Ronnie Milsap in the Southern Quote

His autobiography reads, “I was born virtually blind and into poverty, abandoned by my mother, and placed in the custody of strangers by the age of six.” That day at the Governor Morehead School for the Blind in Raleigh, North Carolina, the little boy whose mother thought his blindness was a curse from God, lay on a small mat in a strange place and cried for hours. He describes that day as his closest brush with self-pity. It was an emotion he would train himself to resist.

Over the next thirteen years the school tortured his emotions through ruthless discipline and deprivation while simultaneously offering him a ticket to another life through the study of classical music. After he took to the piano and the violin, the staff labeled him a virtuoso and increased his instruction. Childhood pleasures were rare. The young boy took joy in the music his fingers produced and found refuge in the songs on the radio.

While it wasn’t easy and it didn’t happen overnight, years later a grown-up Ronnie Milsap took those experiences and his God-given talent and became a country music superstar. He credits divine intervention, strict discipline and his insatiable will power. Among Ronnie’s many industry awards are six Grammy’s, six Billboard awards, and eight CMA’s. He has enjoyed forty #1 singles and sold over 23,000,000 records. His smooth and soulful voice continues to delight fans everywhere during his entertaining stage show. I once had the great privilege of meeting Mr. Milsap in person after one of his concerts. He was truly as charming off stage as on. I hope we can all learn from the challenge in today’s southern quote. For Ronnie Milsap once said,

“They say love will find a way. I know determination will.”