Quick Facts
Libra
Biography
Ronald Wayne Laws (born October 3, 1950) is an American jazz, jazz fusion, smooth jazz saxophonist. He is the younger brother of jazz flautist Hubert Laws, jazz vocalist Eloise Laws and the older brother of Debra Laws.
Biography
Born and raised in Houston, Texas, United States, Laws is the fifth of eight children. He started playing the saxophone at the age of 11.
He attended Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas, for two years.
During 1971, Laws journeyed to Los Angeles, California to embark upon a musical career. He started off by performing with trumpeter Hugh Masekela. Within 1972, Laws joined the band Earth, Wind & Fire where he played saxophone and flute on their album Last Days and Time. After 18 months with EWF he went on to become a solo artist.
During 1975, Laws issued his debut album entitled Pressure Sensitive on Blue Note Records. The album reached No. 25 on the Billboard Top Soul Albums chart. In 1976, Laws went on to release his second LP Fever. The album reached No. 13 on the Billboard Top Soul LPs chart.
His third album, Friends & Strangers, was issued in 1977 on United Artists Records. The album has been certified Gold in the US by the RIAA. Laws' fourth studio LP, entitled Flame was released in September 1978 on United Artists. The LP reached No. 16 on the Billboard Top Soul Albums chart.
His follow up album Every Generation was issued in 1980 by United Artists Records. The album reached No. 4 on the Billboard Top Soul Albums chart.
Work with other artists
Laws produced and sang on his sister Debra Laws' 1981 album "Very Special." He has also worked with artists such as Guru, Howard Hewett, Brian Culbertson, Ramsey Lewis, Jeff Lorber, Deniece Williams, Alphonse Mouzon, Norman Brown, The Crusaders and Sister Sledge.
Legacy
Artists such as Boney James and Norman Brown have been influenced by Laws.
Discography
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Record label | Certifications | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | USR&B | USJazz | USCon. Jazz | USTra. Jazz | ||||
| 1975 | Pressure Sensitive | 73 | 25 | — | — | — | Blue Note | |
| 1976 | Fever | 46 | 13 | — | — | — | Blue Note | |
| 1977 | Friends & Strangers | 37 | 13 | — | — | — | Blue Note | Gold: RIAA |
| 1978 | Flame | 51 | 16 | — | — | — | United Artists | |
| 1980 | Every Generation | 24 | 4 | — | — | — | Blue Note | |
| 1981 | Solid Ground | 51 | 17 | — | — | — | Blue Note | |
| 1983 | Mr. Nice Guy | 98 | 24 | — | — | 19 | Capitol | |
| 1984 | Classic Masters | — | 33 | — | — | 16 | Liberty, United Artists | |
| 1986 | Mirror Town | — | — | — | — | — | Columbia | |
| 1987 | All Day Rhythm | — | — | — | — | — | Columbia | |
| 1990 | True Spirit | — | — | — | 13 | — | Par Records | |
| 1990 | Identity | — | 80 | — | 19 | — | ARD | |
| 1993 | Deep Soul | — | — | — | 6 | — | Par Records | |
| 1993 | Brotherhood | — | — | — | — | — | 101 South Records | |
| 1995 | Natural Laws | — | — | 34 | 25 | — | Capitol | |
| 1998 | Harvest For The World | — | — | 41 | — | — | Angel Records | |
| 2000 | Dream A Little | — | — | — | 16 | — | HDH Records | |
| 2004 | Everlasting | — | — | 39 | 25 | — | HDH | |
