I Want to Love You For What You Are - Ronnie Dove

Ronnie Dove (b. September 7, 1935, Herndon, Virginia) is an American pop and country musician.

Born in Herndon, VA, Ronnie began his singing career in the clubs of Baltimore. He formed a group, The Belltones, and they played Baltimore and the East Coast for four years. In 1959, they recorded their debut single "Lover Boy" as well as a cover of the Buddy Knox hit "Party Doll" before Ronnie went solo with Diamond Records. His first solo single, "Sweeter Than Sugar" appeared in 1964 to no fanfare. Later that year "Say You" was released and earned Ronnie his first chart record. The next single, a cover of Wanda Jackson's "Right Or Wrong," put him into the Top 20. In 1965 he had 5 chart singles and after just three albums Diamond Records released a "best of" collection. More hits came in 1966 and 1967 but the pop success began to fade. He signed a new deal with Decca Records in 1971 and pointed his career in a more country oriented direction. Although he moved to some smaller, independent labels throughout the 1970's he still continued to record. He opened his own club in Baltimore and his fans were able to see him perform through the 1980's. He eventually re-signed with Diamond in 1987. Dove continues to perform in the Baltimore area and nationwide. There have been several compilations issued on CD. Collectables Records has even issued three 2-on-1 discs with his complete original Diamond albums plus a collection of rarities. Check out his website for news, concert listings and recordings including a recent Christmas album and a few albums of new material (including new recordings of previously recorded songs). Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.