RONNIE DYSON - "One Man Band (Plays All Alone)" (1973)

[Molly645]

This is too sad, I found out today that Ronnie has no marker on his resting place. He is buried in Linden N.J. : (

[Molly645]

I remember seeing him on tv singing this. I went all the way to another town to buy the 45.

[npenciso]

he was a part of my teenage years... his songs always kept me company in my room!

[chippyiam2u]

Thanks for the memories, I used to play this album over and over as a teenager, love it!



[naynay481]

Thanks for posting this song. I thought it was lost forever. I remember this from high school and it was a hit. I too have a collection of 45's from yesteryear and many are still in good condition. It was good to hear this particular one again. Thanks!!!!!

[MrTrashcan1]

@naynay481 Glad you remembered it and thanks for your comment.

[DaveWollenberg]

Ronnie hit #28 in Billboard, 4-28-73. God bless ya, for postin' it. Thanx! RIP, Ronnie.

[L78lancer]

Wrong, it WAS the A-side. Sorry abt that...

[L78lancer]

BTW, I think it was the B-side...

[L78lancer]

This was an integral part of my growing up in Philly. It's one of those "soundtracks to personal experience," because it has so much depth and meaning for such a short song - so easy to learn and hard to forget. And If I'm not mistaken, this was the B-side of the 45 rpm - imagine that. Thx to Butterball, Georgie Woods, Carl Helm, Jimmy Bishop, Johnnie-O, and the others at WDAS for pumping this and all of Ronnie's songs. He will always be a treasure there and have a following.

[Fieldsfangirl28]

this song is awesome and this was the A side of the single which featured "I think I'll Tell her" as its B side :) what a great song and what a great voice that was taken away from us too soon and if he was still here he would have been 61 this June

[Kell0526]

Thank you for this posting. It is a great song that received some airplay in the Chicago on WLS and WCFL in 1973. Had the 45

Bill K

[npenciso]

wonderful memories...

[doctore0706]

I saw Ronnie Dyson in Juarez, Mexico while I was on active army duty in 1973. He is an excellent singer, gave a great show. I bought his album that I lost later. I am so glad to find him here.

Thanks Ronnie

[Cch092775]

The song was more than likely written by Thom Bell and Linda Creed. Thom Bell was the producer of the One Man Band album (which undoubtedly was Ronnie's BEST with "I Think I'll Tell Her' "Girl Don't Come' and the classic "I Just Don't Want To Be Lonely"

[frf61]

Sounds like a Thom Bell/Linda Creed production... definitely something the Spinners would have sung...

[The1962Misslady]

great memories from a singer who never got the props he truly deserved No one in the industry can even match the talent that I grew up on. RIP

[100jules]

I haven't heard this since I was a 13 year old teenager. Brings back lots of memories. Thanks so much for posting!

[wandermusic27]

I haven't heard this song in sooo looonnggg! Wow, I cannot believe I still remembered this song. I remembered singing to this as a kid! What a meaningful song and at one time this was me and in some ways, it still rings true! Wonderful song for this time in our lives! Peace!

[wibo08]

yep...one man/woman band plays and thrives all alone.... : )

[Swaggletail]

I bought this 45 in '73 and still play it. I was making my own charts out back then, and "One Man Band" hit # 1 on June 23, 1973. Love it!!!

[Kell0526]

@Swaggletail

Hi - It's interesting to hear that you made your own chart. I did also from January, 1970 to January, 1999. This song hit the top ten in May of '73

Bill K

[Swaggletail]

@Kell0526 Wow, Bill. You made your own charts for 30 years. That's awesome.  I only did it for 8 years (71-78). Did you buy all the records that you charted?

[santabarbaraca2010]

I remember as a little kid.My Dad was always singing this song.I did not understand until later why he loved it so.Rest in Peace Dad.I am now loving what you loved.

[dollywoodcats]

I love this song. I loved 45's too and didn't save not a one! I regret that.

[benedictines]

While most  of you may not know what a 45 was, I played the copies I could get to death. This was not a song, it was a theme of hope. I still have the first 45's of this song I could fine. I don't know if they still play but I refuse to loose them with everything I have been forced to dispose of. This song is a blessing. Thank you for posting..

[MrTrashcan1]

@benedictines It's my pleasure. Back when this song came out I didn't have any 45s--I couldn't afford them. I did inherit a cassette recorder, and at that time a 33 cent cassette could hold 20 songs, which was much more economical than buying a single 45. But in my adult years I did manage to track down the original 45s for most of those songs, including this one, and continue to listen to them and my LPs. Thank you for your wonderful comments.

