Ron Kerber

My father was what some would call a "stage dad". Much like a soccer mom, he encouraged, instructed and took me to places where there was an opportunity for me to sing. There have always been casting calls for amateurs to climb the ladder to success. Two well known national programs like American Idol, when I was a kid, were the Ted Mack and Arthur Godfrey shows. Every town had its local version of this and I participated in several. The first most noteworthy chance for me to perform fatefully presented itself when Buddy Holly, Richey Valens and the Big Bopper met their tragic and untimely demise in a plane crash on their way to Moorhead Minnesota. Their show was scheduled for the Moorhead national guard armory for Feb. 3rd 1959. Often quoted as "The day the music died" it is a touchstone or defining moment for that generation. I was interviewed in " www.fargorocksthemovie.com " where I speak to this subject. There was a call to local musical artists to perform and fill the void, rather than the promoters canceling the show. I was six and a half years old and sang "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands" a popular tune of the time. I, at that age, had about five songs committed to memory and the aforementioned one was deemed fitting in a requiem sort of way. Another local talent that filled in that night was Bobby Vee. An early immersion in gospel music was when I became a featured vocalist on a local Sunday television broadcast called "The Children's Bible Story Hour". It ran about 15 episodes. I remember another TV appearance on a local talk show when I sang "Tom Dooley", while sitting on a pony. It was brought to the studio from my family's riding stable business, Ponyland, where I was often a chore boy. I got my first guitar at the age of twelve and proceeded to learn the rudimentary chords, which were all that was needed to play many popular songs with some degree of proficiency. At the age of fourteen I was in a band called "The Satisfyers" and had a few professional gigs at a few small town halls. I later, at the age of fifteen, had an offer to join a band called "The Mods". We played local canteens and even went as far as Billings, Montana and Dickinson, North Dakota. The Mods did a self produced, local release of a song I wrote called "Should I" and later "Get it Now". During high school years I was in a couple of different bands that played mostly school dances including proms and homecomings. During college years I played in an original music band called "Missouri Valley Rock". I later played in several bar bands and worked locally until, I typically, got the urge to move to the coast and try that region of the industry. I spent six years in the 1980's working at various musical venues in the LA area including playing bass in the house band at the Palomino club in N. Hollywood. During that time I worked with some notable musicians including Doug Kershaw, Freddy Fender and sidemen of major players like Jay Dee Maness and Steve Duncan, formerly of the Desert Rose Band or Brantley Kerns of the Dwight Yokum band and David Pack from the band Ambrosia. After moving back to the Fargo area, I've worked with many area bands and started the band "Measures". I continue playing and writing music mostly in the Fargo area. Downloads of songs that I've written are at www.soundclick.com/ronneyguy