About.
Ron Hamrick is an internationally acclaimed Billboard Top 10 songwriter with a long history of writing songs that end up on people's Favorites list. From rockin' songs that make you want to get on your feet and dance to poignant love songs that tug at your heartstrings, Ron's songs rarely fail to evoke an impassioned response from listeners.
With a feel-good vibe that captures the soul, his catchy melodies combined with well-crafted lyrics convey elements of life's journey. His songs carry positive messages that speak to every generation and have the potential to live forever. Music critics have compared his songwriting to greats such as James Taylor, Brian Wilson, and Carole King.
Ron's music career spans decades with thousands of performances at venues across the U.S. and even in the U.K. He grew up in Michigan and was inducted into the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame in 2011. Ron's performances include his original songs as well as a variety of chart-topping pop, rock and country cover songs backed by the magic of his keyboards.
Ron's music career started in Michigan at 5 years old when he began taking piano and organ lessons, learning classical pieces. Listening to the radio in the late 1950s and 1960s, Ron's attention turned to the popular music of the day. It was seeing The Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1964 that sparked his passion for songwriting. Like so many others in the wake of The British Invasion, Ron formed a band with friends and played cover songs along with a couple originals at local teen dance venues.
In 1966, Ron joined a local band called The Sixth Generation and co-wrote a song called "This Is The Time" with a fellow band member. After the band recorded it in 1967, "This Is The Time" caught the attention of several deejays at big radio stations in Chicago, and it became a #1 regional hit, launching The Sixth Generation to regional fame. In 2011, the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame named "This Is The Time" as a Legendary Song.The band continued performing until 1970 when college demands made it difficult to keep going.
During the next 40 years, Ron completed an MBA, got married and raised two kids with his wife Alida (who he met while playing with The Sixth Generation), and he worked many years as a senior executive in the information technology industry. Although Ron continued writing songs during this period, he never attempted to publish any of them.
The Sixth Generation reunited with original members in 2010 and performed regularly until 2016, when they announced their last two performances for early 2017. Upon reuniting in 2010, Ron wrote a nostalgic look back at the 1960s called "That Was The Time". As soon as the band released it, the YouTube video quickly shot over 100,000 views, and the band gained world fame. Since then, regular releases of Ron's songs helped further the band's worldwide popularity. Ron was inducted into the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame in 2011. The band toured England in 2013, including a performance at the world famous Cavern Club in Liverpool, England. Ron wrote a song called "Rock on England" for the tour that gained many British fans for the band as well as for Ron as a songwriter.
During 2015, The Sixth Generation released his song "Livin' In A Small Town", and it quickly climbed to #2 on Billboard. The well-loved song stayed in the Top 10 for 12 weeks. In February 2016, the band released Ron's song "Touch the Moon" on their "Feelin' Good" album, and it was highly requested on radio stations around the world. In the U.S., it was named 2016 Song of The Year on Radio Rock 92.6 The Blitz. "Touch the Moon" along with the other 6 songs Ron wrote for "Feelin' Good" drove the album to #4 on Billboard. "Touch the Moon" was also considered for a 2016 Grammy nomination. The other members of The Sixth Generation decided to retire in during 2016. Ron began recording and performing as a solo artist at that time.
He released a highly acclaimed single in October 2016 called "I Saw the Sign", followed by his album "Musings" in April 2017. He is a prolific songwriter and since then has been releasing new songs nearly every month. Ron also regularly performs in the Northern Virginia area where he has lived for more than 30 years, and also occasionally performs in other locations.
Ron's songs can be heard on radio stations around the world. His voice has been described as light and creamy, reminiscent of singers such as John Denver, Tom Petty, Jason Mraz and similar artists. Together with the magic of his keyboards, you might hear not only piano, organ, and synth sounds backing his vocals, but also realistic guitars and even full orchestrations.