Speaker 1: Welcome to clubwire your pulse on the global electronic scene,
Speaker 1: where beats drop, stories rise, and the dancefloor never forgets.
Speaker 1: I'm your host, Eliza, and today we're turning down the
Speaker 1: lights for a moment of reflection. The house music world
Speaker 1: has lost one of its most soulful architects. Ron Carroll,
Speaker 1: the legendary Chicago vocalist, DJ, producer, and all around force
Speaker 1: of nature, has passed away at the age of fifty seven.
Speaker 1: As news broke on September twenty first, twenty twenty five,
Speaker 1: tributes poured in from every corner of the globe, painting
Speaker 1: a picture of a man whose voice didn't just echo
Speaker 1: through clubs, it lifted spirits, bridged generations, and defined the
Speaker 1: very soul of house. Born Ronald Michael Carroll on April twentieth,
Speaker 1: nineteen sixty eight, in the heart of Chicago, Ron's journey
Speaker 1: into music was as organic as a gospel choir swelling
Speaker 1: on a Sunday morning. Growing up, he sang in church choirs,
Speaker 1: his voice honing that raw emotive power that would later
Speaker 1: become his signature. But it was a teenage crush on
Speaker 1: rock icons like Kiss that f sparked his rebellious fire
Speaker 1: until a high school dance introduced him to the hypnotic
Speaker 1: pulse of house music. That beat hit me like a revelation,
Speaker 1: he once recalled in an interview describing how the genre's
Speaker 1: underground energy flipped his world upside down. From there, Ron
Speaker 1: dove headfirst into Chicago's burgeoning scene, blending his gospel roots
Speaker 1: with the city's raw four on the floor innovation. By
Speaker 1: his early twenties, Ron was already making waves on the
Speaker 1: Illinois club circuit. His debut single, My Prayer, dropped in
Speaker 1: nineteen ninety three on af Rhythm Mixed Sounds remixed by
Speaker 1: house heavyweights like Ron, Trent Hula, and Kay Fingers, a
Speaker 1: track that fused spiritual yearning with club ready grooves, setting
Speaker 1: the tone for his career. But Ron wasn't content to
Speaker 1: just sing. He was a multi hyphenitt maestro. As a songwriter,
Speaker 1: He penned anthems that became house staples, most notably I
Speaker 1: Get Lifted for Barbara Tucker, a euphoric call to arms
Speaker 1: that's still a peak time destroyer in sets worldwide. Its
Speaker 1: collaborations read like a who's who of electronic royalty from
Speaker 1: Superfunk and French sensations, funky hooks to hard soul's deep dives,
Speaker 1: Huxley's melodic twists, and even mainstream crossovers with C. C. Peniston,
Speaker 1: Harry Romero, Hot since eighty two, David Ghetta, Kelly Rowland,
Speaker 1: Axwell and Bob Sinclair, who could forget his velvet vocals
Speaker 1: on Sinclair's Love Generation, or tribute tracks that turn house
Speaker 1: into global pop anthems while keeping the underground heart intact.
Speaker 1: Ron's discography is a treasure trove of under the radar
Speaker 1: bangers over thirty years of releases on powerhouse labels like Defected, Glitterbox, Patcha,
Speaker 1: Milk and Sugar Moon Harbor, and his own imprints Body
Speaker 1: Music Chicago and Afro Disco Chicago. He wasn't just making music,
Speaker 1: he was building bridges as a DJ and promoter, Ron
Speaker 1: through his own parties when bookings dried up. Acting as
Speaker 1: the ultimate connector between international stars and local Chicago talent.
Speaker 1: He championed vocalists in a producer dominated world in sisting
Speaker 1: they get top billing and fair shakes, a quiet revolution
Speaker 1: that empowered a generation of singers to claim their spotlight.
Speaker 1: Ron was the guy who'd pull up with promos in hand,
Speaker 1: ready to hype everyone else's project before his own, remembers
Speaker 1: a longtime collaborator from five Magazine. His recent remix of
Speaker 1: the classic The Sermon by Twin and Billy O'Malley on
Speaker 1: Afro Disco Chicago Pure Fire, proving his influence never dimmed.
Speaker 1: Even in his final days, Ron was unstoppable. His last
Speaker 1: performance lit up Chicago's Summer's Last Dance Festival, where his set,
Speaker 1: a masterclass and soulful house, had the crowd lost in
Speaker 1: the rhythm. He was slated to bring that energy to
Speaker 1: Amsterdam Dance event Ade twenty twenty five, a testament to
Speaker 1: his tireless global grind, but on September twenty first, the
Speaker 1: music stopped too soon. No cause of death has been disclosed,
Speaker 1: leaving fans and friends to grapple with the void. The
Speaker 1: outpouring has been seismic. Ron wasn't just an icon, he
Speaker 1: was family, posted the history of house music community on Facebook,
Speaker 1: echoing sentiments from Djay's producers and fans alike. Instagram reels
Speaker 1: from Chicago's scene highlight his unsung hero status with clips
Speaker 1: of his live vocals over classics like Back Together sending chills.
Speaker 1: Edm dot com called him one of house music's most
Speaker 1: iconic voices, a legacy etched in every lyric that ever
Speaker 1: made you move. And in a city like Chicago, where
Speaker 1: house was born from black and queer resilience, Ron embodied
Speaker 1: that spirit, warm, collaborative, forever pushing the sound forward as
Speaker 1: we spin into the weekend. Club Wire dedicates this set
Speaker 1: to Ron. Crank Up, I get lifted, feel that gospel
Speaker 1: lift one more time, and remember, in house, we don't
Speaker 1: say goodbye, we say see you on the dance floor.
Speaker 1: Rest in beats, Ron Carrol, You've lifted us all. That's
Speaker 1: it for this heartfelt edition of club Wire. Drop your
Speaker 1: tributes in the comments, Share your favorite Ron track, and
Speaker 1: stay wired to the scene until next time. Keep the
Speaker 1: faith and the base high. Peace,