Ron Meagher
His melodic, driving bass lines provided the essential backbone for the Beau Brummels' pioneering folk-rock sound.
Born 1941 (age 85)·American bassist·Birthday: October 2·The Silent Generation
Biography
Ron Meagher was part of the first wave of American rock to answer the British Invasion, not with imitation, but with a distinct, homegrown blend. As the bassist for the San Francisco-based Beau Brummels, his playing was less about flash and more about solid, melodic foundation, crucial for the group's jangly, folk-inflected sound. Alongside Sal Valentino's wistful vocals, Meagher's bass helped propel hits like 'Laugh, Laugh' and 'Just a Little,' which carved out a unique space on mid-60s radio. The Brummels were forerunners, setting a template for the psychedelic and folk-rock scenes that would soon explode from their own city. While the band's time in the spotlight was brief, Meagher's contribution remains etched into the grooves of those crisp, influential records, a key component in one of the era's most underappreciated acts.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
Ron was born in 1941, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Ron Was Born
The biggest hits of 1941
#1 Movie
Sergeant York
Best Picture
How Green Was My Valley
Ron's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1941Born
Pearl Harbor attack brings the US into WWII
Gas: $0.19/galHome: $3,060Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Chattanooga Choo Choo" — Glenn MillerBest Picture: How Green Was My Valley
1946Started school
United Nations holds its first General Assembly
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $5,150Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Prisoner of Love" — Perry ComoBest Picture: The Best Years of Our Lives
1954Became a teenager
Brown v. Board of Education desegregates US schools
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $8,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Little Things Mean a Lot" — Kitty KallenBest Picture: On the Waterfront
1957Could drive
Sputnik launches the Space Age
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $10,550Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"All Shook Up" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: The Bridge on the River Kwai
1959Could vote
Fidel Castro takes power in Cuba
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $12,400Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"The Battle of New Orleans" — Johnny HortonBest Picture: Ben-Hur
1962Turned 21
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1971Turned 30
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1981Turned 40
MTV launches; first Space Shuttle flight; AIDS identified
Gas: $1.31/galHome: $52,300Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Bette Davis Eyes" — Kim CarnesBest Picture: Chariots of Fire
1991Turned 50
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
Gas: $1.14/galHome: $82,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" — Bryan AdamsBest Picture: The Silence of the Lambs
2001Turned 60
September 11 attacks transform the world
Gas: $1.46/galHome: $126,400Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Hanging by a Moment" — LifehouseBest Picture: A Beautiful Mind
2011Turned 70
Osama bin Laden killed; Arab Spring sweeps the Middle East
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $138,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Rolling in the Deep" — AdeleBest Picture: The Artist
2021Turned 80
January 6 Capitol breach; COVID vaccines roll out globally
Gas: $3.01/galHome: $298,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Levitating" — Dua LipaBest Picture: CODA
2026Age 85 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Played bass on the Beau Brummels' hit singles 'Laugh, Laugh' and 'Just a Little.'
- Performed on the band's influential 1965 album 'Introducing the Beau Brummels,' a landmark of early folk-rock.
- Was a founding member of the group, which was one of the first American bands to respond to the British Invasion with original material.
Did You Know?
The Beau Brummels were the first American band signed to the primarily R&B label Autumn Records.
He left the music business for a time in the late 1960s and worked in the aerospace industry.
Meagher rejoined various reunions of the Beau Brummels in subsequent decades.
The band's name was inspired by the 18th-century English dandy Beau Brummell.
“We were a San Francisco band, and that sound was in the air we breathed.”
