RIP Ron Carroll, Chicago’s Minister of House.
Many are saying this one hits hard—and it really does. The outpouring of sorrow has swept quickly through the house-music community.
On social media, DJs, vocalists, promoters and label owners everywhere were quick to voice their condolences. David Morales, DJ Spen, Traxsource, Defected, Todd Terry and many more have shared their thoughts. The heavyweights of Chicago house know all too well how deeply his absence will be felt. Personally, I loved the words of Harry Romero.
To me, Ron Carroll was the perfect crossover artist from the soulful side of house music. From his early collaborations on the more commercial French-house scene—working with artists like Superfunk and Bob Sinclar—to his deeper, gospel-tinged tracks with E-Smoove, and his forays into the classic Chicago sound, he bridged styles with ease.
Within Sydney’s semi-nascent semi-underground scene of the late 90’s, he first landed on our radar with his collaboration with Superfunk on Lucky Star. Across the city, it was a dance-floor filler—the height of French-disco-style house—and Ron was its unmistakable voice. By the time his timeless collaboration with Hardsoul, Back Together, dropped, he was already a bona fide legend.
Australia loved him, and he loved Australia back, making many trips across the ocean over the years. I had the pleasure of catching his DJ/live-PA sets three times:
– first at Sydney’s legendary Tank nightclub with Michelle Weeks circa 2005,
– then at at another iconic venue, The Argyle in 2008
– and finally at the Sydney Hilton’s Zeta Bar in 2010
I still remember that night at Tank. Both Michelle and Ron had promo CDs they handed out and signed at the end of the night. When I first heard that silky-smooth voice turn to me—“What’s your name, baby?”—it felt like pure magic. I was lucky enough to also meet him again at the Zeta Bar gig: warm, friendly, genuinely present. He always had time for his fans.
That generosity shone online too—funny, approachable and prolific. Honestly, I’ll miss the comforting presence of his posts in my feed, they were reminders of my love for house music, and how connected lovers of this genre are, but also how friendly and genuine the artists are.
Tonight I browsed through his discography and rediscovered a few gems to (re)visit:
- Take Me Up – E-Smoove
- My Love – Kluster
- It is Well – Testament
He also worked on some awesome tracks as a producer:
- 2001 CeCe Peniston – “My Boo“
- 2005 Shawn Christopher – “You Can Make It”
- 2005 Melba Moore – “My Heart Belongs To You”
- 2007 Ce Ce Peniston – “I’m Feelin’ U“, with DJ Fudge
I was blown away to find out tonight via Resident Advisor that Ron had also written the lyrics for Barbara Tucker’s epic. ‘l Get Lifted’. Legend.
Ron, your voice and your music shaped my life and my love of soulful and gospel house. You were one of the ones to start my house music journey and I will never forget that. Thank you.
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