Ron Hull - Biography
Jazz Pianist and vocalist Ron Hull was pre-destined to become a musician.
Ron grew up in Clintonville, Wisconsin, in a musical household. His late father, Wilson Hull, was a multi-instrumentalist who played drums, bass, tenor banjo, tenor guitar, and vibraphone. Wilson was a jazz record collecter, regularly playing jazz on the family record player - sounds of artists including Jonah Jones, Woody Herman, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Art Blakey, Oscar Peterson, and Charlie Parker. Jazz music was to become a constant in Ron's life and his chief musical orientation, because of this early exposure to this form of music.
Uncle Everett, Inventor of the Ampeg electrified bass pickup.
His Uncle, Everett Hull, was the inventor of the Ampeg electrified bass pickup. In 1949, he founded the Ampeg Bassamp Company in New York City. Before the Ampeg pickup as invented, the bass was in the background of the rhythm section, never standing out as a lead instrument, hard to hear above other instruments. Everett's pickup invention transformed the bass to a resonant amplified tone, making it a dominant sound and sometimes a lead instrument in many bands. "We spent time together back in the 1950s when we lived in New York," Ron said. While living in New York as a young child, Ron was exposed to the musicians who frequented his Uncle's shop in search of a better sound for their acoustic and electric instruments. Ron was influenced further by hearing their styles of playing. This early music exposure has influenced and molded Ron's interests as a musician.
Music in childhood and growing up.
"My earliest involvement with music and its influence on me throughout my life were perpetuated by my father, Wilson Hull, who was a man of many talents. He recognized my musical talent early in my boyhood and taught me the rudiments of jazz drumming." Ron's dad used to take him out on gigs, occasionally allowing him to sit in with the band as a drummer. After being initiated musically as a drummer, Ron learned the bass and keyboards. "During high school, my family got an organ for Christmas and my mother started teaching herself to play. It was then that I started to take an interest in the keyboards. My father was also an accomplished pianist and I learned a lot from him about altered chords." However, Ron credits his uncle with influencing him to incorporate a bass-style technique into his piano playing style that he uses today.
During his high school years in Clintonville, Ron was initially influenced by Elvis Presley. He played drums with a number of rock and roll bands - "The Mustangs", "The Vacardi 5 Group", and "The Group". Thoughout his teenage years, he also developed a close musical relationship with guitarists Tom Dobbs and Doug Shaffer, both of whom played with him in subsequent bands. Both Tom and Doug later died within the same week in the summer of 1992. These deaths had a deep impact on Ron, teaching him to cope with tragedy by using music as constructive force. He composed his first song, "Best Friends", as a tribute to them. It was the beginning of his career as a writer and composer.
The Navy, bands after high school, and the switch from drums to piano.
After high school, Ron spent two years in the U.S. Navy. During this time, the organ became his passion. Ron was always on the lookout for an organ to play, preferrably a Hammond B3. Organist Jimmy Smith was an influence. "I was beginning to form a style based on this type of jazz/blues influence. After returning home to Clintonville, Ron resumed his music activities. "It became evident to me that rock and roll was starting to wane and the jazz that was deeply rooted in my past and in my soul was coming back out of the closet." Ron revived a prior band named "Page Four", which consisted of lead guitar, bass, organ, and drums. "This time it was different though, this was the befinning of my life as a keyboard player."
Ron started playing with other local jazz groups in Wisconsin. Among these groups, he played with a traditional Jazz/Dixieland band from Keshena call the Arrowheads. "This gave me the opportunity to learn more of those old standards on piano that I had previously learned on drums," Ron said.
Ron moved to the Fox River Valley in the 1970s and dropped out of the musical scene for awhile. "I had to try to find myself again and didn't do too much playing again for a couple of years," he explained. His musical hiatus did not last long. He became restless and went back to playing. He linked up with some other Fox Valley musicians and formed a group "The Three Keys", which consisted of vocalist Cheri Lee, guitarist Ardo Mariucci, and drummer Jerry Dedering. They played at area clubs - Kahler's Motel in Appleton, The Embassy and The Billottis Lounge in Green Bay, and also did television appearances on behalf of the Rawhide Boys Ranch. Ron also played with "The Jay Wells Trio" for about two years.
