Ron Sowell, one of West Virginia’s most prominent singer-songwriters, delivers the goods on life and such with a new recording. We had questions. | may9.2025
“It’s All Up to You,” by Ron Sowell
THE MUSIC VIDEO ABOVE FEATURES:
Ron Sowell: vocal / ukulele
Julie Adams: harmony vocals
Ammed Solomon: body percussion / washboard
Jeff Haught: piano
Ted Harrison: tuba
Jeff Carter: clarinet
Actors: Glenn Singer & Jude Binder
Produced, Directed & Edited by Bobby Lee Messer
Lighting: Rafael Barker
If you’ve never heard Ron Sowell before, the merry, Technicolor music video above of him performing “It’s All Up to You,” co-written with longtime song-making partner Jon Wikstrom from a just-released new recording, “Dance Till the Music Stops,” is a fine introduction to his high-spirited, soulful style. But if you live in West Virginia and are any kind of sentient musical being, you likely have heard his musicology. He is one of the state’s leading singer-songwriters and a mentor to generations of performing songwriters (I count myself among that cadre). He has been the leader of the “Mountain Stage” band for decades, heading up one of the longest-running live showcases of some of the planet’s best musicians and up-and-comers angling to join that august crew. WestVirginiaVille had five questions for the songmeister on the occasion of the release of his first full-length studio album in more than a decade. See him at work in person on the main stage of the Clay Center in Charleston, W.Va., on Saturday, May, 10, for the final Woody Hawley Concert of 2025. He’ll perform with a full band, including some of West Virginia’s finest musicians, including opening act Chris Haddox. ~ Douglas John Imbrogno
1.
WESTVIRGINIAVILLE: Your new album features a host of wise, observant songs with your longtime writing partner Jon Wikstrom, plus “There Is Only Love” by you, among other tunes. It feels like a roundup and compilation of all the things you’ve learned in life—sort of your ongoing philosophy and guidelines for getting through existence. A sampling of titles and themes gives a sense of this: “It’s All Up to You”; “There is Only Love”; “Dance Till the Music Stops”; “At Home in the World”; and the ethos of Buddhist karma turned into song with “Everything That Goes Round Comes Round.’ So, what was your overall ambition with this new recording?
RON SOWELL: The answer is contained in your very insightful question. It’s pretty simple. I have reached a place of clarity in my life about what is important and about how life works that makes sense to me. These songs are written from that perspective and I am excited to share them with the world.
2.
WESTVIRGINIAVILLE: To be comprehensive about the songwriting, there are a couple moodier, darker tunes, Such as the singer in “Who But a Fool,” gauging his lovesick longing on the Foolishness Scale in desiring his departed lover back with lines like “I can’t believe my fondest dream is crumbling into dust …” while flavoring his coffee with his tears. Then, there is “Do You Think It’s That Easy,” co-written with Kate Long, with the narrator bagging up his estranged lover’s clothes and books and dumping them off at Goodwill, with the poignant—a word you used in our discussing the song—statement: “Do you think I’m a rag doll who will lie where I’m tossed …” What is your philosophy of songwriting and the topics and subjects you choose?
RON SOWELL: For me, a song starts with a phrase, a title, a melody, a chord progression—some fragment that gives my intuition a buzz. If I feel that vibration, then I know that something is there. Then, I’m like a detective following clues to uncover the song. Whenever the trail goes cold I just quiet my mind until I feel that vibration again and let it guide me back. Sometimes—and it is rare—a song will just fall out almost whole. But most times for me it’s a matter of days, weeks, or in some cases, years until I’m able to solve the puzzle.
3.
WESTVIRGINIAVILLE: This album is a little distinct from some of your previous recordings in that it features maybe bigger, more elaborate productions and styles, ranging from a mid-20th century American Songbook crooner feel to party-energy tunes like the New Orleans-themed “In Search of Some Creole Soul.” You developed some of your playing chops and sea legs as a busy New Orleans-based performer early in your career. What shaped your development as a singer-songwriter and the recording mission for this new recording?
RON SOWELL: Well, I have spent a lot of time in the studio producing other people. So, I understand a lot more about production now. Let me clarify: I’m a producer, not an engineer. Some people can do both, but I need a good engineer to help me execute my vision. My last album was stripped down—completely acoustic—and that was a conscious choice. But I felt that the songs on this album needed a full production to be what they wanted to be. The process was a lot of fun and a lot of work, but I am thrilled with the result! As for my New Orleans experience … I lived smack dab in the middle of the French Quarter for a year, playing cover songs in fancy hotels, singing my originals in pass-the-hat bars and busking on Royal Street and in Jackson Square. I was a 22-year-old kid from a small town in New Mexico, so that experience opened my eyes in many ways. There are many kinds of people and ways to look at the world that can peacefully coexist. All the places that I have lived and the people that I have met in my travels have taught me this. As a songwriter, it’s my job to share what I’ve learned and be a witness to the truth as I see it.
4.
WESTVIRGINIAVILLE: Producing original music in these days of information overload and the social media avalanche of endless content, plus the decay of traditional modes of music distribution, is not for the faint of heart. You produced this recording as both a traditional CD along with a limited run of vinyl, while also releasing a pretty killer and fun Peter Max, ‘60s style, almost psychedelic music video of “It’s All Up to You,” produced and crafted by Bobby Lee Messer. What were your thoughts about getting a new Ron Sowell recording out into the world in the year 2025?
RON SOWELL: Yes, it seems every time I record and release a new album the rules and the landscape change completely. I honestly have no idea how to release a record anymore. So, I put together a very creative team (publicist, radio promoter, project manager/ web designer), produced an attractive CD with vinyl to follow, and as you mentioned a wacky entertaining music video (SEE ABOVE). I’m confident that I’ll get the album reviewed and played on college stations and satellite radio. Hopefully the video will get a lot of views on the web and we’ll see what happens. If the music speaks to people the songs will find an audience. That is my goal and my hope.
5.
WESTVIRGINIAVILLE: We live in crazy, dangerous times in America right now, with every day bringing headlines that curdle the spirit and raise hackles in the soul. What is the role of a creative, of a troubadour, of a longtime observer and harmonizer of the music of the spheres in the face of such times?
RON SOWELL: I believe that our thoughts create our reality. The constant barrage of negative news is a self-fulfilling cycle. It is our job as songwriters, musicians and artists of all creative genres to break that cycle. To lift up a different vision and remind people who they are, how powerful they are and how much joy and beauty exists all around them. And most importantly—that we are all connected. When we change our thoughts we change the world.
P.S.
WESTVIRGINIAVILLE: Ask yourself a question that you wish someone might ask you or that you wish to raise. And answer it.
RON ASKS HIMSELF: You’re in your 70’s. What have you learned as you’ve gotten older?
RON ANSWERS: Aging is inevitable, but getting old is optional. As my song says: “It’s All Up To You.
