Ronald Franklin Asheton (July 17, 1948 – c. January 6, 2009) was an American musician , who was best known as the guitarist, bassist, and co-songwriter for the rock band the Stooges. He formed the Stooges along with Iggy Pop and his brother, drummer Scott Asheton, and bassist Dave Alexander. Asheton, once ranked as number 29 on Rolling Stone's list of 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time, is currently (as of December 2015) ranked at number 60. Early life Ronald Franklin Asheton was born July 17, 1948, in Washington, D.C. He described his household as heavily musical, and described his family as his first big musical influence. His first instrument was a violin which was given by his mother, he was then gifted an accordion at age 5, of which he practiced more seriously with. At age 10 he took up both guitar and bass which ultimately took the majority of his practice time and interest. He described himself as a child different compared to others kids his age, as a majority of kids that lived in his area were more interested in sports and physical activities, while he spent his time listening to music and practicing on guitar and bass. When he was 13, the family relocated to Ann Arbor, Michigan. He and his brother Scott attended Pioneer High School. He played with some local bands including the Prime Movers and The Chosen Few (briefly overlapping with James Williamson, later of the Stooges). He met Iggy Pop soon after and they formed the hard rock band the Stooges. Like his father who was a Marine, Ron had a strong interest in military history, including a controversial albeit apolitical obsession with collecting Nazi memorabilia. The Stooges By 1967, Asheton was jamming with his brother Scott and friend Dave Alexander. They were soon joined by James "Iggy" Osterberg who remembered Asheton from the Chosen Few. The "Psychedelic Stooges" played their first show Halloween 1967. In 1968 they were signed to Elektra Records along with MC5 by Danny Fields. He played guitar on and wrote most of the music for their first two albums, debut album The Stooges (1969) and Fun House (1970). Shortly after recording Fun House, a second guitarist was added to the band, initially former roadie Bill Cheatham, who was shortly thereafter replaced by James Williamson. Infighting between Asheton and Williamson, whom he saw as usurping his role as