Ron S. Peno

Ron S. Peno
Photo by Tony Mott
Background information
Birth name	Ronald Stephen Peno
Also known as	Ron S. Peno
Born	(1955-07-26)26 July 1955 Boggabri, New South Wales, Australia
Origin	NSW, Australia
Died	11 August 2023(2023-08-11) (aged 68) Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Genres	Punk rock alternative rock
Occupations	Performer singer songwriter
Instrument	Vocals
Years active	1973–2023
Labels	Citadel Sony
Formerly of	Uncle Mils The Frozen Stiffs Hellcats The Screaming Tribesmen The 31st Died Pretty Noises And Other Voices The Darling Downs Ron S. Peno and the Superstitions
Spouse	Biba Charity Peno

Ronald Stephen Peno'^[1] (26 July 1955 – 11 August 2023), who also performed as Ron S. Peno and Ronnie Pop, was an Australian rock singer and songwriter who fronted Died Pretty from 1983 to 2002. Before that, he was a member of the punk band The Hellcats (1976–77),^[2] followed by hard rock band The 31st (in Brisbane, 1979–81)^[3] and The Screaming Tribesmen (1981). In his later years, after relocating to Melbourne, Peno formed the alt-country duo The Darling Downs with Kim Salmon and finally his own band, Ron S. Peno & The Superstitions which he co-founded with Cam Butler.^[1]

Prior to forming Died Pretty (1983-2023), Peno was founder and frontman of punk band The Hellcats (1976-1977),^[4] followed by hard rock band The 31st (1979-1981)^[5] and a brief stint with The Screaming Tribesmen (1981).

After settling in Melbourne in 2003, Peno formed the alt-country duo The Darling Downs with Kim Salmon. During this time he worked on several other collaborative projects including experimental electronica album Noises and Other Voices with Died Pretty guitarist Brett Myers; as well as writing and recording with Melbourne outfits Black Pony Express; Penny Ikinger; and Black Cab, before forming Ron S. Peno & The Superstitions.