the UK, and "Play Don't Worry" (1975), both very glam rock, he essentially contented himself with supporting his friend Ian Hunter, sharing the bill only once on equal terms for "Yui Orta" (1989).

Despite his battle with liver cancer, which would take his life on April 29, 1993, he provided one last opportunity to support former Smiths singer Morrissey for "Your Arsenal" (1992), arguably his best album. If we can recognise his guitar touch on dozens of songs, from Lisa Dalbello to the Rich Kids, from Roger Daltrey to Ellen Foley, we will also point out the posthumous release of "Heaven And Hull" (1994) bringing together the guitarist's last sessions as well as a slightly crazy live cover of Bob Dylan's 'Like A Rolling Stone' with Joe Elliott (Def Leopard) and especially... David Bowie. A fleeting reunion after two decades of sulking!

(MH with Stéphane Soupart - Photo : © Etienne Tordoir)

Photo: Mick Ronson (left) and Ian Hunter at the release of their joint album Yui Orta in Brussels, Belgium, in 1989