Ronald LaPread

Ronald LaPread was a bass guitarist who came to prominence as a founding member of the American funk and soul band the Commodores. He met his future bandmates as one of a group of mostly freshmen at the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama in 1968. 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. The Commodores signed to Motown Records in 1972, and LaPread spent 16 years as the band’s bassist, appearing on 11 of the group’s albums. His bass lines anchored some of the era’s most popular recordings including,” among others, Machine Gun,” “Easy,” “Zoom,” “Brick House,” “Three Times a Lady,” “Sail On,” “Still,” 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. 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. Ronald LaPread passed away on May 30, 2026.