Ronnie Chastain was the last of six children born to Warren and Aileen Chastain on June 27, 1955. He was born in York, SC and raised in Gastonia, NC. Warren's meager income as a carpenter left Ronnie to inherit hand-me-down clothes from his brothers. Rising from humble beginnings, Ronnie came to support his family through hard work as a truck driver, auto mechanic and auto body repairman. His dream has always been to make a lucrative career out of his music.

Ronnie's musical influences were Flatt & Scruggs, J.D. Crowe and the Osborne Brothers. His father also picked banjo in a claw-style fashion and was the one who cracked the whip behind Ronnie as he learned to pick. Ronnie recalls that he was never allowed to play his father's banjo until one day, when he and his brother, Alan were sent into a room with the banjo and guitar and told to not come out until they had learned a song. After spending the day in the room, into the wee hours of the morning, and being fed food slid under the door, they emerged playing "Cripple Creek".

Ronnie developed a traditional "three-finger style" of banjo picking and his unique tenor vocals over the next few years. Along with his talent and his love for Bluegrass and Southern Gospel, Ronnie began performing at age 17. He played with several local groups around town and also did some studio work as a back up singer for some local acts. In 2000, Ronnie and his brothers, Alan and Odell formed a band they named "Shady Creek". They cut one CD (Sittin' On Top of the World) and played small local venues and also, some large festivals in TN. At the 2003 Cherokee Jamboree's Battle of the Bands, they met Jody Prince. It was then that they teamed up and formed The Shady Creek Outlaws. After the break-up of the OUTLAWS Ronnie decided to find pickers that were interested in ENTERTAINING and doing what the fans LOVE!

Ronnie is still chasing his dream. With the help of his brother and his newly found "BLUEGRASS family", Ronnie may be well on his way to realizing his dream.