Ronald Michael Pope (born July 23, 1983) is an American singer-songwriter. He is currently based in Nashville.
Ron Pope | |
|---|---|
 Ron Pope in New York City | |
| Background information | |
| Born | July 23, 1983 Newark, NJ |
| Genres | Americana, Singer-Songwriter, Roots |
| Occupation(s) | singer-songwriter, producer |
| Years active | 2003–present |
| Labels | Brooklyn Basement Records |
| Spouse(s) | Blair Clark |
| Website | www |
Background and career edit
Pope was raised in Marietta, Georgia.[1] He attended East Cobb Middle School and Joseph Wheeler High School.[2] He began playing the guitar at an early age.
After high school, he attended Rutgers University for two years to play baseball.[3] After a career-ending injury, he transferred to New York University in 2003 to pursue his interest in music. After joining a songwriting circle with fellow students, he met friends and future bandmates, Zach Berkman and Paul Hammer. In 2007, he co–wrote the internet hit "A Drop in the Ocean" with Zach Berkman [4] From there, they created The District with Chris Kienel, Will Frish and Mike Clifford. Following success as a college band, they toured for two years and recorded three albums: The District, The District Does Christmas, and Last Call. In December 2010, The District reunited to record "Wellfleet"[5]
In March 2008, Pope performed on MTV's TRL as a featured up-and-coming artist.[6] Independently, he wrote, produced, and released four full-length albums: Daylight (2008), The Bedroom Demos (2009), Goodbye, Goodnight (2009) and Hello, Love (2010).
In May 2009, Pope signed a year-long recording contract with record label Universal Republic,[3][7] with whom he released two singles, "A Drop in the Ocean" and "I Believe". "A Drop in the Ocean" was later certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for combined sales and streaming equivalent of over 1 million[8] Since leaving the label, he has produced and released his music independently via his own label, Brooklyn Basement Records.
Ron founded the record label, Brooklyn Basement Records, alongside his wife, Blair Clark.[9]
Pope's first release since moving to Nashville was "Work" which Rolling Stone lauded as "a stew of musical ideas and stories sourced from many different points in time, but firmly held together by Pope’s consistent songwriting voice."[10]
On March 6, 2017, he took part in a benefit concert celebrating the music of Aretha Franklin at Carnegie Hall.[11]
Television placements edit
He has had two songs placed on FOX's So You Think You Can Dance[12] in both Canada and the US. He was featured in the season three premiere of The Vampire Diaries on The CW. "A Drop in the Ocean" was performed on the UK television show Made in Chelsea by the British reality star Caggie Dunlop, and also in the fourth season of 90210. He also guest starred as himself in season 3 episode 17 of Nashville.
Solo Discography edit
| Album | Year of release |
|---|---|
| Daylight | 2008 |
| The Bedroom Demos | 2008 |
| Goodbye, Goodnight | 2009 |
| Hello, Love [EP] | 2009 |
| The New England Sessions | 2010 |
| Ron Pope Live & Unplugged in New York | 2010 |
| Whatever It Takes | 2011 |
| Born Under a Bad Sign [EP] | 2011 |
| 26 Tuesdays, Pt 1 | 2011 |
| 26 Tuesdays, Pt 2 | 2011 |
| Atlanta | 2012 |
| Monster [EP] | 2013 |
| Calling Off The Dogs | 2014 |
| Nothing [EP] | 2014 |
| Ron Pope and the Nighthawks | 2016 |
| Work | 2017 |
| Daylight II | 2019 |
| Bone Structure | 2020 |
| The Builder [Streaming Singles Series] | 2020-2021 |
| Christmas Where I Come From [EP] | 2020 |
| I May Not Always Love You [EP] | 2021 |
| A Holly Jolly Ron Pope [EP] | 2021 |
| It's Gonna Be A Long Night [EP] | 2022 |
| Inside Voices | 2023 |
References edit
- ^ Mosely, Davia. "Star Quality: Rocker Comes Home to Georgia on National Tour".
- ^ Harrison, Shane. "Live Music Picks". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Archived from the original on December 18, 2011.
- ^ a b Ingram, Bruce. "Internet Rock Star Ron Pope Hits the Road".
- ^ "Virtually Famous: Ron Pope".
- ^ "Announcing Wellfleet From The District". Pop Culture Madness.
- ^ Crandall, Sarah. "Keeping The Faith: Ron Pope Relies on Fan Loyalty to Promote Music". Encore Online.
- ^ "Ron Pope Translates Online Success Into Major Label Deal".
- ^ "Ron Pope's RIAA certifications". RIAA. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
- ^ "Brooklyn Basement Expands with Management Division". 22 October 2021.
- ^ "Blue-Collar Hero Ron Pope on DIY Songwriting, New Album 'Work'". Rolling Stone. 22 August 2017.
- ^ "Aretha Franklin Tribute".
- ^ Sciarretto, Amy. "Ron Pope to Release "Whatever it Takes" on April 12th". Artist Direct.