159 - How to Keep a Gig for DECADES! - Ron Wikso

Ron was born in Dover, Delaware, the first of 4 children of Linda and Ron Wikso (the first). After finishing their tour of duty in the Air Force, his parents moved the family back to their native Long Island, New York where Ron lived from age 3 until adulthood.   Ron started playing drums at the age of 7 and studied privately with Larry Ramsden while growing up on Long Island. Along with his private studies, he played in several local bands and began playing his first professional gigs around the time he was 12. He also participated in as many of the school bands, orchestras and choirs as he could in an effort to learn as much as possible about music.   Some of the people Ron’s been fortunate to have worked with at various times include:   Steve Miller Band Cher Richie Sambora (Bon Jovi) Foreigner David Lee Roth (Van Halen) The Storm Gregg Rolie (Original Lead Singer/Keyboardist for both Santana and Journey) Eddie Money CCR (Creedence Clearwater Revisited) Player (featuring Ronn Moss & Peter Beckett) Randy Meisner (the Eagles/Poco/Rick Nelson) Denny Laine (Paul McCartney & Wings/The Moody Blues) Dave Amato (REO Speedwagon/Cher/Ted Nugent/Jimmy Barnes) Michael Monarch (Steppenwolf) George Burns Sammy Davis Jr. Peggy Lee and many others.   Some of the tours Ron’s been on with these artists have taken him all over the world to places in Europe, Asia, Australia and North, South and Central America and have featured other artists such as Bryan Adams, Peter Frampton, 10,000 Maniacs, Deep Purple, The Doobie Brothers, REO Speedwagon, Cheap Trick, Paul Rodgers, Journey, John Fogerty and many others.   Ron is also blessed in his personal life to have his significant other, Marcy Requist, as well as his son, Jesse Wikso.   He’s currently touring with the Steve Miller Band and dividing his professional time between live touring gigs and session work, mostly at his private studio, where he records live drums, and coordinates/produces/mixes projects for clients from all over the world.   Some Things That Came Up:  -1:00 Playing at First Bank Amphitheater -2:00 Girlfriend www.marcyrequist.com -5:00 New website www.ronwikso.com -6:00 Cher was the first gig big at 29 years old  -7:00 The Ballad of SONOR Drums  -10:35 International Touring and Food  -12:20 Mr. Big and Japan  -14:30 Steve Miller and the changing setlist  -18:00 Gordy Knudston -19:00 First Gig with Steve Miller  -23:00 Studying with Larry Ramsden -24:00 Listening to all styles of music  -25:40 Charting helps you learn the song -28:40 There’s more to just playing  -29:30 The rare air of keeping a gig for decades -31:15 Lifeguard job with David Duchovny  -32:00 Berklee and gigging  -32:31 The move to LA in 82’ -34:30 Working with Gregg Rolie (Santana, Journey) -36:30 The Gregg Rolie audition  -44:00 Getting connected in LA  -47:20 Remote Recording in 1998 -48:00 The move to Austin -49:30 Creedence Clearwater Revisited -63:30 Similar Fill Vocabulary  -65:00 Teaching and Warmups    Follow:  www.ronwikso.com IG: @ronwikso FB: @ronwikso   The Rich Redmond Show is about all things music, motivation and success. Candid conversations with musicians, actors, comedians, authors and thought leaders about their lives and the stories that shaped them. Rich Redmond is the longtime drummer with Jason Aldean and many other veteran musicians and artists. Rich is also an actor, speaker, author, producer and educator. Rich has been heard on thousands of songs, over 25 of which have been #1 hits!   Rich can also be seen in several films and TV shows and has also written an Amazon Best-Selling book, "CRASH! Course for Success: 5 Ways to Supercharge Your Personal and Professional Life" currently available at:   https://www.amazon.com/CRASH-Course-Success-Supercharge-Professional/dp/B07YTCG5DS/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=crash+redmond&qid=1576602865&sr=8-1   Rich’s latest book is:  https://www.amazon.com/Making-Country-Music-Insiders-Industry/dp/1538172518/ref=sr_1_1?crid=24ZLASY6K553Z&keywords=making+it+in+country+music+rich+redmond&qid=1686181308&sprefix=rich+redmond+country+%2Caps%2C198&sr=8-1   Buy Rich’s exact gear at www.lessonsquad.com/rich-redmond   Follow Rich: @richredmond www.richredmond.com   Jim McCarthy is the quintessential Blue Collar Voice Guy. Honing his craft since 1996 with radio stations in Illinois, South Carolina, Connecticut, New York, Las Vegas and Nashville, Jim has voiced well over 10,000 pieces since and garnered an ear for audio production which he now uses for various podcasts, commercials and promos. Jim is also an accomplished video producer, content creator, writer and overall entrepreneur.   Follow Jim:   @jimmccarthy www.jimmccarthyvoiceovers.com