Ronney Abramson


albums w/ jackets & lyrics
Orignally from Paris, Ronney Abramson and her family moved to Montreal when she was only two. After finishing high school, she began performing in coffee houses around Quebec and Ontario while attending McGill University, where she studied classical guitar.

She also became a fixture on the New York folk scene, and by 1971 was signed to Capitol Records, who whisked her off to the studios with producer Andre Perry. The result was her eponymous debut album a year later. A fusion of pop and folk, the record produced a pair of singles – “And The Child Will Smile” and “Accident,” although neither set the world on fire. Disappointed in sales, Capitol dropped her from their roster, and she continued paying her dues on the coffeehouse circuit for a few years, while also writing music for a few made-for-TV movies.

After moving to Toronto and playing guitar for awhile in his band, John Mills-Cockell introduced her to Bernie Finklestein, who ultimately signed her to his True North Records in 1976. She released the single, “Question For An Answer” later that year. Encouraged, she was sent back to Manta Sound Studio in Toronto to work with producers Matt McCauley and Fred Mollin on a full album. The single “Love Gets Me Around” became a top 20 hit, and early the next spring the album STOWAWAY was released, and was hailed by the critics for being a much more well-rounded album than its predecessor, relying on a general folk-influenced pop approach.

The horn section in “S-T-O- Please” gave it a jazzy feel, and along with “Never Seem To Get Along Without You,” and “Light Up Your Love” all followed up the singles chart. The album also featured fellow label-mates Moe Koffman and Bruce Cockburn appearing in cameos. She would return the favour, doing bg vocals on several of Cockburn’s songs throughout the decade.

Mollin returned as producer, along with Andrew Hermant and Gary Gray, for her next outing a year later – JUKEBOX OF PARIS. David Clayton-Thomas guested on the lead-off first single, “Trouble,” and like “He Needs You Now,” did relatively well on the charts. Like its predecessors, Abramson wrote all the material on the album, and it was a melodic mix of jazz and pop, with a bit of folk thrown in for good measure. She again surrounded herself with some of the top session players around, with John Capek on piano, guitarist Bob Mann, and drummer Jorn Anderson all taking part.

In 1979 she was nominated for most promising vocalist of the year at that year’s Junos, but ultimately lost out to Claudja Barry. She released two more singles for True North – ’79’s “I’m a Big Girl” b/w “Moon’s Memory, and “Je Suis Libre” barely a year later. After a brief hiatus, she returned in ’83 after signing with Duke Street Records, cutting three singles that year – “Won’t Let You Get Away With That” (which appeared in the 1984 Canadian movie, “Hockey Night”), “Get This Love Out Of Here Alive,” and “Hold It, I Surrender.”

1983 also saw her turn her attention to children’s music, forming The Rugrats TV program. The album, RUGRAT ROCK won the best children’s album award at the ’84 Junos. Its sequel a year later, THE RUGRATS ROCK ON, also featured longtime collaborator and producer Fred Mollin. She also contributed to “Grandpa’s Garden,” another children’s TV show.

In ’86 Abramson left the music industry, and instead focused on getting her real estate license. She seldom performed live after the 1990s, one exception being the Danforth Music Fest in 2007. In the early ’10s, she released some material to iTunes, but only “Light Up Your Love,” “Your Love Gets Me Around,” “Walking Me Home,” and “Jukebox of Paris” were included.

  • With notes from Ronney Abramson, Don Edwards

    ronney abramson
    RONNEY ABRAMSON (1972)
    Noah
    Smilin’ Day Man
    Accident
    I’m Holdin’ Out My Hand
    Banana Blues
    Purify My River
    Ride The Waves
    Old Time Friend
    And The Child Will Smile
    Smithsky’s Bagel Factory Blues
    stowaway
    STOWAWAY (1976)
    Your Love Gets Me Around
    Moon’s Memory/Sometime
    Long Lonely Winter
    S-T-O Please
    Baby Brown Eyes
    Two Faces Of Woman
    As Time Sneaks By
    Never Seem To Get Along Without You
    Song For Canaan
    The Best Friend I’ve Ever Known
    jukebox of paris
    JUKEBOX OF PARIS (1977)
    Trouble
    Sweet Love in Your Eyes
    Where Are We Going
    Walking Me Home
    He Needs You Anyway
    Beggar on Fire
    Jukebox of Paris
    Rocking Your Way Through School
    A Million Miles Away
    Wake Me This Time
    Light Up Your Love