Ronald LaPread

Ronald LaPread (4 September 1950 – 30 May 2026; Tuskegee, Alabama) was a bass guitarist who came to prominence as a founding member of the American funk and soul band the Commodores.
 

Early Life

LaPread met his future bandmates as one of a group of mostly freshmen at the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama in 1968, where the ensemble first came together, initially performing under the names the Mystics and then the Blue Jays before settling on the Commodores.

The group won the college's talent contest and began working its way up through fraternity parties before eventually landing opening slots for the Jackson 5.

Career

The Commodores signed to Motown Records in 1972, and LaPread spent sixteen years as the band's bassist, from 1970 to 1986, appearing on eleven of the group's albums. His bass lines anchored some of the era's most recognisable recordings, including the instrumental "Machine Gun," which reached number 22 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1975 and went on to become a staple at American sporting events and in films including Boogie Nights and Looking for Mr. Goodbar, as well as "Slippery When Wet," "Sweet Love," "Just to Be Close to You," "Zoom," "Brick House," "Three Times a Lady," which reached number one in 1978, "Sail On," "Still," another number one, "Oh No" and "Lady (You Bring Me Up)."

As a songwriter, LaPread was a credited co-writer on "Brick House," alongside his bandmates, and co-wrote "Zoom" with Lionel Richie; the latter was inspired by the illness and death of his first wife, Kathy Faye LaPread, to whom the group's 1977 self-titled album was dedicated. The group also appeared in the 1978 film Thank God It's Friday, performing "Too Hot ta Trot" during the film's dance contest, while "Brick House" and "Easy" featured elsewhere in the soundtrack.

During LaPread's tenure, the Commodores also recorded "Nightshift," a Grammy Award-winning tribute to Marvin Gaye and Jackie Wilson that became one of the group's final major hits of the era.

In total, LaPread played on ten top ten singles with the band before leaving in 1986 to relocate to Auckland, New Zealand. In 2025, he rejoined the Commodores on stage during a stop of their Australia and New Zealand tour in Auckland, marking a rare reunion performance with his former bandmates.

Personal Life

LaPread lived quietly in Auckland, New Zealand, for four decades following his departure from the Commodores. He was the father of Soraya LaPread, a music producer, who announced his death publicly.

Reflecting on fame in a recent interview, LaPread remarked that public figures "are human and they are fallible," cautioning against the "fictitious life" that celebrity can create. He died in Auckland on 30 May 2026, following a sudden medical event, at the age of 75; his death was marked with tributes from the Commodores, who called him "a phenomenal musician, an accomplished songwriter, and a vital part of the Commodores' sound and success," as well as from Tuskegee's mayor, Chris Lee. LaPread is remembered as a foundational architect of the Commodores' groove-driven sound during the band's most successful era.