Biography
A young picker from Tennessee pioneered an innovative approach to rhythm guitar within bluegrass during the early 1950s. Ronnie Knittel exemplifies the overlooked gems tucked inside the genre’s intricate patchwork. Recording as Ronnie Brent, he left an equally faint imprint on the fringes of surf-tinged instrumental rock without fully immersing himself in that sound. In the Appalachian foothills he teamed with banjoist Baskell Rose in the Holston Valley Ramblers, a unit that sometimes billed itself under Knittel’s own name. During 1951 the two instrumentalists—whose bassist remains unidentified—pressed a lone custom single: Knittel fronted the grateful vocal “I Thank My Lucky Star” on one side, while the flip showcased his partner’s banjo dexterity. Rounder Records later selected the banjo showcase for its Early Days of Bluegrass anthology under the title “Holston Valley Breakdown,” yet the guitarist’s forceful rhythm work supplies comparable propulsion to that track. The pressing served primarily as a memento rather than a commercial vehicle, and within twelve months both musicians had entered military service and the group had disbanded.
Knittel’s upbringing involved repeated family relocations across Tennessee as his father accepted temporary work from the Tennessee Valley Authority. Although no relatives played instruments, the household participated in vocal quartets. Porter Church, an old-time musician, provided Knittel’s first guitar lessons and introduced basic chords. Once the Holston Valley Ramblers formed, the young players—visually indistinguishable in posed photographs despite lacking blood ties—devoted themselves exclusively to bluegrass and idolized the Monroe Brothers. After his discharge Knittel explored country music, then embraced rock & roll following a move to the national capital. Switching to electric bass, he became a fixture in Washington-area groups while also absorbing rhythm & blues and soul. By 1959 and 1960 he felt his predominantly white following slipping away because of an excess of Ray Charles material. Adopting the stage name Ronnie Brent, he fronted Ronnie Brent & the Men of Zen.
The new ensemble favored saxophones over fiddles and banjo, confirming his departure from country and bluegrass. Under the Brent alias he recorded for United Artists and Colt 45; the instrumental “Cowboys and Indians” stands as his strongest effort in this vein and has appeared on compilations of early-1960s rock instrumentals. In 1963 he declared he had “quit pickin’ bluegrass, went to pickin’ chickens,” a phrase denoting his new livelihood in poultry processing. He bears no relation to the rapper Ronald “Riskie” Brent.
Knittel’s upbringing involved repeated family relocations across Tennessee as his father accepted temporary work from the Tennessee Valley Authority. Although no relatives played instruments, the household participated in vocal quartets. Porter Church, an old-time musician, provided Knittel’s first guitar lessons and introduced basic chords. Once the Holston Valley Ramblers formed, the young players—visually indistinguishable in posed photographs despite lacking blood ties—devoted themselves exclusively to bluegrass and idolized the Monroe Brothers. After his discharge Knittel explored country music, then embraced rock & roll following a move to the national capital. Switching to electric bass, he became a fixture in Washington-area groups while also absorbing rhythm & blues and soul. By 1959 and 1960 he felt his predominantly white following slipping away because of an excess of Ray Charles material. Adopting the stage name Ronnie Brent, he fronted Ronnie Brent & the Men of Zen.
The new ensemble favored saxophones over fiddles and banjo, confirming his departure from country and bluegrass. Under the Brent alias he recorded for United Artists and Colt 45; the instrumental “Cowboys and Indians” stands as his strongest effort in this vein and has appeared on compilations of early-1960s rock instrumentals. In 1963 he declared he had “quit pickin’ bluegrass, went to pickin’ chickens,” a phrase denoting his new livelihood in poultry processing. He bears no relation to the rapper Ronald “Riskie” Brent.