About
Ronald Dean McDowell Sr. (born March 25, 1950) is an American country music artist. McDowell charted more than 30 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 11 more reached top 10. He has also released more than 20 studio albums, and has been signed to Curb Records since 1986.
McDowell served in the US Navy from 1968-72. He served on board the USS Hancock and USS Kitty Hawk.
Following the death of Elvis Presley in 1977, McDowell, a devoted fan of Presley’s, recorded 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.
It peaked at number 13 on Billboard’s Hot 100 singles, and became a gold record. In January 1978, McDowell performed the song on the NBC special, Nashville Remembers Elvis on His Birthday, in which he appeared alongside a number of Presley’s contemporaries. To date,…
Born On This Day
Bio and photo via Wikipedia, used under Creative Commons licensing.