ronnie williams

• 1961 - 1962  session frank zappa + ronnie & kenny williams
  
• 1962/--/--     first recording of 'deseri'

Info from Steve Baptiste and Dwight Bement:
Ronnie Williams is front bottom with guitar & Dwight Bement is on sax on the right. Tommy Dendall on drums. The bass player's name is Juan 'J.B.' Barajas. Approx. 1962/63.

Info from Patrick Neve:
Ronnie Williams is acknowledged as the one who in 1960 introduced FZ to Paul Buff, which started a most productive period at pal studio. Ronnie played guitar for The Masters, who recorded the Zappa/Collins song "Breaktime" in '62. He, along with his brother Kenny Williams, and Jim Sherwood, engaged in some unusual pastimes which were eventually immortalized in the song "Let's make the water turn black", in 1968. It would not be until 1996 that the source recordings of these hobbies were released in 

• frank zappa: the lost episodes (64)
     (1996, cd, usa, ryko).

It's also explained in explicit detail by Zappa in his autobiography. In the song "Let's make the water turn black" the lyrics mention Ronnie joining the army. That was '68.  I've since recieved an email from his cousin's son telling me that he's in an arizona prison doing time for murder. I'm told he was defending his son in some way.
According to the liner notes in The Lost Episodes, there was no contact with Frank until 1975 when he showed up to a concert in Pomona. After requesting the "song about the  boogers" he was invited on stage. Does anyone out there have an audio artifact of this historic gem?

Info from Charles Ulrich:
Gray (Mother! The Frank Zappa Story, p. 157) suggests that this happened at an undisclosed location in early 1974. He quotes FZ as saying that he had just explained the song to the band a few days before. This wouldn't make much sense in reference to 4/11/75, when half of the band members had been playing the song for a whole year. Plus, of course, i have tapes of both 4/11/75 shows (at Pomona College in Claremont, not in the city of Pomona), and Ronnie does not sing.

Info from Patrick Neve: 
I found some discographies which credit Ronnie Williams as an actor, a producer and arranger of soul music. I don't know if this is the same Ronny Williams.

info from tom welch:      tnenhc@aol.com
The guitarist & brother of the late Kenny made no movies & did not produce any soul or gospel records. I followed Al Sarratt as drummer in the Do How Band with Ronnie & Kenny in 1973. I also think Ronnie went on stage @ Pomona College with Frank in 1974 not 1975. Love your page,keep it up!
Full name Ronald Lloyd Williams-son's name is Steve.
R.L.W. born~1940.

discography