Ron Malo

Who was Ron Malo?

Ron Malo was an engineer for Chicago's Chess Studios. He was the engineer for the first sessions the Rolling Stones did in the USA, in Chicago in June 1964, recording songs that wound up appearing on the albums 12 X 5, The Rolling Stones Now! and December's Children. He was also the engineer at Chess when they returned in November 1964 to do more sessions there, and when they came back a third time in May 1965.

The Stones must have admired Malo because he had worked with many of the blues and R&B greats, such as Bo Diddley, Etta James, Sonny Boy Williamson and Chuck Berry, as well as some jazz greats like Cannonball Adderley. He went on to work with Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Buddy Guy and John Lee Hooker. Ron Malo was the engineer in the Buckinghams first recording sessions. In the 1970s, he worked with Billy Joel and engineered the lost tapes of "The Brothres" in 1973 at Bolic Sound Studio in Los Angeles.