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January 16th ON THIS DAY in North Carolina history… 1943: He is born ON THIS DAY in Robbinsville. Born with congenital glaucoma, Ronnie Milsap will lose his sight soon after birth. Abandoned by his mother, he is taken in by his grandparents and raised in the Smoky Mountains until he is five years old. With continued support from his grandparents and the North Carolina Lions civic organization, he attends the Morehead School for the Blind in Raleigh. There, he receives his basic education, learns classical music, and becomes fluent in piano and violin. Ronnie studies political science at Young Harris Junior College in the North Georgia Mountains near Atlanta and is offered a scholarship at Emory. He has planned a career as a lawyer, but a chance meeting with Ray Charles changes his life. Ray hears him play the piano and urges him to follow his heart and pursue his first love, music. Ronnie forms his own band and moves first to Memphis, and then to Nashville. He has his first country hit with 1969’s “Never Had It So Good.” In 1973, Ronnie signs with RCA Victor, and a slew of hit singles follow, including "I Hate You" (1973), "Pure Love," and "Please Don't Tell Me How the Story Ends" (both 1974). For the latter single, Milsap was awarded a Grammy for Best Male Country Vocal Performance. Furthermore, the Country Music Association named Milsap male vocalist of the year in 1974, 1976, and 1977. In 1980, Ronnie decides to record one original song to release as a single for his upcoming Greatest Hits album. Although the song is intended just to help push the album, once in the studio, magic happens. “Smoky Mountain Rain,” a heart-wrenching ballad, becomes a monster hit, hitting #1 on both Billboard’s Country and Easy-Listening Charts, as well as peaking on the Top 40. Suddenly, Ronnie is a crossover hit, and a second career in popular music will take him through the 1980s. In November 2014, Milsap announces that he would embark on a final concert tour. "You get to a place where you still have your health, but you know it's not given," explains Milsap. "I've been blessed with so many great songs, so many wonderful memories and stories -- and some of the very best fans in the business. Before I get to a place where it's not a celebration of the music, I want to go out and play all these hits for the people who love them as much as I do." In 2014, Ronnie Milsap is inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, with a career that includes 40 #1 Country Music Hits, 6 Grammy Awards, 8 Country Music Association Awards, and over 35 million albums sold. ~Kevin E. Spencer, Author, North Carolina Expatriates