Ronnie McDowell

Ronald Dean (Ronnie) McDowell (born March 25, 1950) is an American country music artist. He made his debut in 1977 with the song "The King Is Gone", a tribute to Elvis Presley, who had died not long before the single's release. From that single onward, McDowell has charted more than thirty Top 40 hits on the Billboard country music charts. Two of his singles – "Older Women" and "You're Gonna Ruin My Bad Reputation" — reached Number One on the country charts, while eleven more reached Top Ten. He has also released more than twenty studio albums, and has been signed to Curb Records since 1986.

Career

Following the death of Elvis Presley in 1977, McDowell had a song that became his first country and only pop hit with his self-penned tribute song "The King Is Gone," which he recorded on the independent Scorpion record label. The record took off immediately, gaining airplay on country and pop radio stations across the United States and around the world. To date, "The King Is Gone" has sold more than 5 million copies. In addition, McDowell also provided vocals to the soundtrack to the 1979 made-for-TV Presley biography Elvis.

McDowell scored a second hit for the Scorpion label entitled "I Love You, I Love You, I Love You" before being signed by CBS Records Epic in 1979.

McDowell charted a string of hit single and albums for Epic between 1979 and 1986. Every single release, except one, became a Top 10 hit,...
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