Ron Anderson (voice coach)

Ron Anderson
Background information
Birth nameRonald Warren Anderson
Born(1946-02-04)February 4, 1946
Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.
DiedDecember 18, 2021(2021-12-18) (aged 75)
OccupationVoice coach
Years active1977–2021

Ronald Warren Anderson (February 4, 1946 – December 19, 2021) was an American vocal coach and opera singer,[1][2] best known for teaching vocals to various famous singers, most notably Axl Rose,[3] Chris Cornell, M. Shadows,[4][5] Myles Kennedy,[6] Ozzy Osbourne, Matt Heafy,[7] Seal, Alicia Keys, Tom Cruise, Mary J. Blige,[8][9] Lenny Kravitz, Neil Diamond,[10] Adele, The Weeknd,[11] Joss Stone, Red Hot Chili Peppers,[12] Tom Keifer,[13] Hayley Williams, Christina Perri, Lzzy Hale,[14] Janet Jackson, Avril Lavigne, Timothy B. Schmit, Nancy Wilson,[2] Diego Boneta,[15][16][17] Five for Fighting,[18] and Björk.[19]

Early life

After his family moved to Long Beach, California, at the age of 7 he started performing on a local radio program.[20] Anderson performed in a number of local choirs, as well as singing with Roger Wagner Chorale and The Young Americans.[2]

While singing with The Young Americans, Anderson damaged his voice. Throat specialists determined that the only chance to heal his voice was to avoid all vocal production, no singing, no talking for an indefinite time. After living in total isolation for eight months, he was pronounced healed by his doctors. He decided to be a professional singer but needed to learn how to sing safely. Anderson started looking for voice teachers, which led him to Fritz and Tilly de Garmo Zweig.[2]

Education

Soon after Anderson began working with Mrs. Zweig as his voice teacher, Anderson decided that his voice was best suited for opera. According to Anderson:[2]

Mrs. Zweig taught me the mechanics of vocalization and the fundamentals of breath management, vocal placement, vowel modification and diction. She also taught me German, French, and Italian, which are essential languages for every professional opera singer.

She also taught Anderson how to recover from the damage in his vocal cords and rebuild his ability to sing.[2] After Mrs. Zweig determined he could sing safely, he began working with Dr. Zweig as well. For 20 years, he continued to study with both.[2]

Teaching

In 1977 when Anderson returned to the U.S., he began as a vocal coach specializing in Bel canto technique,[21][9][6] Tom Keifer after 6 vocal cord surgeries in 2009 went to Anderson to improve his condition; he credited Anderson with helping him regain strength and confidence in his voice.[13] In 2012 Anderson prepared Tom Cruise for his role as Stacee Jaxx in the musical film Rock of Ages.[9][10][22] In 2014 Matt Heafy took vocal lessons from Anderson following advice from M. Shadows of Avenged Sevenfold, after Anderson taught him a correct technique so he could overcome his singing problems and he can be heard delivering a more melodic sound in the album Silence in the Snow. Anderson has been a vocal coach to many other popular singers and members of rock groups.[23][24] Anderson has also taught many students in the film industry as a vocal coach.[1]

Regarding Axl Rose of Guns N' Roses, he said: "I’ve worked with so many people but I have to say Axl Rose’s voice is amazing, truly one of a kind."[25]

Personal life and death

Anderson died on the morning of December 19, 2021, at the age of 75.[26] Many musicians including Axl Rose and Tom Keifer paid a tribute to him.[3]

Film credits[1]

Year Title
2000 Dancer in the Dark.
2000 Coyote Ugly
2001 Rock Star
2007 Lucky You
2009 Nine
2010 The Runaways
2010 Get Him to the Greek
2012 Rock of Ages
2014 Get on Up