Then Ron was offered a job with the band, "Patchwork", consisting of Leon Kusserow on bass and Dan Peterson on drums, both from John Harmon's original jazz trio, and then adding Lee Hanson on tenor sax, flute trumpet and guitar. "It was a variety band which was very active, with a fully booked schedule," Ron said. "We appeared in many clubs throughout the Fox Valley and surrounding areas and also did work for the Miss Milwaukee Pageant for a couple of years."
He stayed with this band until 1979, when he decided to return to one of his former bands, which now had a new name: "The Easy Pieces". The band played a mixture of jazz standards - Latin, rock, and contemporary pop. He stayed with "The Easy Pieces" until 1986, after which he felt the need to back away from music and "reflect upon what had happened to me musically and what was to be."
He started playing again as a solo artist, occasionally performing with guest artists. For about a year he played in Manitowoc, finding himself becoming a stranger to the Fox Valley. "It made me invisible in my own backyard," he said. "I was no longer working close to home and it was like I had died." There was no local exposure. During these solo forays he also drifted away from his jazz roots. "It was always my hope some day to be recognized as a jazz player but I knew as long as I continued playing all these other styles of music, this would never happen," he said.
Solo piano and composition.
After his mother died in 1993 after a long battle with cancer, Ron went back to his soul-searching mode and decided to reinvent himself again. He first composed a song in her memory titled "I'll be in Love with You." Then he took another break. "After a few years of long rides on a Harley-Davidson and a mid-life crisis, I am happy to say I'm a survivor again in a while new light. It has led me to be the person of my early childhood dreams."
Current Activities.
Since 1969, Ron has recast himself as a jazz keyboard player and vocalist who writes his own tunes. Currently, Ron plays for private parties, corporate events, and appears at the Deja Vu Martini Lounge and the Seasons restaurants in Appleton, A's Music Cafe in DePere, Oxfords in downtown Green Bay, and Fusions in Fondulac. He is a guest pianist with fellow players Ken Peterson, Lovell Ives, Gary Miller and Dan Palmer in the bands "The River City Six" and "Jazz Hot". He performed in the 1999 dedication of the Kaukauna High School in a backup band for vocalist Tim Dorsey. He also appeared at the Neenah Jazz Festival in 2000. Ron has worked with "The Habeneros" jazz band and also the late great guitarist Frank Merenda, who played with the Jackie Gleason Orchestra, and members of The Tiajuana Brass, and with Frank Sinatra and Keely Smith.
As the leader for Island Jazz, Ron has performed with Milwaukee native Melanie Howell, a 2000 graduate from Lawrence Conservatory of Music who plays alto and baritone sax, Rob McWillians, a trumpeter who is director of jazz bands and instrumental music at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, and jazz guaitarist John Pfeiffer, who is the guitarist with Hull's band "The Island Jazz Players." Other members of the ensemble include Joe Maas on drums and Tom Powell on trombone.
Most recently Ron finished the past year as a keyboard accompanist for the Ed Franks Show and had the opportunity to work with jazz bassist Ben Harris who grauated from Berkeley and is a former member of the Boston Symphony.
"I've been a long-time admirer of John Harmon and his style of playing," Ron said of the legendary Winneconne jazz pianist and composer who books national and local acts for the Neenah Jazz Festival. "He has been an inspiration for me many times to stay with it. I've also been a long time admirer of the late jazz keyboards/vocalist Reggie Nye who was the backbone of the "Habenero Jazz Band." Currently, Ron is working with the Island Jazz Players, recording a CD for release in 2003 that will feature some of Ron's original compositions.
These dreams will continue to unfold in the months and years ahead, as Hull continues to gain a solid footing in the local jazz world. "It is my firm belief that through love, dedication and persistence, dreams can become reality and the spirits of those you've related to while they were here with you can become a major force within you to continue to create music," Hull said.