Ronny Jordan
Background information
Birth nameRobert Laurence Albert Simpson
Born(1962-11-29)29 November 1962
London, England
Died13 January 2014(2014-01-13) (aged 51)
GenresJazz, acid jazz, smooth jazz
Occupation(s)Musician, singer, songwriter
Instrument(s)Guitar
Years active1992–2014
LabelsIsland

Robert Laurence Albert Simpson, known professionally as Ronny Jordan (29 November 1962 – 13 January 2014) was a British guitarist and part of the acid jazz movement at the end of the twentieth century.[1][2] Jordan described his music as "urban jazz", a blend of jazz, hip-hop, and R&B.[3]

Biography

He came to prominence after being featured on Guru's Jazzmatazz, Vol. 1, released in 1993. He was also one of the artists whose recordings are featured on Stolen Moments: Red Hot + Cool—a compilation album released in 1994 to benefit the Red Hot Organization.

Following 1992's The Antidote,[1] recordings from Jordan have featured on the Billboard charts, especially his acid-jazz Miles Davis cover of "So What", which was a worldwide hit. He was also the recipient of The MOBO Best Jazz Act Award and the Gibson Guitar Best Jazz Guitarist Award. His 2000 release, A Brighter Day, was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Jazz Album.

Jordan's song "The Jackal" (from his 1993 album The Quiet Revolution) gained prominence when actress Allison Janney in the role of C. J. Cregg lip-synched it in the episode "Six Meetings Before Lunch" of The West Wing. She also did so on Arsenio Hall's television show in September 2013.

Jordan died on 13 January 2014.[2] His "body was found at home several days after his return from an overseas tour in South Africa. An autopsy was performed which although inconclusive, confirmed there was no foul play or injury involved."[4]

Discography

  • The Antidote (Island, 1992)
  • The Quiet Revolution (Island, 1993) AUS No. 48[5]
  • Bad Brothers (Island, 1994)
  • Light to Dark (Island, 1996)
  • A Brighter Day (Blue Note, 2000)
  • Off the Record (Blue Note, 2001)
  • The Collection (Spectrum, 2002) compilation
  • At Last (N-Coded, 2003)
  • After 8 (N-Coded, 2004)
  • The Rough & The Smooth (Private 'N Public, 2009)

Source:[6]

Singles

Year Single Peak chart positions Album
UK
[7]		 FRA
[8]		 US
R&B
[9]		 US
Rap
[10]
1992 "So What!" b/w "Cool and Funky" 3238—— The Antidote
"Get To Grips" b/w "Flat Out" ————
"After Hours (The Antidote)" b/w "Nite Spice" ——51—
1993 "Under Your Spell" b/w "In Full Swing" 72——— The Quiet Revolution
1994 "Tinsel Town" b/w "My Favourite Things" 64———
"Come With Me" b/w "S**t Goes Down" 63———
1996 "The Law EP" ———— Light To Dark
"It's You" (US promo only) ————
2000 "A Brighter Day" (US only) ———20 A Brighter Day
2001 "London Lowdown" (US promo only) ————
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released.

References

  1. 1 2 Ankeny, Jason. "Ronny Jordan | Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved 8 March 2019.
  2. 1 2 Fordham, John (22 January 2014). "Ronny Jordan obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 March 2019.
  3. ↑ Reece, Douglas (29 June 1996). "Island's Ronny Jordan Sheds Some 'Light' on His Acid Jazz". Billboard at Google Books. pp. 20–. Retrieved 7 March 2019.
  4. ↑ "Ronny Jordan RIP". Facebook. 6 February 2014. Retrieved 6 March 2023. A Statement from the family of Ronny Jordan.
  5. ↑ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 149.
  6. ↑ "Ronny Jordan | Album Discography". AllMusic. Retrieved 8 March 2019.
  7. ↑ "Ronny Jordan - UK Chart". The Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 October 2015.
  8. ↑ "Ronny Jordan - French chart". lescharts.com. Retrieved 14 October 2015.
  9. ↑ "Ronny Jordan - US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs". billboard.com. Retrieved 14 October 2015.
  10. ↑ "Ronny Jordan - US Hot Rap Songs". billboard.com. Retrieved 14 October 2015.

Further reading

  • "So What" Transcription of Ronny Jordan's version of So What
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