It would be bums off the seats as Ronnie made the guitar cry, laugh and tease.
His singing voice was exceptional, shifting gears from caressing soul to screaming heavy metal roar.
The consummate showman was special and the audience loved him as a fella.
Ronald Silvester Felix, who soared as a member of The Falcons and reigned as the “Prince of Malaysia”, died on Sunday aged 74.
Tributes have held him in high regard and affection for his limitless energy and enthusiasm.
Ronnie’s mates recalled his alluring beginnings with boy band, The Falcons, in the 1960s to storming the country as a Prince tribute artiste in the ’90s.
For some, Ronnie’s shades of the American superstar Prince at the Top of the Pubs finals in 1993 at Pyramid Supper Club has been a good story to tell.
I know you! You did Purple Rain!
Ronnie was 42 when he won the Top of the Pubs solo title, high on showmanship, and with guitar solos so lustrous, they felt like a kiss.
His slick act and flamboyant outfit – shimmering silver tights and matching top with ankle-length jacket – sent the audience into a frenzy.
After completing his first song, Prince’s “When Doves Cry”, with that killer guitar intro, he cried out to the crowd: “Do I look like Prince?”
Someone screamed: “You’re better looking.” Ronnie was a handsome guy.
Ronnie continued gyrating and teasing the audience with his guitar, rendering James Brown’s, “I Feel Good”.
He wrapped up his performance with another Prince number, “Purple Rain”, a sprawling, impassioned ballad with a blistering guitar solo.
Ronnie first performed the number during a stint at Milo Steakhouse in Seremban, where the patrons kept bugging him to play the hit.
As the winner, Ronnie won RM5,000 and a contract to perform in 78 venues in eight states over three months, alongside the runner-up John Derek Jackson.
He earned an attractive fee for the roadshow, enough to splash RM1,000 on local designer Edmund Ser to create memorable Prince-inspired outfits.
Ronnie was overjoyed seeing his face regularly in newspaper write-ups about the tours.
He recounted in a 2016 interview with former Malay Mail writer, Jordan Barnes, that at the height of it all, strangers would shout out to him on the streets, “I know you! You did Purple Rain!”
Ooh ahh and that back-breaker
There was this “ooh ahh” song that the crowd at Memory Lane in Damansara Utama, where he went solo in 1990, wanted him to sing as well.
Memory Lane owner John Peter Joseph said it was Kitaro’s “Matsuri” and that Ronnie’s versatility packed his joint.
Ronnie took a break from playing gigs in 1995, and in 2003 joined Jerry Ventura, Jerry Felix and Eddy Zachariah as the last line-up of The Falcons.
The same year, he had a stint with Edwin Nathaniel’s Aseana Percussion Unit (APU).
On APU’s return from the Belsan World Music Festival in Zhuhai, China, they played at Backyard Pub in Sri Hartamas, Kuala Lumpur.
Ronnie dug out his best purple sequinned jacket and hit the stage as he did three times a week with different bands in the Klang Valley club circuit.
In Backyard, the audience requested for a Prince tribute and he didn’t disappoint.
As the seven-minute rendition of “Purple Rain” reached its climax, Ronnie dropped to the floor for his signature move – the back-breaker.
Soaring with The Falcons
In 1963, a young Ronnie played Saturday night parties to earn himself $10 to spend at the Pines food outlets in Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur.
By 16, the La Salle Brickfields lad was playing rhythm and lead guitar for The Falcons.
He teamed up with his cousins Brian and Jerry Felix and Ventura before making way for founding member Frankie Samuel.
Ronnie’s father, Michael, played double bass with his brothers in the famed group, Victor Felix and the Hawaiian Rhythmics.
Brian is the son of Victor, Jerry the son of Patrick, both members in the group.
After four years waiting in the wings, he stepped in after Frankie was yanked off the band for slacking in school.
When Ronnie joined, the band became a quintet from a quartet.
He took over the guitar tasks, while Brian switched to keyboards and Aziz Romeno became the vocalist.
The band’s then released their second album with EMI, an eponymous four-track EP featuring songs, “I’ve Tried So Hard” and a Jimi Hendrix cover “Fire”.
When the band left for Vietnam in 1969 to entertain US troops during the war, Ronnie opted to stay behind.
He took up a post compiling statistics in a government office for two years, but was never confirmed in his job.
With a baby and no income, he was forced to return to playing music.
His first band was Time Changes, a five-piece group that began at Time Tunnel, Kuala Lumpur, before heading to Penang.
They lasted just one gig at Mayflower in Penang as the club was raided the next evening.
The band busked for food money, slept backstage, and sometimes slummed it in a $10 per night hotel.
A little luck came their way when they found a stint at Apple Jam in Ipoh, before heading a month later to Gypsy Caravan in Rasa Sayang Hotel.
Ronnie ventured into black music as Sweet Supremes, with a newfound horn section.
Gypsy Caravan fell victim to a takeover from London-based franchise Juliana’s, forcing the multi-instrumentalist to switch rhythm again.
In 1976, the famous Sweet Notes emerged at Scott’s Bar in Merlin Hotel (now Concorde KL), with his younger brother Jeffrey on keyboards, Tommy Lau (drums) and Brian Pereira (bass).
The break-up of Sweet Notes saw him reprise a role in The Falcons for a little over six months in 1988 before the members went separate ways once more.
A shining light
Zachariah described Ronnie as a cherished brother, a father figure, and an inspiration to all who were fortunate to know him.
“He was a shining light in the music industry, a true artiste who left an indelible mark on all of us.
“His passion for music and his kindness touched countless lives,” said Zachariah, now the keyboardist with Alleycats.
For him, Ronnie was more than just a mentor. “He was a source of wisdom and laughter.”
He said: “I will treasure the moments we shared on stage, off stage, travelling, creating music together, and those long conversations that carried us into the early hours of the morning.
“Every memory with him feels like a gift, and I will hold them close to my heart forever.”
Ronnie is survived by his wife Teresa Lazaroo, son Neil, daughter Jean and two grandchildren.
*The wake is at the Catholic Church of Sacred Heart of Jesus, Jalan Peel, Kuala Lumpur, from 2pm -10pm.
The funeral mass is at 11pm tomorrow at the Sanctuary, followed by cremation at the DBKL crematorium, Jalan Kuari, Cheras.