Ronald David Bright (October 18, 1938 – November 26, 2015) was an American R&B and

doo-wop Doo-wop (also spelled doowop and doo wop) is a genre of rhythm and blues music that originated in African-American communities during the 1940s, mainly in the large cities of the United States, including New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Chica ...

singer of the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. He was born in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...

Biography

Bright was the

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gu ...

vocalist for doo-wop groups the Valentines,

the Cadillacs The Cadillacs were an American rock and roll and doo-wop group from Harlem, New York, active from 1953 to 1962. The group was noted for their 1955 hit " Speedo", written by Esther Navarro, which was instrumental in attracting white audiences ...

the Deep River Boys The Deep River Boys were an American gospel music group active from the mid-1930s and into the 1980s. The group performed spirituals, gospel, and R&B. Members The original group consisted of Harry Douglass ( baritone), Vernon Gardner (first t ...

, and

the Coasters The Coasters are an American rhythm and blues/rock and roll vocal group who had a string of hits in the late 1950s. Beginning with " Searchin'" and " Young Blood" in 1957, their most memorable songs were written by the songwriting and producin ...

. He did session work for artists such as

Barry Mann Barry Mann (born Barry Imberman; February 9, 1939) is an American songwriter and musician, and part of a successful songwriting partnership with his wife, Cynthia Weil. He has written or co-written 53 hits in the UK and 98 in the US. Early lif ...

Jackie Wilson Jack Leroy Wilson Jr. (June 9, 1934 – January 21, 1984) was an American singer and performer of the 1950s and 60s. He was a prominent figure in the transition of rhythm and blues into soul. Nicknamed "Mr. Excitement", he was considered a mas ...

Peter Gabriel Peter Brian Gabriel (born 13 February 1950) is an English musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, and activist. He rose to fame as the original lead singer of the progressive rock band Genesis. After leaving Genesis in 1975, he launched ...

, and

Johnny Cymbal Johnny Cymbal (born John Hendry Blair; February 3, 1945 – March 16, 1993) was a Scottish-born American songwriter, singer and record producer who had numerous hit records, including his signature song, "Mr. Bass Man". Overview During a 33-yea ...

. His most recognizable vocals are from Johnny Cymbal's 1963 hit song "Mr. Bass Man." He sang with the Valentines (the group was previously called the Dreamers) from 1954 to 1957, briefly with the Cadillacs in 1960, and the Deep River Boys in the late 1960s. In 1965, Bright released a record for

Coed Records George Paxton and Marvin Cane formed Coed Records, Inc. in New York City in 1958, and had offices at 1619 Broadway in the Brill Building. George Paxton produced many of the songs on this label, most of which were of the East Coast Doo-wop group s ...

as Ronnie and the Schoolmates. He joined the Coasters in April 1968, replacing Dub Jones, and left the group in 2009. He died on November 26, 2015, at the age of 77.

Discography

Group singles and recordings

* "Summer Love"/"For You" (Bruce) (1954) (unreleased) (The Dreamers) * "Tonight Kathleen"/"Summer Love" (Old Town #1009) (1954) ( The Valentines) * "Lily Maebelle"/"Falling for You" (Rama #171) (1955) (The Valentines) * "I Love You Darling"/"Hand Me Down Love" (Rama #181) (1955) (The Valentines) * "Christmas Prayer"/"Kiss Me" (Rama #186) (1955) (The Valentines) * "Why"/"The Woo Woo Train" (Rama #196) (1956) (The Valentines) * "Twenty Minutes Before the Hour"/"I’ll Never Let You Go" (Rama #201) (1956) (The Valentines) * "Nature's Creation"/"My Story of Love" (Rama #208) (1956) (The Valentines) * "Don’t Say Goodnight"/"I Cried Oh, Oh" (Rama #228) (1957) (The Valentines) * "Tell Me Today"/"It’s Love" (Josie #876) (1960) (Speedo & The Cadillacs) * " Who Put the Bomp" (ABC Paramount #10237) (1961) (

) * "

Baby Workout "Baby Workout" is an R&B song by Jackie Wilson from the album of the same name. The track is about Wilson urging a girl to dance (work out) all night with him. It was Wilson's biggest hit of his singles that charted on both the ''Billboard'' Hot ...

" (Brunswick #55239) (1963) (

) * "Mr. Bass Man" (Kapp #503) (1963) (

) * "Just Born (To Be Your Baby)"/"Don't Don't Don't Dropout" (Coed #605) (1965) (Ronnie & The Schoolmates) * "Act Right"/"The World Is Changing" (Turntable #504) (1969) (

The Coasters The Coasters are an American rhythm and blues/rock and roll vocal group who had a string of hits in the late 1950s. Beginning with " Searchin'" and " Young Blood" in 1957, their most memorable songs were written by the songwriting and producin ...

) * "Good Lovin'" (King) (1971) (unreleased) (The Coasters) * "Cool Jerk" (King #6389) (1971) (The Coasters) * "Mustang Sally" (King) (1971) (The Coasters) * "The In Crowd" (King) (1971) (The Coasters) * "On Broadway" (King) (1971) (The Coasters) * "Hush Don't Talk About It"/"The World Keeps On Turning" (Wicked #8103) (1976) (Carl Gardner & The Coasters) * "Check Mr. Popeye" (lead vocals for The Coasters on

Southside Johnny John Lyon (born December 4, 1948), better known by his stage name Southside Johnny, is an American singer-songwriter who usually fronts his band Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes. Southside Johnny has long been considered the Grandfather o ...

's album ''This Time Is For Real'' on Epic #34668) (1977) * "

In Your Eyes IN, In or in may refer to: Places * India (country code IN) * Indiana, United States (postal code IN) * Ingolstadt, Germany (license plate code IN) * In, Russia, a town in the Jewish Autonomous Oblast Businesses and organizations * Independ ...

" (backup vocals from

's Geffen album '' So'') (1986) * "Just Born (To Be Your Baby)"/"Don't Don't Don't Dropout" (Collectables #1144) (reissue) (Ronnie & The Schoolmates)

References

External links

The Coasters Web Site
* All Music Guide*
Marv Goldberg's R&B Notebooks – The Valentines
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bright, Ronnie 1938 births 2015 deaths 20th-century African-American male singers American male singers American rhythm and blues singers The Coasters members Singers from New York City The Cadillacs members 21st-century African-American people