References

  1. ^ a b c "Ron Anderson". IMDb. Retrieved 2019-10-07.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g von Bernewitz, Robert (February 16, 2016). "Ron Anderson - An interview with the vocal coach to the stars". Musicguy247. Retrieved March 21, 2021. Prior to World War II, Fritz Zweig was one of the premier operatic directors and conductors in Europe. His wife, whose stage name was Tilly DeGarmo, was one of the most celebrated German sopranos of the era...Mrs. Zweig taught me the mechanics of vocalization and the fundamentals of breath management, vocal placement, vowel modification and diction. She also taught me German, French, and Italian, which are essential languages for every professional opera singer.
  3. ^ a b Rolli, Bryan. "Axl Rose, Tom Keifer Honor Late Vocal Coach Ron Anderson". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 2022-06-25.
  4. ^ "Avenged Sevenfold Feature Interview". Blistering. 2006. Archived from the original on May 29, 2012. Retrieved October 4, 2019.
  5. ^ Archive-Jon-Wiederhorn. "Avenged Sevenfold Salute Dimebag, Shun Metalcore On Evil". MTV News. Archived from the original on March 31, 2015. Retrieved 2019-10-04.
  6. ^ a b "JAIME VENDERA DOT COM". 2011-07-13. Archived from the original on 2011-07-13. Retrieved 2019-10-04.
  7. ^ "Matt Heafy's vocal coach - Ron Anderson Tips from Ron Anderson to improve singing". 3 September 2020.
  8. ^ Sharma 2019-08-21T18:30:52Z, Amit (21 August 2019). "Top vocal tips from coach to the stars Ron Anderson and Dr Juan Pérez: "There's just no-one else like Axl"". MusicRadar. Retrieved 2019-10-04.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  9. ^ a b c Dodes, Rachel (2012-06-08). "Tom Cruise Expands His Range". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2019-10-04.
  10. ^ a b "Vocal Coach to the Stars Talks Working With Tom Cruise, His Dream Client & the Future of the Industry". JustLuxe. Retrieved 2019-10-04.
  11. ^ "The Weeknd's vocal coach - Ron Anderson Tips from Ron Anderson to sing better". Tips from Ron Anderson. 2020-09-03. Retrieved 2022-04-18.
  12. ^ Corner, Lewis (2011-06-13). "Adele 'to take singing lessons in the US'". Digital Spy. Retrieved 2019-10-04.
  13. ^ a b Dearmore, Kelly (May 29, 2014). "Tom Keifer of Cinderella: 'Singing is Very Much a Mental Thing'". Dallas Observer. Retrieved March 21, 2021. In 2009, I met vocal coach Ron Anderson, and he really put it all together for me, and I've been using his techniques ever since. I've done three Cinderella tours and I'm now on my second tour for the solo record since I worked with Anderson, and my voice is as reliable as it's ever been.
  14. ^ "1st Entry "Lzzy 2.0"". The Diary of Lzzy Hale. Retrieved 2019-10-04.
  15. ^ Diego Bonetta On The Challenges Of Portraying Luis Miguel, retrieved 2019-10-08
  16. ^ "Diego Boneta se estrena para ser Luis Miguel". Excélsior (in Spanish). 2017-06-27. Retrieved 2019-10-08.
  17. ^ "Ponerse la piel de Luis Miguel fue "doloroso" para Diego Boneta". Quién (in Spanish). 2018-04-11. Retrieved 2019-10-08.
  18. ^ Savio, Jason. "Five for Fighting brings band together for tour, plus other Cape Cod concerts to check out". Cape Cod Times. Retrieved 2023-05-13.
  19. ^ "Welcome to Bangkok". Welcome to Bangkok. Retrieved 2019-10-09.
  20. ^ "About Ron". VoixtekVR. Retrieved 2019-10-07.
  21. ^ "Ron Anderson". 2009-03-01. Archived from the original on 2009-03-01. Retrieved 2019-10-04.
  22. ^ "Happy 50th Birthday, Tom Cruise!". HuffPost. 2012-07-03. Retrieved 2019-10-04.
  23. ^ "Show goes on as Kylie shakes off virus". Irish Examiner. April 28, 2002. Retrieved June 30, 2021. Last week she flew in her voice coach from Los Angeles...Voice coach Ron Anderson, who has worked with the singer in the past, as well as other stars such as Janet Jackson, Seal and Bjork, immediately started work to make sure she could open the 25-date tour of Britain on Friday as planned.
  24. ^ Deahl, Dani (2019-04-12). "What's in your bag, RÜFÜS DU SOL?". The Verge. Retrieved 2019-10-04. The coach's name is Ron Anderson. He's a legend. He's worked with a lot of people. It's been really cool to learn about my voice.
  25. ^ Amit Sharma (2021-12-22). ""I've worked with so many people but I have to say Axl Rose's voice is amazing, truly one of a kind" – remembering late vocal coach legend Ron Anderson with this 2019 interview". MusicRadar. Retrieved 2022-06-25.
  26. ^ Cataxo, Diego (19 December 2021). "Morre Ron Anderson, preparador vocal do The Weeknd". Pop Mais. Retrieved 19 December 2021.