Ronnie King (The Stampeders)
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August 1, 1947
Ronnie King | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as | Ronnie King |
| Born | Cornelis Van Sprang August 1, 1947 |
| Died | March 4, 2024 (aged 76) |
| Genres | Rock, folk |
| Instruments | Bass, guitar, vocals |
| Years active | 1960s–2024 |
| Formerly of | The Stampeders |
Cornelis Van Sprang,[1] (August 1, 1947 – March 4, 2024)[2][3] known professionally as Ronnie King, was a Dutch-Canadian musician. He was one third of the classic lineup of The Stampeders.[4][5]
Career
One of King's first bands, The Paint Brushes, was on a local television show, hosted by Mel Shaw, who later managed the Stampeders.[6] His Stampeders bandmate Kim Berly claims to have seen his television appearance before the two first met.[6] King, and his brother Emil Van Sprang (aka Von Louis), joined The Stampeders in early 1965. Emil was a vocalist (and the person who chose the band name) and Ronnie was originally the guitarist, before moving to bass.[6]
They were originally a six-piece, but by 1968 the band was a trio consisting of King on bass, Rich Dodson on guitar and vocals and Kim Berly on drums. Throughout the 1970s, The Stampeders had many charting hits on the Canadian charts, but their only chart hit in the USA was "Sweet City Woman", which got to number eight in 1971.[7] The song won numerous Juno Awards in 1972.
The band broke up in 1980, and King returned to Canada from the United States and formed The Ronnie King Band.[6] The band reunited in 1992 after a "Where are they now?" episode on television about the Stampeders aired, featuring Dodson and Berly, King was also on the show but his appearance was kept secret from the other two members as they had not spoken since 1977.[1] The three got to talking again and reformed the band.[1]