Ronald Michael Carroll (April 20, 1968 – September 21, 2025) was an American DJ, singer, songwriter and music producer. He was primarily active in the house music circuit and openly gay. Ron was a proponent for the LGBTQ+ and HIV Positive communities, having disclosed his own diagnosis just weeks before his death.
Carroll worked with many of house's most famous producers, including E-Smoove, Maurice Joshua, Bob Sinclar and Rod Carrillo. He also produced, usually with partner Spero Pagos, for other vocalists or his own songs.
Musical career
Carroll was born in
Chicago in 1968. As a boy, he learned to sing while a member of his church choir. As a teenager, he was a fan of rock band Kiss, but became interested in house music when he attended a high school dance and spent time watching the DJ perform.
Carroll started performing as a DJ in the late 1980s in a club he himself opened. He released his first official record, "My Prayer", in 1993, a track produced by local producers Hula (from the
Outhere Brothers),
Kay Fingers and
Ron Trent.
In 1994, he got his first big break when he attended the Winter Music Conference in Miami. Still an unknown outside Chicago, Carroll walked up to Louie Vega, who gave him a chance to write the lyrics to Barbara Tucker's "I Get Lifted".
On the label, he also met Mazi Namvar, who introduced him to the European house scene. This allowed him to take part in the French house classics "My Love" (produced by Kluster) and "Lucky Star" (produced by Superfunk), both released in 2000. The following year, he opened his own label, Body Music Records. Carroll's activities as a singer in Europe brought him into contact with Dutch producers Hardsoul in 2003, for whom he wrote and sang in "Back Together", followed in 2004 by "What a Wonderful World" for Bob Sinclar and Axwell, a track that appeared on Sinclar's 2004 album Enjoy.
Carroll died from a heart attack on September 21, 2025, at the age of 57.[ Legendary Chicago vocalist and DJ Ron Carroll dies aged 57]
Discography
Albums
Singles
Ron Carroll
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1993 "My Prayer" (with Outhere Brothers, Kay Fingers and Ron Trent)
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1993 "A New Day" (with Hula and Kay Fingers)
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1995 "Pressing On"
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1999 "Gimme Love" (with Spero Pagos)
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1999 "Soundz" (with Spero Pagos)
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1999 "Stronger" (with Mazi Namvar)
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2001 "Angel"
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2001 "Get With Him" (with Church Is One Foundation)
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2001 "Take Me Up" (with E-Smoove)
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2002 "Live in Me"
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2002 "Natural"
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2002 "Can't Give Up" (with Shawn Christopher)
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2003 "Sexy Thing"
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2004 "Come Into My Life" (with Richard Grey)
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2004 "World of Love" ( With Bob Sinclar)
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2005 "Classical Moments In Time" (with Derrick May)
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2005 "The Only Way Is Up" (with Hoxton Whores)
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2006 "Just Got Paid"
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2006 "Weak", with Jjah
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2007 "Come Into My Life 2007" (with Richard Grey)
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2007 "All My Life" (with Leslie Oliver)
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2007 "The Nike Song"
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2010 "Lucky Star"
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2010 "In Love with a DJ" (with CeCe Peniston)
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2010 "Freak E.P."
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2013 "Bang Bang (Explode 3)" (with DS&F & Ceresia)
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2018 "It's You" (with Julien Scalzo)
RC Groove/RC Groove Project
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1998 "Sermon One EP", as RC Groove Project (with Mike Dunn)
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2000 "The Sermon", as RC Groove Project
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2001 "Nothin' But Funk", as RC Groove
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2001 "Brighter Day", as 'RC Groove Project
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2001 "The RC Groove Project #2", as RC Groove Project
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2002 "Strings", as RC Groove
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2002 "High Again", as RC Groove (with Darlene Jackson)
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2003 "Believe", as RC Groove Project (with Dawn Tallman)
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2003 "Spirit Of The Dance", as RC Groove
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2003 "Superfreaque Music", as RC Groove (with Dino Vulpitta)
Testament
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1999 "It Is Well"
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2000 "Work It Out" (with Spero Pagos)
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2000 "We Need Love" (with Robert Collado)
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2003 "Sun Is Shining"
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2005 "World Harmony"
Other aliases
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1998 "My Way", as Subculture (with Rick Garcia and Lejuan)
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1998 "Feel It, Move It, Shout It", as Ron Carroll's Black Pearl (with Paul Walton)
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2000 "Beautiful", as Ground Level (with Spero Pagos and Rheji)
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2000 "Got to Hold On", as Ministers Of Sound (with Spero Pagos and Paul Walton)
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2001 "Someday", as Ground Level (with Spero Pagos and Rheji)
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2001 "Can You Feel It", as Subculture (with Rick Garcia)
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2001 "Wait", as The RC Connection (with Mazi Namvar and Jackie Haywood)
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2002 "Deep in My Soul", as Shay Coco Butta (with Josh Collins)
Production
Appears on
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1993 Maurice Joshua - "Let The Music Set U Free"
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1996 Blak Beat Niks - "Ooohhh"
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1997 Michi Lange - "The Only Way Is Up"
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1998 DJ Pope - "Waymaker"
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1999 Rick Garcia - "Dancefloor"
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2000 Superfunk - "Lucky Star"
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2000 Kluster - "My Love"
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2000 Rick Garcia - "Dancefloor"
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2000 DJ Bam Bam - "Soundz"
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2002 Mazi Namvar - "Community"
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2002 Mazi Namvar - "This Feeling" (with Josh Collins)
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2003 Peter Presta - "Changes"
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2003 Hardsoul - "Back Together"
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2004 Bob Sinclar - "Wonderful World"
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2004 Superfunk Inc. - "Promised Land"
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2004 Superfunk Inc. - "Lover"
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2004 Bob Sinclar - "World of Love"
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2005 Mazi Namvar - "Vibes"
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2006 Hardsoul - "My Life" (with Sven Vigee)
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2007 Bob Sinclar - "Everybody Movin'" (with Mz Toni)
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2007 Audio Soul Project - "Community 2007"
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2008 Bob Sinclar & Axwell - "What a Wonderful World"
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2015 Dimitri Vangelis & Wyman - "Running"
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2016 Felicity - "Heaven"
External links
