"Sometimes I feel like calling what I do work isn't quite right. Not many people get to do what they love to do and were made to do and still get paid for it with the added bonus of having as much fun as we do."Ron Betts isn't exactly your typecast lead singer. Standing 6'1" and weighing in at around 250 lbs., he looks more like a football player than a guitar-playing frontman. Then again, Ron likes breaking the mold.
The son of an electrical contractor and a customer service manager, Ron's early exposure to music came from the backbone of the African-American community, the church.
"As far back as I can remember, I've always been interested in music. My grandmother's church provided me with the spiritual side through soulful gospel music. My parents, wishing me to be well-rounded, gave me access to many different types of music. Although my tastes have changed over the years, I've always gone back to my gospel and blues roots for inspiration."
It never occurred to Ron to take up music as anything more than a hobby until a year-long tour with the international group, Up with People. That year changed his life.
"I had very little direction in my life up to that point, but one night, on stage in front of 5,000 people in Minneapolis, it hit me like a ton of bricks: this was what I was meant to do. It was almost a spiritual experience."
After the tour, Ron dedicated himself to the guitar. He began taking serious note of his influences, including T-Bone Walker, Charlie Christian, B.B. King, Carlos Santana, and Jimi Hendrix. He also expanded his musical palate to include Buddy Guy, Stevie Ray Vaughn, George Benson and many more.
Next, he began working on his voice. At one point, he received a gentle push from Lester Chambers of the Chambers Brothers who told him, "You've got to find your voice, your sound, the one thing that will make you different than every other singer out there." Loaded with all of this inspiration plus the will to succeed, Ron began his journey up the proverbial mountain.
Today, Ron has found his style that makes him different from everybody else. That doesn't mean he's done yet.
"The thing is, the more I learn about playing guitar, singing, and performing, the more I realize that I don't really know anything yet. I'm still learning, still growing, and I don't think I'll ever get it all. I hope I can get just enough to make my family proud."
With his '60's re-issue Strat slung over his shoulder and a smile on his face, you get the feeling that somehow, he will.
"It's all about taking what you feel and putting it in the language of your instrument, doing it in such a way that everyone knows what you are saying. That's when you hit the magical zone where you are spiritually in tune with the universe. Then you do the hokey-pokey and you turn yourself about; that's what it's all about."
