Ron Pope

Ron Pope
Ron Pope in New York City
Ron Pope in New York City
Background information
Born (1983-07-23) July 23, 1983 (age 41)
Newark, NJ
GenresAmericana, Singer-Songwriter, Roots
Occupation(s)singer-songwriter, producer
Years active2003–present
LabelsBrooklyn Basement Records
SpouseBlair Clark
Websitewww.ronpopemusic.com

Ronald Michael Pope (born July 23, 1983) is an American singer-songwriter. He is currently based in Nashville.

Background and career

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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

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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

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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

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  1. ^ Mosely, Davia. "Star Quality: Rocker Comes Home to Georgia on National Tour".
  2. ^ Harrison, Shane. "Live Music Picks". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Archived from the original on December 18, 2011.
  3. ^ a b Ingram, Bruce. "Internet Rock Star Ron Pope Hits the Road".
  4. ^ "Virtually Famous: Ron Pope".
  5. ^ "Announcing Wellfleet From The District". Pop Culture Madness.
  6. ^ Crandall, Sarah. "Keeping The Faith: Ron Pope Relies on Fan Loyalty to Promote Music". Encore Online.
  7. ^ "Ron Pope Translates Online Success Into Major Label Deal".
  8. ^ "Ron Pope's RIAA certifications". RIAA. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
  9. ^ "Brooklyn Basement Expands with Management Division". 22 October 2021.
  10. ^ "Blue-Collar Hero Ron Pope on DIY Songwriting, New Album 'Work'". Rolling Stone. 22 August 2017.
  11. ^ "Aretha Franklin Tribute".
  12. ^ Sciarretto, Amy. "Ron Pope to Release "Whatever it Takes" on April 12th". Artist Direct.
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