Ronald Warren Anderson (February 4, 1946 – December 19, 2021) was an American vocal coach and opera singer, best known for teaching vocals to various famous singers, most notably Axl Rose, Chris Cornell,

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, Myles Kennedy,

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, Seal,

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, Adele, The Weeknd,

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, Nancy Wilson, Diego Boneta and

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Early life

After his family moved to Long Beach, California, at the age of 7 he started performing on a local radio program. Anderson performed in a number of local choirs, as well as singing with

Roger Wagner Chorale The Roger Wagner Chorale is an American choir founded by choral musician and educator Roger Wagner in 1946. History In 1937, Roger Wagner joined the MGM chorus in Hollywood and was subsequently appointed Music Director of St. Joseph's Churc ...

and

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. While singing with The Young Americans, Anderson damaged his voice. Throat specialists determined that the only chance to heal his voice was to avoid all vocal production, no singing, no talking for an indefinite time. After living in total isolation for eight months, he was pronounced healed by his doctors. He decided to be a professional singer but needed to learn how to sing safely. Anderson started looking for voice teachers, which led him to Fritz and Tilly de Garmo Zweig.

Education

Soon after Anderson began working with Mrs. Zweig as his voice teacher, Anderson decided that his voice was best suited for opera. According to Anderson:

Mrs. Zweig taught me the mechanics of vocalization and the fundamentals of breath management, vocal placement, vowel modification and diction. She also taught me German, French, and Italian, which are essential languages for every professional opera singer.

She also taught Anderson how to recover from the damage in his vocal cords and rebuild his ability to sing. After Mrs. Zweig determined he could sing safely, he began working with Dr. Zweig as well. For 20 years, he continued to study with both.

Teaching

In 1977 when Anderson returned to the U.S., he began as a vocal coach specializing in

Bel canto Bel canto (Italian for "beautiful singing" or "beautiful song", )—with several similar constructions (''bellezze del canto'', ''bell'arte del canto'')—is a term with several meanings that relate to Italian singing. The phrase was not associat ...

technique, Tom Keifer after 6 vocal cord surgeries in 2009 went to Anderson to improve his condition; he credited Anderson with helping him regain strength and confidence in his voice. In 2012 Anderson prepared Tom Cruise for his role as

Stacee Jaxx The Solar Tower Atmospheric Cherenkov Effect Experiment (STACEE), is a gamma ray detector located near Albuquerque, New Mexico. Observations with STACEE began in and concluded in . Gamma rays were observed from objects such as the Crab Nebula, a ...

in the musical film ''

Rock of Ages Rock of Ages may refer to: Films * ''Rock of Ages'' (1918 film), a British silent film by Bertram Phillips * ''Rock of Ages'' (2012 film), a film adaptation of the jukebox musical (see below) Music * ''Rock of Ages'' (musical), a 2006 rock ...

''. In 2014

took vocal lessons from Anderson following advice from

Avenged Sevenfold Avenged Sevenfold (abbreviated as A7X) is an American heavy metal band from Huntington Beach, California, formed in 1999. The band's current lineup consists of lead vocalist M. Shadows, rhythm guitarist and backing vocalist Zacky Vengeance, ...

, after Anderson taught him a correct technique so he could overcome his singing problems and he can be heard delivering a more melodic sound in the album Silence in the Snow. Anderson has been a vocal coach to many other popular singers and members of rock groups. Anderson has also taught many students in the film industry as a vocal coach. Regarding Axl Rose of

Guns N' Roses Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1985. When they signed to Geffen Records in 1986, the band comprised vocalist Axl Rose, lead guitarist Slash, rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin, bassist Duff McKa ...

, he said: "I’ve worked with so many people but I have to say Axl Rose’s voice is amazing, truly one of a kind."

Personal life and death

Anderson died on the morning of December 19, 2021, at the age of 75. Many musicians including Axl Rose and Tom Keifer paid a tribute to him.

Film credits

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Anderson, Ron 1946 births 2021 deaths Voice teachers People from Honolulu