[MrTrashcan1]

@benedictines Just to clarify, I recorded the songs off the radio. The quality was poor, but so was I, and my goal was mainly to preserve the song so it wouldn't be lost forever. Somehow I knew that eventually I'd find good copies when I could afford them.

[catzdogs1]

@benedictines Thanks for saving the 45s....That's awesome.....Thank you! This some is awesome....

[kenpalmer1965]

@benedictines Hello. I too had a copy of this great song on a 45 RPM and I too played it to death! I loved this song as a kid and I still do!

[dora5132ify]

@benedictines i could not have said it better my self!!!!

[Fantagurlful]

Good song,brings back my childhood years.

[hughesjr]

This song should have been on the LOVE TRAIN 4 cd box set on Philly soul that was released by Sony.

[npenciso]

Another one of my "YOUTH SONGS" with pleasant memories attached.. I just love his music..

[MamaJoan1958]

Played this for my 10 year old grandson who is always fussing about what people thinks about him....... wonder if it was too heavy.... anyway, love this song... it speaks to the heart of me. "Even in the Darkest Night" anyone?

[MKUltra3]

Great fuzzy/glam guitar intro

A hymn to avoiding that codependent weirdness

Classic

[mzimba1963]

he paved da way for a lot of imitaters

[909kong]

....and here I thought this was the Spinners....same writers/production group, though...

[josiemax]

LOVE this song!!! When this came out in '73, I'd never heard anything like it - an unabashed tribute to being a loner! He's not some sad, miserable case like "Leave Me Alone" Ruby Red Dress, he doesn't "learn his lesson" at the end of the song and get drawn back into society, nope -- he sticks to his guns and is proud! A unique message of self-sufficiency.

My question had always been, who wrote it? Ronnie? Someone else?

[MrTrashcan1]

@josiemax

I agree 100%. I loved not only the music, but the words for exactly that reason. And later in life I discovered that they apply even more to the libertarian mindset.

Written by Linda Creed and Thom Bell.

[909kong]

@josiemax Just have to say "AMEN" to your comment...as a natural loner myself, I can relate.But I feel the line "no one but me cares about me" is very telling.

[Lanny615]

Many thanks MrTrashcan for uploading this. greetings from sunny Jamaica.

[DaveWollenberg]

How'd it do on the Soul chart? God bless!

[bifu59]

Thanks so much for posting this song. Mainstream radio omits a lot of the great songs from their playlists!

[philiq18]

Heard this yesterday on the radio after not hvaing heard it in years!!! Classic track!!

[jackauffe]

I haven't heard this song in so long, never knew who sang it, looks like no one knows about it, but I remember it from the radio? Special song, great voice.

[5saxman7]

Thank you so much for posting. Have not heard this in thirty years.

[gar861646]

takes me back

[MrDrumcard]

This is great stuff!! Sing your song Ronnie, glad this song was a part of my lifetime. Brings back great memories.f

[777racing]

Thank you Sir, for this special Dyson hit!

I too used to play this over and over in the early 70's. What GREAT memories!! I didn't know if I would ever here this song again. My hats off to you.

Hector 777

[MrTrashcan1]

Thank you, Hector.

[hughesjr]

This song was Dyson's second Top 40 Pop Hit on the Billboard Hot 100. This Philly soul composition peaked at #29 in 1973. It was produced by Thom Bell (the Spinners, the Delfonics, the Stylistics).

[JohnFatt]

Wow!  Ronnie Dyson's best song ever! Thank you so much for posting it!!! I was 9 when this was a hit!

[bufb]

I love Ronnie's voice. and this and "just don't want to be lonely" are my favorite. His voice is beautiful

[dogkelp]

Terrific Bell/Creed number.

[teandre10]

thanks so very much. I justv love this song

[bellbrookbob]

Was in Camden NJ area this very week in '73. This song was all over radio there-WIP, WPEN,WFIL, WABC. Maybe WCAM too??

[mysterytrax]

barrys exactly right MrTrashcan1 and I too felt the same loss when I found this Ronnie Dyson classic had been removed.

This song has brought me so much happiness, listening to it again and again, since I found it the first time.

Thanks so much for getting it back up and in the mix again. One of my favorite

tunes EVER!

[barrys]

Mr. Trashcan, thanx for re-posting. Panic set in when I went to my "Favorites" page for my daily dose of "One Man Band" and saw it had been removed. Thanx a million times for posting this fabulous song — and for re-posting it. This song is sad as heck but the images of the one-man bands are hilarious.

[MrTrashcan1]

Pleasure, Barry. I remember your comment from before the reincarnation. Thank you for reposting it. :-)