Ronnie Milsap

Lore & Background

Ronnie Milsap was born with a congenital disorder that left him almost completely blind from birth. Abandoned by his mother, he was raised in poverty by his grandparents in the Smoky Mountains until age five, when he was sent to the North Carolina State School for the Blind and Deaf. There, his musical talents were noticed at age seven, and he began formal study of classical music, eventually mastering the piano. At 14, a slap from a houseparent caused him to lose the limited vision in his left eye. Inspired by Elvis Presley, he formed a rock band called the Apparitions in high school. He briefly attended Young Harris College on a scholarship, intending to become a lawyer, but left in 1964 to pursue music full-time after joining an R&B band called the Dimensions. He married Joyce Reeves in 1965. After early work as a session musician in Memphis, including recordings with Elvis Presley, he moved to Nashville in 1972 following a chance meeting with Charley Pride, who encouraged him to focus on country music. He signed with RCA Records in 1973 and soon had his first country success.

Reader's Guide

Ronnie Milsap's significance lies in his ability to bridge country and pop audiences during the 1970s and 1980s, achieving 35 number-one country hits and six Grammy Awards. His crossover hits, such as 'It Was Almost Like a Song,' 'Smoky Mountain Rain,' and '(There's) No Gettin' Over Me,' brought country music to a wider pop and adult contemporary audience. His string of eleven consecutive number-one singles from 1980 to 1983 marked a peak in his commercial success. Milsap's versatility—incorporating pop, R&B, and rock into his country sound—helped define the country crossover trend of the era. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2014, recognizing his enduring impact on the genre. His autobiography, 'Almost like a Song,' was published in 1990.

Did You Know?

• Ronnie Milsap was nearly completely blind from birth due to a congenital disorder.
• He lost the limited vision in his left eye at age 14 after a slap from a school houseparent.
• His first hit single, 'Never Had It So Good,' peaked at No. 19 on the R&B chart in 1965.
• He worked as a session musician on Elvis Presley recordings including 'Don't Cry Daddy' and 'Kentucky Rain.'