Ronnie Laws

Biography

Ronald Wayne Laws was born on October 3, 1950, in Houston, Texas, as the fifth of eight children in a remarkably talented musical family.[1] His mother was a choir director for the local church, exposing him to exceptional singers from an early age, and he began teaching himself alto saxophone at age eleven.[1] After an eye injury sidelined his early dreams of a professional baseball career, his saxophone became his all-consuming passion.[3] He attended Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas, for two years before relocating to Los Angeles in 1971 to pursue a professional music career.[1]

Laws' early career included performances with legendary talents such as trumpeter Hugh Masekela and The Jazz Crusaders.[3] His most significant early role came in 1972 when he joined Earth, Wind & Fire, playing saxophone and flute on their album 'Last Days and Time' and remaining with the group for approximately two years before deciding to pursue a solo career.[1] With assistance from immortal jazz great Donald Byrd, Laws signed his first recording contract with Blue Note Records, releasing his debut album 'Pressure Sensitive' in 1975, which reached No. 25 on the Billboard Top Soul Albums chart and featured his breakthrough hit 'Always There'.[1][4] The album immediately sparked controversy among jazz purists who criticized his inventive, nontraditional fusion style, yet Laws responded by achieving unprecedented crossover success in R&B and pop alongside jazz, establishing himself as a prolific saxophonist, flutist, singer, and composer.[3]

Throughout his career spanning decades, Laws established himself as an R&B player with a soulful resonance on the tenor saxophone.[5][9] His most commercially successful album came with 'Every Generation' (1980), which rose to No. 4 on the R&B album charts and No. 24 on the Billboard 200, featuring the powerful title track that became a No. 12 R&B hit.[4] Beyond his solo work, Laws produced and collaborated with an impressive array of artists including Ramsey Lewis, Jeff Lorber, Sister Sledge, Deniece Williams, Alphonse Mouzon, Howard Hewett, Norman Brown, Brian Culbertson, Guru, and The Crusaders, cementing his legacy as a bridging figure between jazz, funk, and contemporary R&B.

Fun Facts

• Laws comes from an exceptionally talented musical family: his older brother Hubert is an accomplished jazz flutist, and his sisters Eloise and Debra are accomplished vocalists, making the Laws family one of jazz's most musically gifted dynasties.[1][3]
• After an eye injury ended his dreams of a professional baseball career, Laws channeled all his energy into the saxophone, which became his all-consuming passion and ultimately launched one of the most successful careers in jazz-funk history.[3]
• Laws' breakthrough hit 'Always There' from his 1975 debut album 'Pressure Sensitive' was co-written with William Jeffrey and became one of his all-time classics, reaching No. 45 on the R&B charts and establishing him as a major crossover artist.[4]
• Despite fierce criticism from jazz purists who attacked his nontraditional fusion style, Laws answered his detractors by achieving unprecedented crossover success in R&B and pop in addition to jazz, receiving multiple awards for originality in the process.[3]

Associated Acts

• Earth, Wind & Fire - flute, sopranino saxophone, tenor saxophone (1972–1972)

Musical Connections

Mentors/Influences

• Donald Byrd - Assisted Laws in securing his first recording contract with Blue Note Records and provided guidance during his early solo career (Pressure Sensitive (debut album negotiation and early production)) [1975]
• George Butler - Blue Note Records head who co-produced Laws' debut album and shaped his early commercial direction (Pressure Sensitive (1975), Fever (1976)) [1975-1976]
• Wayne Henderson - Jazz Crusaders co-founder who co-produced Laws' debut solo LP (Pressure Sensitive (1975)) [1975]
• Hubert Laws - Older brother and accomplished jazz flutist who influenced Laws' musical development and approach to instrumentation (Family musical environment and stylistic development) [1950s-ongoing]

Key Collaborators

• Earth, Wind & Fire - Early career band where Laws played saxophone and flute as a full-time member (Last Days and Time (1972)) [1972-1973]
• Hugh Masekela - South African trumpeter with whom Laws performed early in his Los Angeles career (Various performances) [1971-1972]
• The Jazz Crusaders - Legendary group where Laws performed early in his career and collaborated with founding member Wayne Henderson (Various performances and recordings) [Early 1970s]
• Debra Laws - Sister and vocalist; Laws produced and sang on her 1981 album and frequently tours with her (Very Special (1981)) [1981-ongoing]
• Ramsey Lewis - Jazz pianist and composer with whom Laws recorded and performed (Les Fleurs (1983)) [1983]
• Jeff Lorber - Contemporary jazz keyboardist and frequent collaborator (In the Heat of the Night (1984)) [1984]
• Sister Sledge - R&B/pop vocal group with whom Laws contributed saxophone (Bet Cha Say That to All the Girls (1983)) [1983]
• Deniece Williams - Soul/R&B vocalist with whom Laws performed saxophone (Let's Hear It for the Boy (1984)) [1984]
• Alphonse Mouzon - Jazz drummer and composer with whom Laws collaborated (The Sky Is the Limit (1985), Early Spring (1988)) [1985-1988]
• Howard Hewett - Soul/R&B vocalist with whom Laws performed (Forever and Ever (1988)) [1988]
• Norman Brown - Smooth jazz guitarist with whom Laws collaborated (Just Between Us (1992)) [1992]
• Brian Culbertson - Contemporary smooth jazz keyboardist and frequent collaborator throughout Laws' later career (Various collaborations) [1990s-2000s]
• Guru - Hip-hop artist with whom Laws collaborated, bridging jazz and contemporary music (Various collaborations) [1990s]

Artists Influenced

• Smooth Jazz Genre - Laws' fusion style and crossover approach significantly influenced the development of contemporary smooth jazz and jazz-funk as commercially viable genres (Entire catalog, particularly Pressure Sensitive through Every Generation) [1975-present]
• Contemporary Jazz Artists - Laws' successful bridging of jazz, R&B, and funk influenced subsequent generations of saxophonists pursuing crossover appeal (Various jazz-funk and smooth jazz artists) [1980s-present]

Discography

Albums

Top Tracks

1. Friends And Strangers (Friends & Strangers)
2. Stay Awake (Solid Ground)
3. Always There (Pressure Sensitive)
4. Tidal Wave (Pressure Sensitive)
5. Every Generation - Remastered (Every Generation (Remastered))
6. That's The Game
7. Life In Paradise (Friends & Strangers)
8. Night Breeze (Fever)
9. Stay Awake
10. Never Be The Same (Pressure Sensitive)

External Links

• Spotify
• Wikipedia
• MusicBrainz

Tags: #jazz, #jazz-funk