1962 - I Wish That We Were Married / Twistin & Kissin (Joy 260)
1962 - Send Me Love / Be Kind (Joy 265)
1962 - Valerie / The Fact Of The Matter (Raven 8000)
1963 - A Slow Dance / What The Next Day May Bring (Win 250 / Reo)
1963 - The Fact Of The Matter / You Keep Me Guessin' (Win 251)
1963 - High School Romance / Uptown-Downtown (Win 252)
1965 - Too Young / High School Romance (ABC 10685)
1982 - For Lovers / What A Pretty Bride You'll Be (U.G.H.A. 16)
Biography ;
Ronnie & The Hi-Lites were a vocal group, formed in Jersey City,
New Jersey, United States, in the early 1960s. On March 31, 1962, their
song "I Wish That We Were Married", a slow ballad sung from the point of
view of a young boy expressing his wishes that he and his sweetheart
would stay together, charted and rose to number 16 on the Billboard Hot
100 chart, spending twelve weeks on the chart.
Selling over half a million copies, the song put 14-year-old Ronnie
Goodson and company on the map, paving the way for performances
alongside Stevie Wonder, Major Lance and Ronnie's girlfriend Eva Boyd,
better known as Little Eva. They subsequently appeared on American
Bandstand, at The Apollo and numerous venues throughout the east coast.
"I Wish That We Were Married" is perhaps known for Ronnie's emotional
sobbing, adding to the theme of the song. The group was originally
called the Cascades, not to be confused with a different group of the
same name that recorded "Rhythm of the Rain". Initially consisting of
tenors Sonny Caldwell and John Whitney, bass singer Kenny Overby and
baritone Stanley Brown, the group added 12-year-old Ronnie Goodson as
their lead singer.
Ronnie Goodson
They
were soon introduced to songwriter/producer team Marion and Hal Weiss,
who offered them "I Wish That We Were Married". The small independent
record label, Joy Records, picked up the group's recording and renamed
the ensemble Ronnie & the Hi-Lites. They subsequently released the
single and the group went on to record many more singles without
troubling the chart compilers again.Ronnie Goodson died 4 November 1980.
