iven the extent of his musical background -- from the relatively primitive Montana plains of an early twentieth-century America to a highly sophisticated Asian tradition -- Ron was able to draw from a remarkably diverse background. Case in point: when composing music for a country western band aboard the Apollo, he recounted the following adventure to a member of that band. A nationally known barnstormer in his youth, Ron landed on a farmer’s field to refuel. Drawn by the strains of fiddles and banjos, he came upon a country barn dance. At which point, it struck him that these spirited, rural musicians were actually imitating the calls of their barnyard live stock. Meanwhile, their dances were imitations of the animals’ movements. “And that,” explained the band member, “was what sparked our truly authentic country western sound.”