Ronna Reeves

Ronna Reeves (born 1966) is an American country and pop singer-songwriter. She released three albums for Mercury Records between 1991 and 1993, followed by two albums for River North Records in 1995 and 1998. Five of her singles entered the Billboard country chart; the highest, "The More I Learn (The Less I Understand About Love)", reached number 49 in 1992.

Reeves was nominated for Top New Female Vocalist at the 1992 Academy of Country Music Awards. She later became a regular featured singer on The Statler Brothers Show and recorded a duet with Peter Cetera. For her final album, Day 14, she performed under the mononym Ronna and shifted from country music to a pop-rock style.

Early life Reeves began performing as a child while living in Big Spring, Texas. She participated in dance recitals and pageants and studied country standards with local musician Don Tolle. Reeves became the lead vocalist of a group called Short Circuit, which was renamed Texas Gold after moving to San Angelo. By 1984, when she was 18, Reeves had performed for approximately nine years and had shared bills with George Strait, Steve Wariner, Jerry Jeff Walker, the Glaser Brothers, and John Wesley Ryles. Reeves cited singers such as Linda Ronstadt, McEntire, Rosanne Cash, Tanya Tucker, and Emmylou Harris as influences. The label released her debut album, Only the Heart, in 1991. It received little commercial attention, and Reeves later said that she had restrained her natural vocal style while making it. "The More I Learn (The Less I Understand About Love)" reached number 49 on the country chart, and the album reached number 72 on Billboard country albums chart. Its follow-up singles, "What If You're Wrong" and "We Can Hold Our Own", peaked at numbers 70 and 71 respectively.

Mercury released Reeves's third album, What Comes Naturally, in 1993. Shedd and Brooks again produced the album, which was recorded in Nashville and Memphis with musicians and singers including Kenny Greenberg, Jonell Mosser, Kennedy Rose, Bernie Leadon, and John Cowan. The album produced the chart singles "Never Let Him See Me Cry" and "He's My Weakness", which reached numbers 73 and 74. Reeves also sang television commercials and appeared frequently on The Nashville Network.

River North Records and pop crossover Reeves's relationship with Mercury ended after What Comes Naturally. She signed with the independent River North Records and said that the change allowed her to present an image and musical identity that were closer to her personality. By 1995 she was a regular featured singer on The Statler Brothers Show, then the highest-rated program on The Nashville Network. An Associated Press profile of the series specifically praised the voices of Reeves and fellow regular Crystal Gayle.

River North released After the Dance later in 1995. Produced by Joe Thomas, it was Reeves's first album for the label and followed her three Mercury releases. Billboard gave it a spotlight review and described Reeves as a more confident and relaxed interpreter than on her earlier recordings.

Reeves also joined Peter Cetera on a cover of ABBA's "SOS" for his 1995 album One Clear Voice and toured with him. The collaboration led to Cetera producing Reeves's fifth studio album, Day 14 (1998). By then River North had moved away from country albums, and the label promoted the project as pop and rock. Reeves performed under the single name Ronna. She co-wrote seven of its eleven songs, including the single "Sweet Pretender". Oermann described the single as an aggressive move from Reeves's country work toward alternative-influenced rock. In 2017, Reeves and Morin were appointed joint creative directors of Shoebox Music Publishing's Nashville operation.

Discography Studio albums Title Album details Peak positions US Country 1990 "Sadly Mistaken" — — Only the Heart "The Letter" — — 1991 "That's More About Love (Than I Wanted to Know)" — — 1992 "The More I Learn (The Less I Understand About Love)" 49 89 The More I Learn "What If You're Wrong" 70 75 "We Can Hold Our Own" 71 86 1993 "Never Let Him See Me Cry" 73 85 What Comes Naturally "He's My Weakness" 74 — 1996 "My Heart Wasn't in It" — — After the Dance "Rodeo Man" — — 1998 "Sweet Pretender" — — Day 14 "—" denotes releases that did not chart

Awards and nominations Year Organization Category Result 1992 Academy of Country Music Awards Top New Female Vocalist