B.O.I. born OFF the island, Ronnie Dez is a local musician, talented and well deserving of his recognition. Born in New York City, Ronnie grew up around musicians, his mother played piano and several of his other relatives were musicians as well. His Father, an electrician by trade, decided a life away from the congestion and high crime of NYC, was where he wanted to raise his family, so they Headed south to Miami Florida. Upon arrival his father took a job with Amtrak and his mother soon after found work with the Dept. of Motor Vehicles.
Ronnie who regularly attended church with his mother always seemed interested in the drums and all the percussive instruments. Soon his parents bought him a set of drums and at the age of eight he was playing in front of the congregation at his church. Once when he was in the fourth grade, the Music teacher at his elementary school Mrs. Albury, in passing heard him singing in the hallways and approached him and asked him would he like to be in her Honors music class. He agreed, and went on to perform in a few of the school’s plays and musicals.
At the age of 14 his family relocated to Galveston Tx. The family moved here to so that his father could pastor a church. Ronnie continued to attend church services and alternated playing drums while continuing to sing. Once he became of age, he stopped attending church on a regular basis but never doubted his faith. If you were to ask him today, he would proudly tell you he's a believer in Christ, though he admits he's no altar boy, he still considers himself a Christian.
After high school Ronnie took a job as a store detective responsible for loss prevention. In 1986 Ronnie moved back to Florida along with his father. Things had changed and work was slow on the island, his father was forced to take a job with his old company back in Miami. Obviously, the man above had different plans and wouldn't be denied, the following year Ronnie and his father moved back in Texas.
Life was moving along and he was growing, with little time for anything but work he sold his drums. Soon afterwards, he moved back home to Galveston where he met his soon to be wife. Once married it seemed there was really no time for anything except providing for his new family. Ten years would go by before Ronnie realized that he was missing something that he truly enjoyed. He purchased a new drumkit and picked up where he had left off.
Ronnie went out to one of the local music venues and sat in with a friend's band. Soon he was mingling with all the local musicians and joined The Kool A.C. Band out of Clear Lake. A year later he realized he wanted to start his own band, so he formed a band called "Natural Groove". His new band got a house gig every Thursday night at B.Jigger's Lounge inside of the Holiday Inn on Galveston’s Seawall Blvd. Musicians seemed to be coming and going for the next two 2 1/2 years and that’s when he met guitarist Michael Flores and bass player Dennis Delfino. Then came along award winning Tejano Keyboard player Hector Gutierrez and things started jelling.
Now he band was finally coming around to the sound he'd been looking for. Just as things were looking good for him and the band, mayhem set in as Hurricane Ike set it’s sights on Galveston Island. With a 14–15 foot tidal surge destroying everything in its path, Ronnie and his family suffered four and a half feet of water damage in his home.
With the damage from the storm, things were looking grim. Under insured, Ronnie lost all of his musical equipment. Devastated by the loss, he did what every good man, father and husband would do, he set out to rebuild his home and try to put back together the life that his family had enjoyed before this tragedy. If you ask him today about Hurricane Ike and what hurt him most, he would tell you, the loss of all photos and family memorabilia.
Ronnie was no stranger to tragedy, being that this was the second time he'd lost everything. Six years prior, his home caught fire and they lost everything. Ike was especially hard since he was still in debt from the prior devastation. It was then, that Ronnie was so discontent with the situation that he made up his mind to never play music again. He dove again into his livelihood as an investigator, while rebuilding his home. It wasn't until 2019 when his friend Willy Gonzalez, front man and manager of the Galveston band, The Line Up, called him and asked him to play percussion and be a part of a tribute to Willy’s recently deceased brother, Tino Gonzalez, on Cinco de Mayo, in front of Galveston County Courthouse. Once again, the fire for performing was rekindled, so he purchased additional percussive equipment, and continued to play with the Line Up on special occasions.
Meanwhile, he continued to expand his horizons, practicing on his acoustic guitar and singing. All thru the years, Robert Donovan, previous owner of Island Music, and friend encouraged him to go solo on the acoustic guitar and Ronnie would just laugh it off. In 2020 COVID 19 hit the scene and as everybody knows, the Pandemic caused closures world wide of bars, restaurants and all music venues. Finally in May, 2020 bars and music venues that served food, were allowed to reopen and it was apparent to him that the quickest way to a stage was with a solo act and acoustic guitar. He contacted his friend and manager at The Playground Patio Bar & Grill, Richard Franco and convinced him to give him a shot at performing on The Patio, every Thursday night. Ronnie played for the rest of the season and into the early part of winter. Today, he continues to perform his solo act, pleasing and entertaining listeners and fans. His vocal prowess, smooth and soulful continues to please audiences wherever he performs.
Galveston Music Scene - This month Ronnie will be playing his acoustic solo act Thursdays - The Playground Patio Bar & Grill 4pm-7pm
Fridays - The Old Galveston Club - 8pm-12am
