Ronnie Lovejoy Sr. (1950-2001)

Ronnie Lovejoy Sr. (1950-2001). Southern Soul and Blues Singer. , Born in Wetumpka in 1950 and raised in the Level community, Ronnie Lovejoy Sr. became a celebrated Soul and Blues singer-songwriter in the late twentieth century. Lovejoy's musical influences began with his family. His mother, Golaties White Lovejoy, sang in the choir at Wetumpka's Second Baptist Church. Joe White, an uncle, encouraged him to play the piano at a young age. Ronnie Lovejoy learned percussion and musical theory as a student at Wetumpka's W.B. Doby School, under the instruction of band director Al Stringer. , After a stint in the U.S. Marine Corps and time in Boston, Lovejoy returned to Alabama and played alongside King Tut and the Untouchables throughout the South. In the early 1990s, Lovejoy went to California to work on new records. Poor health brought him back to Alabama. Once recovered, he resumed a frenetic performance schedule. , Many of his songs, including "Giving My Love to the Other Man" and "Think About You All the Time," were covered by renowned artists like Tyrone Davis, Otis Clay, and Chuck Roberson. His song "Nothin' Bother Me" became an anthem for the Level community of his birth. His 1999 international hit "Sho' Wasn't Me" cemented his status as an iconic artist of southern Soul and Blues. Lovejoy died on October 23. 2001. In 2023, his hometown held the first music festival in his honor.