Mick Ronson

The Profile

English guitarist, arranger, and producer from Hull, Mick Ronson was David Bowie’s key collaborator in the early 1970s and co-produced Lou Reed’s Transformer. He released solo albums including Slaughter on 10th Avenue (1974), Play Don’t Worry (1975), and the posthumous Heaven and Hull (1994). He died in 1993 of liver cancer.

Core guitarist/arranger for Bowie on The Man Who Sold the World, Hunky Dory, Ziggy Stardust, Aladdin Sane, and Pin Ups; co-produced Lou Reed’s Transformer; performed at the 1992 Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert; Bowie announced the end of Ziggy at Hammersmith Odeon (1973) without prior notice to the band; widely noted for a distinctive half‑cocked wah‑wah tone; collaborated with Ian Hunter, Bob Dylan, Elton John, Annette Peacock, and Morrissey.

Three reviews sketch Ronson as Bowie’s indispensable guitarist/arranger, a glam-era architect who also co-shaped Lou Reed’s Transformer. One dives into his 1974 solo debut Slaughter on 10th Avenue; another weighs the posthumous Heaven and Hull with star guests; a third hails a live Space Oddity where Ronson’s playing steals focus. Facts echoed: English, from Hull; died in 1993 of liver cancer; pivotal roles on key Bowie albums.