by Ron Hevener
“The world is a better place when things around us are beautiful,” he says. “At the museum, during those lively conversations among the professors, they said the real value of art—paintings, sculpture, music, books, dance—is what it stimulates us to feel and think about, which, in turn, is what drives us to whatever we do. So, be very careful what you paint, sculpt, sing, write or dance!”
A little-known influence on the young adventurer was Broadway producer David Merrick (Hello, Dolly!) who wrote to him frequently. Hevener’s long engagement to Broadway musical star Kim Criswell led to friendships with many of the entertainment world’s movers and shakers both in the United States and abroad. Hevener, himself, has recorded well over one hundred songs played in nightclubs, on the radio, at sporting events and charted by Billboard. Within the industry he is known for his reluctance to perform in concert except in theaters of the 1930s and 1940s Golden Age of Hollywood showing movies he considers worthwhile. These movies, introduced by his signature motto, “On with the Show!” follow his concerts to the delight of audiences whom he personally meets after every performance.
Because of his creative independence, Hevener has never had to record anything he didn’t like, and his hesitancy to work with anyone he doesn’t trust has been called obsessive. Originally discovered by RCA, he did not like the music being produced at that time and he did not sing for ten years. When composers began writing songs for him that he liked, he was discovered again by a German business consultant for British Motors and the company offered to include Hevener’s songs with every new car they sold worldwide. A dispute surrounding Hevener’s romantic life ended their management agreement and Hevener was signed by an independent record label in Philadelphia. He remained loyal to that company until the death of its producer, Bolden Abrams, Jr. He never got over Abrams’ death, but signed with another company and found himself being courted by EMI France. Hevener’s producers have included Bolden Abrams, Jr. (Coffee and Cream Music Company), Joey Welz (Caprice International Records), Maxine Bochnia (RMB Music), Col. John & Kathryn Hunt and Ross Care (CareSounds). He is currently signed to Canadian-American Records. “I always felt it’s the song that matters,” he says. “And part of me is still looking for that song.”
Fiercely protective of his privacy, Hevener knows how easy it is for people to be slandered in public and how rarely the laws protecting us are enforced. “We see people in the news and we rush to judgment so fast,” he says. “We criticize. We laugh and humiliate them without honestly knowing how fragile their lives might be or what the truth of a story really is. It takes years to build a life, and only minutes for a mean-spirited stranger to ruin it. Working on Brotherhood of Gold made me see a need for more compassionate guidelines when it comes to rumors, bullying and slander that can destroy a person’s life—by anonymous people clicking on a keyboard as if they have a right to do it.”
Character assassination is almost a national pastime and Ron Hevener knows it isn’t restricted to celebrities in the news. “I will always remember something that happened when I was growing up,” he says. “I lived in a small town and there was a new kid in school. Bob was different than the rest of us. He was smarter, for one thing, and he came from somewhere in New England, so he talked differently, too. I remember how sure he was about what he wanted to do with his life and what he wanted to be: A doctor. And I remember he wore glasses. One day after gym class, when our coach stepped outside, a bunch of the athletes cornered Bob. Pretty soon, a whole gang—decent kids I had known my whole life—were dragging Bob into the gym. Those kids hanged him by a rope until his face was on fire, his eyes were popping and his glasses fell off. I had never seen such a thing. The rest of us didn’t know what to do. Somebody started yelling that the coach was on his way back. It wasn’t true, but it worked. They took Bob down from that rope fast. What I will always remember most happened a few minutes later. Everybody hurried to English class and took their seats. There we were, sitting at our desks and smelling fresh from our showers. In walked Bob, without saying a word and not looking at any of us. Somehow he made it through that class, but I don’t know how. I don’t know how any of us did, really. I sat there wondering if anyone would believe those good-smelling students in English class smiling so nice for Miss Watkins had just tried killing my friend only a few minutes before. Bob left school after that and I never saw him again,” Hevener says. “It was my first look at mob mentality and I didn’t like it.”
Years later, taking notes and risking his own reputation for his beliefs, Hevener saw the chance to make a difference. “It was tough,” he says, “but I ended up hearing from people all over the world. They told me their stories. They poured their hearts out to me and I was listening. Brotherhood of Gold is what came of it.”
Today, Ron Hevener is considered an authority on the need for common sense, perspective and restraint when it comes to publicly accusing anyone of just about anything. He is an advocate for creative achievement and he endorses organizations protecting animal enterprises from overbearing regulation and harassment of any kind. He supports charities teaching underprivileged communities how to feed themselves through agriculture and he is represented by a respected, international team of attorneys in his work to make a difference in laws protecting our right to privacy.
Hevener is married to the world-renowned Arabian horse breeder, judge and big-time animal lover Adelia Audi, who managed one of the world’s most prestigious Arabian horse farms ever known. Together, their interests include genetics, literature, fashion, art, music, antiques and international business. “What happens in life can break you or it can make you,” he says. “Only you can decide how it’s going to be.”
www.RonHevener.com