Ron Richardson is one of the most musical bass players working today. Perhaps best known for his 8+ year collaboration with R&B/Jazz vocalist Phyllis Hyman, first as her bassist, and then additionally as music director. Ron toured the world, performing full time, and remained with the soul singer until her untimely death in June of 1995. Ron has also performed or recorded with an extensive list of artists such as Bill Withers, Ronnie Laws, Dr. Billy Taylor, Jean Carne, Roy Ayers and "Ubiquity", Will Downing, Tom Browne, Bobbi Humphrey, Lonnie Liston Smith, Angela Bofill, the late jazz violinist Noel Pointer, (whose mother was his second grade music teacher) and James Moody.
Born on November 6th, 1959 in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn, New York. The youngest of seven children, Ron was exposed to music by listening to records on Friday nights with his father, after his father's long week at work. By age 12, Ron had developed a love for the sound of the electric bass. It was after hearing The Jackson Five's "Darling Dear" that Ron decided to ask his parents to buy him an electric bass. Over the next several years Ron was greatly influenced by the 'Darling Dear' bassist, Motown's legendary James Jamerson.
By 1984, Ron's talent as a player and composer become noticed when he and a group of musicians, including alto saxophonist Eric Wyatt recorded the theme for the TV news program "Black News". From that session Ron and two of the other musicians, drummer Darryl Chalmers, and guitarist Greg Sam, formed the nucleus of the New York based jazz-funk-fusion band "Axiom". Ron wrote about 80% of the group's original material as Axiom went on to become a staple of the jazz fusion clubs in NYC during that period, headlining their own shows and regularly opening for "Who It Is" (a group of N.Y. studio musicians featuring Cornell Dupree, who at one time was Aretha Franklin's guitarist and musical director) and Steve Gadd's band 'The Gadd Gang'. In 1987 Axiom won the Downbeat Music Poll contest for best song by an unsigned band with their song "Too Small" written by their saxophonist, Mark Gatz.
Ron continues to produce and compose new music
for his own "Project Grapevine".
For 2017, Ron has been touring the country playing bass and serving as musical director for The Ladies Of Motown Revue, Rose Royce Revue and Greg Hill's Delfonic's Revue bands.
A customized Fender Roscoe Beck Signature 5 String electric bass (fretted)
A Sire Marcus Miller V7 5 string bass
A fretless Squier Precision 4 String electric
Line 6 Bass Pod-xt
Markbass Combo 121 Lite
TC Electronics BG 250/112 combo bass amp
Ron playing bass with Phyllis Hyman as she performs "My Funny Valentine", Live in at the Blue Note, Tokyo, Japan.
Ron playing bass with Phyllis Hyman as she performs "I'll Never Do You Wrong", Live in at the Blue Note, Tokyo, Japan.
Ron performing with Roy Ayers on "You Send Me" at Sinbad's Summer Jam
Ron performing with Roy Ayers on "Searching"on BET's Jazz Central
Ron performing with the Solitude Jazz Trio, featuring Angel Rose, performing "Living Inside Your Love" at the Jersey Shore Jazz & Blues Foundation Summer Festival in Long Branch, New Jersey
Live in St. Louis 2017
On tour as Music Director and bassist
Ron performing and music directing with Greg Hill's Delfonic's Revue - 2017