Ron "Have Mercy" Kersey (April 7, 1949 – January 25, 2005) – Magic Of The Blue (1975)
Ron "Have Mercy" Kersey (April 7, 1949 – January 25, 2005) – Magic Of The Blue (1975)
This epic soul-funk-disco jam by Blue Magic was co-written by Philly soul legends Ron Kersey, Allan Felder, and Norman Harris.
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Ron “Have Mercy” Kersey was an amazingly talented musician, songwriter, arranger, and producer who was a member of MFSB, the Salsoul Orchestra and the Trammps. Most well-known for co-writing the Trammps' biggest hit “Disco Inferno,” he helped create numerous other Philly soul classics.
Tyrone Garfield Kersey was born in Philadelphia. He sang in his high school glee club and learned to play piano. From 1967-72, he served in the Air Force, where he played keyboards at airbase clubs and got his nickname “Have Mercy” because his playing style was so overwhelmingly funky.
When he returned to Philadelphia, he reconnected with his longtime friend Norman Harris, who was one of the core members of MFSB, the studio band for Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff's Philadelphia International Records (PIR). Harris helped him get a job as a studio musician at Sigma Sound Studios, the studio owned by Joe Tarsia where most PIR records were produced.
Kersey became a member of MFSB himself, then joined the Trammps. He co-wrote and co-produced their signature song “Disco Inferno,” and won a Grammy as one of the producers after the song was included on the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack. He later became a member of the Salsoul Orchestra.
Working alongside Harris and his production partners Ron Baker and Earl Young, Kersey co-produced many classic Philly soul records. Some of the artists he produced or wrote songs for included Stephanie Mills, Janice McClain, Stacy Lattisaw, Gladys Knight, First Choice, Gloria Gaynor, Evelyn King, Imagination, and Patti LaBelle.
One album he helped create stands out both for its incredible lineup of musicians and the record's overall quality. Thirteen Blue Magic Lane by Blue Magic was co-produced by Kersey and Norman Harris, and released on Atlantic's subsidiary ATCO Records in 1975. It was the last of a trilogy of Blue Magic's most critically acclaimed albums, and reached #9 on the R&B album charts.
The first single was the beautiful “Chasing Rainbows,” written by Blue Magic lead singer Ted Wizard Mills, which reached #17 R&B. Another song by Mills, the gorgeous love song “What’s Come Over Me,” was released as the next single. The track had originally appeared on their self-titled debut album in 1974, but this remake was a duet with singer Margie Joseph and Mills. It hit #11 R&B and became one of Blue Magic’s most well-known classics.
Kersey produced the flawless love song “I Like You,” also written by Mills. The romantic slow jam “Haunted (By Your Love)” was co-written by Ron Tyson, Allan Felder, and Bruce Hawes. “We’re On The Right Track” was Blue Magic’s upbeat, dancefloor-friendly cover of a Harris-Felder cut originally released by Ultra High Frequency in 1973 and an early disco hit.
The album's masterpiece was the epic, funky soul-disco jam that opened side two, “The Magic of The Blue,” which was also released as a 12" single. It was arranged by Harris, mixed by Tom Moulton, and co-written by Kersey, Harris, and Allan Felder.
Curiously, the song's title had also been the title to their previous album, released the year before in 1974, yet it was not included on that LP.
Like the rest of Thirteen Blue Magic Lane, “The Magic of The Blue” featured Bobby Eli and Norman Harris on guitar, Ron Kersey and Dexter Wansel on keyboards, Vince Montana on vibraphone, Ron Baker on bass, Earl Young on drums, Larry Washington on percussion, and Don Renaldo and his Strings and Horns.
Further info:
“Ron "Have Mercy" Kersey – At The Top Of The Stairs (1976),” Jointz Of The Day, April 7, 2023.
#soul #funk #disco #MFSB #Trammps #BlueMagic #RonKersey