Ronnie Boykins

Ronnie Boykins (1935 - April 20, 1980) was a jazz bassist most noted for his work with the Sun Ra Arkestra in the 1950s and 1960s.

Boykins grew up in Chicago and played bass for musicians such as Muddy Waters and Jimmy Witherspoon.

He joined the Arkestra during the Chicago period, travelled with them to Canada and then to New York City. Boykins has been described as "the pivot around which much of Sun Ra's music revolved for 8 years" [1]. This is especially pronounced on the key recordings from 1965 (The Magic City, The Heliocentric Worlds of Sun Ra, Volume One and The Heliocentric Worlds of Sun Ra, Volume Two) where the intertwining lines of Boykins' bass and Ra's electronic keyboards provide the cohesion.

Boykins also recorded with Rahsaan Roland Kirk on his famous Rip, Rig and Panic album. In 1979 he played with Steve Lacy and Dennis Charles on New York Capers and Quirks.

He recorded one ESP-Disk album under his own name: The Will Come, Is Now in 1975.

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