Ronnie Lane

As the former bassist for The Small Faces, and later The Faces, Ronnie Lane left both bands when he felt the spirit of the group had died, gaining him the reputation of an uncompromising artist, and allowing him the opportunity to release some fine solo material in the '70s.



An underrated singer and songwriter, Lane (along with guitarist Steve Marriott) co-founded the British mod group the Small Faces in the mid-'60s, helping to guide them to the top of British charts with his clever songwriting. After Marriott left, Lane jettisoned the groups mod reputation and, adding former Jeff Beck cohorts Ron Wood and Rod Stewart, Lane reformed the group as The Faces, a loud, boozy rock band that achieved widespread success in the States (something The Small Faces could never do). Although Lane was the unacknowledged leader among the group members, audiences were drawn to singer Rod Stewart, and when Stewart's burgeoning solo career began affecting the quality of The Faces' albums, Lane jumped ship to form his own band in 1973.

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