| Ronald Jenkees | |
|---|---|
| Genres | Electronic rock, Hip hop, Techno, Rock |
| Occupations | Songwriter, Musician |
| Instruments | Keyboard controllers , Piano, Harmonica, Vocals |
| Years active | 2004—present |
| Labels | Independent |
| Website | www.ronaldjenkees.com |
Ronald Jenkees is an American composer and musician, best known for his YouTube keyboard performances, coverage on G4 TV's Attack of the Show!, and an appearance in Paste Magazine. His YouTube videos have been viewed (in total) over 50,000,000 times.[1] Jenkees has thus far released two independent albums: the self-titled Ronald Jenkees (2007), and Disorganized Fun (2009).
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Jenkees grew up in Kentucky, where he first began playing music at the age of 4. He started when he received a toy keyboard as a Christmas gift. With it, he learned simple melodies and played with friends. While still at a young age, he received a Yamaha PSR-500. He attempted piano lessons in the seventh grade, but these were unsuccessful. Jenkees discovered how to sequence and layer music using his Yamaha keyboard, and began playing hip hop music. He joined a marching band in high school, and despite being unable to read sheet music, the band director let Jenkees create his own keyboard parts and "jam out" in state competitions. The band director encouraged Jenkees to learn to read music, but he continued to play by ear.[2][2][3][4]
Jenkees was introduced to FL Studio by a friend. From about 2003, he began releasing beats and raps online under the name "Big Cheez". Under this name, he produced the 2005 album Straight Laced by Fish. In 2006, Jenkees started posting videos on YouTube to entertain people, but he later began posting music-related videos. These videos usually feature him wearing a hat and greeting his viewers by saying, "Hello Youtubes!". Jenkees feels that the "goofiness" he shows helps him to "not feel like such a show-off". His videos gradually gained popularity, and saw a boom in popularity when Bill Simmons from ESPN.com advertised Jenkees and asked him to record his podcast theme, and again after being "thumbed up" by members of the StumbleUpon community. In 2007, Jenkees independently released his first studio album, Ronald Jenkees. In June 2009, Jenkees was featured on the STS9 album, Peaceblaster: The New Orleans Make It Right Remixes, producing a remix of "Beyond Right Now". On July 31, 2009, Jenkees announced (via his Twitter feed) that he had released his second album, Disorganized Fun. Both are currently available for purchase from either the iTunes Store or his personal website on physical compact discs or as direct MP3 downloads.
Recently, a selection of his music (from both his currently released albums) has been included in the game "Sequence" available on Xbox Live & Steam.
Music tracks from both of his currently released albums have also begun to appear in the track listings of Pandora Radio.
Jenkees creates a variety of music ranging from techno to hip hop to rock and roll using pianos, keyboards, and various PC-controlled electronic synthesizers. He also writes and produces rap music. His music, a collage of popular music since 1970, is well-matched with the diversity permitted by the use of Youtube. His use of keyboard and synthesizer voices adds a variety of other instruments into his sound. For instance, in "Guitar Sound" from his second album "Disorganized Fun", the lead instrument is played on keyboard as usual, but mimics the sound of an electric guitar. This produces a unique interpretation of the rock and roll genre, but at around 3:15 of the same track, he switches to more electronic sounding voices and shifts the song into a techno or trance influenced rock opera. In some of his YouTube videos he employs a harmonica for his slower tempo songs.
Jenkees was featured in Paste Magazine, columns by Bill Simmons on ESPN.com, and on the G4 television show Attack of the Show!. More recently, Jenkees was interviewed on Fox Business Network.[5][6][7]