Ronald Wayne "Ronnie" Laws (born October 3, 1950 in Houston, Texas) is an A… Read Full Bio ↴Ronald Wayne "Ronnie" Laws (born October 3, 1950 in Houston, Texas) is an American jazz, blues and funk saxophonist. He is the younger brother of jazz flautist Hubert Laws.
Laws is the fifth of eight children born to Hubert Laws, Sr. and Miola Luverta Donahue.
Laws attended Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas for two years. In 1972, Laws joined the fledgling group Earth, Wind & Fire, playing saxophone and flute on their album Last Days And Time. He left the band soon afterwards, long before they achieved their huge commercial success.
In 1976, he began his solo career with the album Pressure Sensitive, on which his most famous instrumental song, "Always There", was included. It became an instant jazz-funk classic, covered by numerous artists.
In 1978 he released an album called Flame under United Artsts (UA) records and from it a 12" single was released called "All for you" with a strong vocal presence and additional tracks entitled "Let's Keep it Together" and "Nuthin' 'bout nuthin" from other previous albums. The 12" single was his first issued in the UK as well as the US and paved the way for this format to be used for promoting artists' work at the time without the need to own the full LP.
Apart from saxophones, Laws also included vocals into his songs. Notable vocal makings include "Every Generation" (1980), "Stay Awake" (1981, included on the album Solid Ground) and "Mr. Nice Guy" (1983).
Laws has also recorded with numerous other artists, including Arthur Adams, Howard Hewett, Ramsey Lewis, Jeff Lorber, Hugh Masekela, Alphonse Mouzon, David Sea, and Sister Sledge.
In 1999 a tribute to Ronnie Laws' "Always There", mentioned earlier, was played by a group of musicians including Boney James, Rick Braun, Kirk Whalum and Larry Carlton performing the number at the Montreux Jazz Festival. This has been issued on DVD and is entitled Casino Lights '99'.
More recently in June 2005 the album Every Generation from 1980 was at last, after continued demand, issued on CD format. The original tracks are "Young Child", "Never get back to Houston", "Every Generation", "Tomorrow", "O.T.B.A.", "Love's Victory", "Thoughts and Memories" and "As one".
Laws is the fifth of eight children born to Hubert Laws, Sr. and Miola Luverta Donahue.
Laws attended Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas for two years. In 1972, Laws joined the fledgling group Earth, Wind & Fire, playing saxophone and flute on their album Last Days And Time. He left the band soon afterwards, long before they achieved their huge commercial success.
In 1976, he began his solo career with the album Pressure Sensitive, on which his most famous instrumental song, "Always There", was included. It became an instant jazz-funk classic, covered by numerous artists.
In 1978 he released an album called Flame under United Artsts (UA) records and from it a 12" single was released called "All for you" with a strong vocal presence and additional tracks entitled "Let's Keep it Together" and "Nuthin' 'bout nuthin" from other previous albums. The 12" single was his first issued in the UK as well as the US and paved the way for this format to be used for promoting artists' work at the time without the need to own the full LP.
Apart from saxophones, Laws also included vocals into his songs. Notable vocal makings include "Every Generation" (1980), "Stay Awake" (1981, included on the album Solid Ground) and "Mr. Nice Guy" (1983).
Laws has also recorded with numerous other artists, including Arthur Adams, Howard Hewett, Ramsey Lewis, Jeff Lorber, Hugh Masekela, Alphonse Mouzon, David Sea, and Sister Sledge.
In 1999 a tribute to Ronnie Laws' "Always There", mentioned earlier, was played by a group of musicians including Boney James, Rick Braun, Kirk Whalum and Larry Carlton performing the number at the Montreux Jazz Festival. This has been issued on DVD and is entitled Casino Lights '99'.
More recently in June 2005 the album Every Generation from 1980 was at last, after continued demand, issued on CD format. The original tracks are "Young Child", "Never get back to Houston", "Every Generation", "Tomorrow", "O.T.B.A.", "Love's Victory", "Thoughts and Memories" and "As one".
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@andrewnicholls6065
I'm 62 but this still gets me on the floor!!
@leonardbrown2219
I'm a few years ahead of you(70).I'm glad to read that you still put in work on the floor. What not a better way For me its the best way to honor a great song,artist,group,band.Much Respect and (Enjoy The Rest Of Your Life)😊😊😊
@phade2blaq
Laws was 25 when he recorded this and this song still sounds good 45 years after its release.
@andychallis9044
Here hear
@MrSteveG58
So was I. Opening cut at party I had summer of 1975 20 yrs old! The Laws Family!!
@jaybenjamin8471
Brilliant
@greggross8856
Straight Facts. The good stuff is eternal.
@honderdzeventien
including the remakes, I'd like to add. If they wouldn't have it on as background filler, I wouldn't be as likely to play this tune as much. Either on vinyl or over here, it only depends where I'm located. But every time I hear this tune I want to hear Ronnie's version. Still brings me tears of joy, always at/after the second drop (as dj's would call tt. It's the second chorus if I'm not mistaken, or for anyone else, around the 3.24 mark)
Man, it's amazing what music can do with human beings
@IanBpa
This is the type of music that is just objectively good. No one can resist grooving to it, no matter what age, sex, or ethnicity.
@BENFICA60
Try the Amish