Ronnie Premiere is really Ronnie Barzyk who was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on 11 August 1938. A white kid who grew up in a black neighborhood, Ronnie could write great songs very quickly and then sing them with soul. He sang for a local group called The Comic Books. Voice troubles forced him to quit singing in the mid-1960’s. He moved from Milwaukee to nearby Merton. You might have heard him performing in the West Bend area in 1977 using the name Ron Bishop. In 1984 he moved to Nashville to become a cabinet maker.

This song was reissued for national distribution on Laurie 3091. Here’s the original pressing of Angel In My Eyes (You May Not Be An Angel) by Ronnie Premiere And The Royal Lancers on Sara 1020 from December 1960:

And here’s the flip side, So Loved Am I:

The Royal Lancers worked with several vocalists over the years. The core members were vocalist Paul Stefan (Stefaniak), Doug Tank on lead guitar, John Pavlik on rhythm guitar, Roy Malvitz on bass, Hal Block on sax, and Lee Breest on drums.

A lot of great music came out of Wisconsin in the 1950’s and 1960’s, and you can read all about it in a couple of excellent books written by Gary E. Myers, Do You Hear That Beat and On That Wisconsin Beat. I highly recommend both of them!

I’m on my way to Nashville now, but I’ll try to post some more stuff this week if I can! In the meantime, this would be a great time to check out MusicMaster Oldies!