Hawaiian-born drummer Ron Lee went from performing in clubs at Lake Tahoe to preaching as an ordained Presbyterian minister in China Grove, NC.



Ron Lee’s childhood home in Hawaii was filled with musical instruments, thanks to his musician father.



In high school, Ron Lee played drums with the band Linda Green and the Tempos, a group that stood out by playing standards while other bands were doing rock n’ roll. They were selected as one of the top bands in Hawaii in a contest judged by Sophie Tucker. This led to radio airplay, a contract with Reprise Records, and the honor of opening for big acts that came through. So 15-year-old Ron Lee found himself sharing the stage with the Kinks, Herman’s Hermits, the Righteous Brothers and Jan and Dean.



At graduation, Ron Lee was awarded a music scholarship to San Francisco Conservatory where he met his first wife. The couple moved to Los Angeles, and Ron Lee transferred to University of Southern California.



Some of his teachers at USC were also studio musicians. He accompanied his teachers to studios where he got to observe conducting legends like John Williams and Jerry Goldsmith. At the same time, Ron Lee was working clubs in LA and Vegas.



That led to a regular job as percussionist in the 39-piece house band for a club at Lake Tahoe, backing up Neil Sedaka, John Davidson, John Denver, Tony Orlando, and Bernadette Peters, to name just a few.



Ron’s marriage came to an end. He took a job playing in bands on cruise ships, sailing the globe. He performed for the Princess Cruise Lines’ corporate restaurant. It was around this time he met Margie, who worked in real estate development. Then when Ron returned home for his father’s funeral, he reconnected with Margie, who had moved to Hawaii. They got married in 1989.



In the 1990s, Ron spent five years as the drummer for Don Ho, including playing on his popular TV show.



In 1997, the Lees moved to Charlotte where Margie’s brother lived so she could be closer to her aging parents in her hometown of Savannah, Ga. Ron got a job with the house band at Swing 1000 club in Charlotte. A couple years later they moved to Raleigh for Margie’s new job. Ron attended computer school, which led to a new career working at IBM. He was still performing gigs in the evenings.



Ron Lee nowadays works as a Presbyterian minister in China Grove, NC.