RON BOUTWELL: A Farewell to the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll Merchandise

Ron was born on January 3, 1942 in Woburn, MA, and died in his home in Ashland, OR with Kate by his side. They were married for 53 years. Ron was the youngest of four sons born to Margaret J. (Hansen) Preston and Clinton E. Boutwell.

Always ambitious and outgoing, Ron became a DJ in the early 1960s, after graduating from the Don Martin School of Broadcasting. He also worked as a writer both at CBS, and in the Communications Office while in the Army. Over the years he was known to radio listeners variously as “Ron Statler,” “Charlie Brown,” and lastly as “Ron Matthews” at KBOY in Medford, where he hosted the morning show with Bill Meyer in the 1990s.

Ron was perhaps best known for transforming the rock-n-roll merchandising industry in the 1970s, by pioneering the selling of branded T-shirts, and managing merchandise sales for artists such as KISS, The Police, Metallica, Slayer, Bobby Sherman, Elton John, Queen, Yngwie Malmsteen, Exodus, Anthrax, The Go-Go’s, Talking Heads, The Osmond Brothers, Steve Earle, The Clash, Barry Manilow, Barry White, U2, The English Beat and numerous other legendary rock-and-roll acts. Posters stating produced by Boutwell, Inc. on the bottom right corner hung proudly in the homes of millions. Ron’s pins adorned the jackets and vests of generations of music fans!

After retiring from radio in the early 2000s, Ron brought his exceptional creativity and business acumen to Oregon’s rodeo scene, and built a highly successful rodeo-themed merchandising business from scratch, which his daughters carry on to this day.

Ron will be terribly missed by his loving family, including his surviving brother Richard and family in VA, and his five grandchildren, Elsa, Evelyn, Rubi, Anders and Soren. Ron was a surrogate father to many, a relentless joker, a great storyteller, an incorrigible giver of inappropriate advice, and an unforgettable character to all who met him.