Background
The son of country singer Tex Dickerson, Ron took the name Davies after he was adopted by his stepfather, Darby Davies.
The son of country singer Tex Dickerson, Ron took the name Davies after he was adopted by his stepfather, Darby Davies.
He began his professional songwriting career at the age of 17, when he wrote an entire album of songs for the Tacoma, Washington-based Wailers. Davies moved to Nashville, Tennessee. In 1985 where he wrote for Cedarwood Publishing and later for Warner/Chappell Music.
Although not a professional actor, he played the lead role in the George Jones video Cold Hard Truth in 1999.
Davies died of a heart attack at his home in Nashville on October 30, 2003. In 2013 an album of his songs entitled Unsung Hero: A Tribute To The Music Of Ron Davies was released, featuring 22 well-known artists including John Prine, Dolly Parton, Vince Gill, Alison Krauss, Delbert McClinton, Crystal Gayle and Benny Golson.
He released two albums of his own on Agricultural and Mechanical Records, Silent Song Through the Land and University F. O, which he co-produced with Grammy Award winning engineer Tommy Vicari. Davies"s song "lieutenant Ain"t Easy" was covered by Three Dog Night (title song on their 1970 album), Long John Baldry (as title song of his 1971 album), David Bowie (on his 1972 Ziggy Stardust album), Dave Edmunds, and Grammy Award winner Shelby Lynne, among others His "Long, Hard Climb" by Helen Reddy and Maria Muldaur.
"The Manitoba I Used to Be" by Jerry Jeff Walker.
And "Waitin" on a Dark-Eyed Girl" by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.
