Ronald J. Hargrave (born November 8, 1929) is a well renowned

ukulele The ukulele ( ; from haw, ukulele , approximately ), also called Uke, is a member of the lute family of instruments of Portuguese origin and popularized in Hawaii. It generally employs four nylon strings. The tone and volume of the instrumen ...

player and actor from the 1950s era, who has become an icon to the

Rockabilly Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music. It dates back to the early 1950s in the United States, especially the South. As a genre it blends the sound of Western musical styles such as country with that of rhythm and blu ...

fan base. He co-wrote music for

Jerry Lee Lewis Jerry Lee Lewis (September 29, 1935October 28, 2022) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Nicknamed "The Killer", he was described as " rock & roll's first great wild man". A pioneer of rock and roll and rockabilly music, Lewis ma ...

and was also identified as a billboard star musician in Japan with many singles. He currently resides in

Ventura, California Ventura, officially named San Buenaventura (Spanish for "Saint Bonaventure"), is a city on the Southern Coast of California and the county seat of Ventura County. The population was 110,763 at the 2020 census. Ventura is a popular tourist des ...

where he visits small shops and locations to play the ukulele for small impromptu crowds.

Biography

Ron Hargrave was raised in the Bronx by Vaudeville performers directly after the big

Wall Street Crash of 1929 The Wall Street Crash of 1929, also known as the Great Crash, was a major American stock market crash that occurred in the autumn of 1929. It started in September and ended late in October, when share prices on the New York Stock Exchange coll ...

. His family, trying to avert disaster, moved to Hollywood, California in 1936, where they settled and he began his lifelong career choices for the entertainment industry. He entered into military life right at the start of his acting and musical career. During his military service time, he met up with the daughter of

Lou Costello Louis Francis Cristillo (March 6, 1906 – March 3, 1959), professionally known as Lou Costello, was an American comedian, actor and producer. He was best known for his double act with straight man Bud Abbott and their routine " Who's on First? ...

, which started him off in the film industry. He moved to

Ventura County Ventura County () is a County (United States), county in Southern California, the southern part of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 843,843. The largest city is Oxnard, California ...

, California, where he resides near his daughter and continues to play music for small clubs and small audiences. He often surprises the downtown shop and small restaurant owners with impromptu visits where he plays his ukulele for passersby.

Career

Ron Hargrave, after hanging out with Costello's daughter, met with Abbott and Costello and eventually was managed by

in one film, '' Dance With Me Henry'', released in 1956. He began writing songs and was introduced to

where he co-wrote

High School Confidential (Jerry Lee Lewis song) "High School Confidential" is a 1958 song written by Jerry Lee Lewis and Ron Hargrave (and copyrighted in both their names on January 28, 1958) as the title song of the MGM movie of the same name directed by Jack Arnold. Background Jerry Lee Le ...

and wrote "Latch On" and other movie songs. He was also a boxer and his swagger in Costello's movie earmarked him as one of the first on-screen rock and roll actors, in an era that had not yet adjusted to the young attitude of

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...

References

External links

VC Star Interview with Ron Hargrave
(vcstar.com) *

Record Fiend Lost Records. (record-fiend.blogspot.com)
Ron Hargrave Ventura Local Business Visits
(ydek.us) *

(rockabilly.nl)
Ventura Local Businesses Visited by Ron Hargrave
(ventura-computer-repair.com) {{DEFAULTSORT:Hargrave, Ron American rockabilly musicians American male actors 1929 births Living people American ukulele players