Post by Deleted on Apr 25, 2008 0:39:26 GMT -5
Ronnie Italiano (Ronnie I) 1941-2008
Ronnie was a personal friend and a great guy!
ITALIANO Ronald, 67, of Clifton, NJ, formerly of East Rutherford NJ passed away on March 4, 2008. Born in Passaic NJ. Ronnie. I. was the president and founder of The United in Group Harmony Association. (U.G.H.A.) and considered a 50's Doo-Wop Icon. Beloved husband of Sandra.
Devoted father of Ronald Jr. Doreen DeMartino. Tammi Porzl. Dear brother of Richard, Elaine Kling, and the late Anthony. Loving grandfather of Marissa, Jami, Kylie, Arianna, Aaron, Jason, Justin. Funeral from the Macagna Diffily Funeral Home 41 Ames Avenue Rutherford NJ on Saturday March 8 at 8:30 AM thence to St. Josephs R.C. Church East Rutherford NJ, where a funeral mass will be offered at 9:30 am. Internment to follow at St. Josephs Cemetery Lyndhurst, NJ Visitation Thursday 7-9 PM, Friday 2-4 and 7-9 PM. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to The Cancer Center at Hackensack Medical University Hospital. and or Make a wish foundation.
Published in The Record and Herald News on 3/5/2008.
Radio: Voice for harmony is silenced.
***
By DAVID HINCKLEY
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Thursday, March 6th 2008, 4:00 AM
Sometimes the most modest radio shows have the most interesting stories behind them, and that was surely true with Ronnie Italiano, better known as Ronnie I, who died Monday night after a long battle with liver cancer.
Ronnie was a champion of rhythm and blues vocal group harmony music in the style of the 1950s, and he played it on WNWK, WHBI and WNYE for 23 years. As recently as last year, he sat in for Christine Vitale on WFDU (89.1 FM), where she is one of a handful of hosts on various stations who still play that music on "specialty" shows.
For a time, a half century ago, some of that music - think "Earth Angel" or "Silhouettes" - made it into the popular mainstream, particularly in New York. Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers, or the Cadillacs, Heartbeats, Flamingos, Moonglows, Five Satins and Harptones, were the street sound of their era, like rap a generation or two later.
Most of the great early New York radio deejays are associated with that sound, from Alan Freed to Jocko, Hal Jackson and Dr. Jive. When WCBS-FM launched its oldies format in 1972, R vocal groups were a foundation.
But as years passed and the original fans drifted away from music, moved out of town or died, it receded more into the past - which is what Ronnie Italiano spent his life fighting not to let happen.
He sold the music at his record shop, Clifton Music. He worked to reissue the most obscure R material. Perhaps most critical, he founded the United in Group Harmony (UGHA) which, since 1976, has held monthly meetings with live shows, becoming a place where fans could get together and know the music hadn't died.
He tracked down vocal group singers who hadn't performed in decades, adding immeasurably to the history of the music and, even more important, reinforcing its stature as a living, breathing art form.
Since music fans are as contentious as those in any other avocation, Ronnie had his skirmishes. For starters, he hated the term "doo-wop," which he felt trivialized and insulted his music.
It also drove him crazy when WCBS-FM reduced and then virtually eliminated R vocal groups. He praised WCBS-FM hosts Don K. Reed and Bobby Jay and accused the station of abandoning the city's music roots.
But his real focus was the larger prize: honoring and preserving the music he grew up with. He was convinced tens of thousands of people still loved it, and that it needed to be kept alive for those who will love it in the future.
In that pursuit, he left everything on the field - just like the good Yankee teams he also loved.
"We as music lovers," said Terry Stewart, president of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, "are all better off for his efforts."
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Ronnie was a personal friend and a great guy!
ITALIANO Ronald, 67, of Clifton, NJ, formerly of East Rutherford NJ passed away on March 4, 2008. Born in Passaic NJ. Ronnie. I. was the president and founder of The United in Group Harmony Association. (U.G.H.A.) and considered a 50's Doo-Wop Icon. Beloved husband of Sandra.
Devoted father of Ronald Jr. Doreen DeMartino. Tammi Porzl. Dear brother of Richard, Elaine Kling, and the late Anthony. Loving grandfather of Marissa, Jami, Kylie, Arianna, Aaron, Jason, Justin. Funeral from the Macagna Diffily Funeral Home 41 Ames Avenue Rutherford NJ on Saturday March 8 at 8:30 AM thence to St. Josephs R.C. Church East Rutherford NJ, where a funeral mass will be offered at 9:30 am. Internment to follow at St. Josephs Cemetery Lyndhurst, NJ Visitation Thursday 7-9 PM, Friday 2-4 and 7-9 PM. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to The Cancer Center at Hackensack Medical University Hospital. and or Make a wish foundation.
Published in The Record and Herald News on 3/5/2008.
Radio: Voice for harmony is silenced.
***
By DAVID HINCKLEY
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Thursday, March 6th 2008, 4:00 AM
Sometimes the most modest radio shows have the most interesting stories behind them, and that was surely true with Ronnie Italiano, better known as Ronnie I, who died Monday night after a long battle with liver cancer.
Ronnie was a champion of rhythm and blues vocal group harmony music in the style of the 1950s, and he played it on WNWK, WHBI and WNYE for 23 years. As recently as last year, he sat in for Christine Vitale on WFDU (89.1 FM), where she is one of a handful of hosts on various stations who still play that music on "specialty" shows.
For a time, a half century ago, some of that music - think "Earth Angel" or "Silhouettes" - made it into the popular mainstream, particularly in New York. Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers, or the Cadillacs, Heartbeats, Flamingos, Moonglows, Five Satins and Harptones, were the street sound of their era, like rap a generation or two later.
Most of the great early New York radio deejays are associated with that sound, from Alan Freed to Jocko, Hal Jackson and Dr. Jive. When WCBS-FM launched its oldies format in 1972, R vocal groups were a foundation.
But as years passed and the original fans drifted away from music, moved out of town or died, it receded more into the past - which is what Ronnie Italiano spent his life fighting not to let happen.
He sold the music at his record shop, Clifton Music. He worked to reissue the most obscure R material. Perhaps most critical, he founded the United in Group Harmony (UGHA) which, since 1976, has held monthly meetings with live shows, becoming a place where fans could get together and know the music hadn't died.
He tracked down vocal group singers who hadn't performed in decades, adding immeasurably to the history of the music and, even more important, reinforcing its stature as a living, breathing art form.
Since music fans are as contentious as those in any other avocation, Ronnie had his skirmishes. For starters, he hated the term "doo-wop," which he felt trivialized and insulted his music.
It also drove him crazy when WCBS-FM reduced and then virtually eliminated R vocal groups. He praised WCBS-FM hosts Don K. Reed and Bobby Jay and accused the station of abandoning the city's music roots.
But his real focus was the larger prize: honoring and preserving the music he grew up with. He was convinced tens of thousands of people still loved it, and that it needed to be kept alive for those who will love it in the future.
In that pursuit, he left everything on the field - just like the good Yankee teams he also loved.
"We as music lovers," said Terry Stewart, president of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, "are all better off for his efforts."
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