Ron Louis Smith (April 12, 1952 – January 21, 2012) – Make Me Know It (1978)
The unsung trumpet player who helped shape KC and the Sunshine Band's sound as head of their horn section wrote & produced this disco funk gem for his debut solo LP.
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Ron Louis Smith was an incredibly talented trumpet player who helped create the sound of KC and the Sunshine Band as the original head of their horn section, playing alongside his guitarist brother Jerome Smith.
Born in Miami, Ronald Louis Smith was given his first trumpet as a child by his father, who salvaged it from someone else’s trash. He was a drum major at the city’s Edison and Jackson high schools. Along with his guitarist brother Jerome and their friend Robert “Shotgun” Johnson, in the early seventies he formed the Ocean Liner Band, who were hired as Betty Wright’s touring group.
After changing their name to the Oceanliners, they became the house band for Henry Stone’s labels and eventually morphed into KC and the Sunshine Band, with the Smith brothers and Johnson all staying on as original members. Ron was the head of the group’s horn section and in charge of their choreography.
See our earlier posts on Ron’s brother Jerome Smith for more on the early days of the Ocean Liner Band and the Sunshine Band.
Interviewed in the late nineties, TK Records singer Jimmy “Bo” Horne told the full story of the group’s evolution:
“In my view, Ron was the most exciting member of the Sunshine Band and a pioneer of that group. Ron could play all those high octaves. When the Sunshine Band first came out, Ron Louis Smith put together a horn section that just blew you away. The original horn section were a powerhouse! Now, not a lot of people know this, but the Sunshine Band came out of a band called the Ocean Liners, which was formed by Ron Louis Smith and his brother Jerome Smith. Jerome did all those hot guitar parts on the Sunshine Band’s records. The Ocean Liners were the hottest band in Miami and KC asked for the privilege to be a part of that group, because he loved soul music. Anyway, as KC gained acceptance in the Ocean Liners, and Rick Finch joined, that group transformed into the Sunshine Junkanoo Band. Once they got to T.K., that's when they made the name change to KC and the Sunshine Band.”
Horne also offered insight on why the Ocean Liner Band’s early days were largely written out of the Sunshine Band’s history:
“The reason why there's very few who know the real story of how the Sunshine Band began is in my own impression that everything was so focused around KC. I believe it was done that way because of segregation. During that time, a white guy in front of an all-Black band was something that white radio would buy. KC was a little reluctant about it because he felt that the Black music world, the R&B audience, would not accept him. He didn't know that Black people will accept you if they like what you're bringing.”
After spending five years with KC and the Sunshine Band, Ron left the group. He immediately arranged and played the trumpet parts on one of Bob Marley’s most-loved songs, “Buffalo Soldier,” which was recorded in 1978 but not released until 1983, two years after Marley’s death. He also wrote a dancefloor classic for Horne, the upbeat disco-funk jam “Spank.” Released in late 1978, it hit #48 on dance charts and went to #55 R&B.
Also in 1978, Ron recorded his own debut solo album Party Freaks, Come On, released that same year on the TK Records sub-label Sunshine Sound, for which he solely wrote and produced every track. It featured Jerome Smith on guitar, Robert Johnson on drums, Timmy Thomas on keyboards, and Sunshine Band co-founder and co-producer Richard Finch on percussion. KC (aka Harry Wayne Casey) wrote its liner notes in which he predicted, “He's going to be a giant star.”
Nearly every track on this album was solid gold, starting with its slamming disco-funk title track/opening cut, which was issued as the LP’s lead single.
The smooth disco funk jam “Love Talk” was released as the B-side to another single, “Come on and Do It.” Other highlights were the funky jams “We Like to Party” and “The Worm,” and the stellar house party anthem “Party Dress.”
Still more standout cuts included the superb funky love jam “You're My Everything” and the hypnotic funky jam “Make Me Know It.” But despite its brilliance, neither the album nor its singles charted.
When contacted by Fort Lauderdale’s Sun-Sentinel newspaper in 2012 for comment on Smith’s passing, Richard Finch wrote in an email that Ron was “an amazing musician.”
“The contributions he made as an integral part of KC and the Sunshine Band are permanently etched in the music. No one could ever replicate what he brought to the band. Ron was the life of the horn section and did all of the choreography for the band. He was pure positive energy and he delivered that in every performance.”
Tragically, he died after being in a coma for the last eight years of his life, although according to his son he responded to music, and once was able to say “I love you.”
The coma was the result of Smith being beaten during a violent carjacking near Miami’s Liberty Square housing projects in 2004. Four years earlier on July 28, 2000, his brother Jerome had been crushed by a bulldozer while he was working construction in West Palm Beach.
It is sadly ironic that two brothers who helped shape the upbeat music of KC and the Sunshine Band that has since brought decades of joy to the world would both suffer such tragic deaths.
Happy Heavenly Birthday to the great Ronald Louis Smith.
Further info:
“Former K.C. and the Sunshine Band horn player Ronnie Smith Dies at 59,” Sun Sentinel, February 8, 2012.
“KC & the Sunshine Band Rights Dispute Revived,” by Jeff D. Gorman, Courthouse News Service, January 24, 2014.
#soul #funk #disco #Miami #TKRecords #OceanLinerBand #KC #RonLouisSmith
Wow, what a sad end, but I also really enjoyed diving deeper into Ronald's life as an artist. I will admit that it took me longer to fully appreciate KC & The Sunshine Band, however, a few years ago I picked up their first three albums for dirt cheap and decided to give them another chance. Perhaps as we age our music tastes begin to widen & change, or maybe we just gain a greater sense of appreciation and respect. Nevertheless, my initial interests in funk were always the earlier part of the decade and the heavier, grittier, more soulful, and jazzy sounds. Now, I find myself buying more boogie and dare I say, even some disco! I have since grown to enjoy those first three KC albums, but after reading this article I have an even deeper appreciation for the main man behind their music. I'd love to hear some Ocean Liners (if they recorded anything?) and his solo record. I have definitely added the latter to my ever-growing "want" list.
Oh my goodness what a sad way for each of them to end their lives, I felt so subdued after reading it!