DON’T BE SHY!

ron

Cleveland born RON SHY is a show business all-rounder. The nephew of Duke Ellington, Ron made his pro debut in a band called Rudy Hunter and the Fabulous Tones, for whom he played five instruments as well as adding vocals. From there Ron went on to work with Don and Dewey. Then in the 70s he moved into cable TV … presenting his own shows – notably Las Vegas Legends which won a cult following. Then Ron got himself into acting, making appearances in TV dramas like Knotts Landing, Dallas and Falcon’s Crest!

The music bug never left him though (must have been in the genes!) and in 1976 he signed a recording deal with H B Barnum’s Little Star label. Two singles followed. One, ‘Don’ They Know’ became a big rare groove attraction and it’s still hugely collectable.

UK collectors’ label, Soul Junction, has recently come across a previously unreleased Little Star mix of the aforementioned ‘Don’t They Know’ and like the good guys they are, they’ve now issued it as a 7″ single. The tune has a delicious, lazy feel to it… a lot like the stuff that Lou Rawls cut with the Philly boys, but with H B Barnum at the controls you’d expect something special, wouldn’t you? Whatever, this version of ‘Don’t They Know’ is addictive and set to be a modern soul anthem.

The B-side is a goodie in its own right. ‘Any Port A Storm’ is previously unreleased and it’s a sedate, little dancer with a catchy chorus hook. H B Barnum in control again.

RON SHY’S ‘DON’T THEY KNOW’/ ‘ANY PORT IN A STORM’ is out now on SOUL JUNCTION RECORDS