Higher prices hit decorated Chicago audio engineer's storage unit full of memories
CHICAGO (CBS) – Inflation -- the word seems like it's in every other headline these days.
Many of us feel it in our wallets.
The man you're about to meet feels it in his soul.
Morning Insider Lauren Victory explains the inflation situation of Ronny Rockin' G.
Ron Gresham showed up to our CBS 2 interview wearing full cowboy attire: the boots, the hat, the shiny buckle on his belt. It's an homage to his uncle, just one of the ways he honors his family since many of his memories with them are tucked away in boxes at a Public Storage facility on 95th Street in Chicago.
"The reason I got my stuff is storage is because my mom's got dementia," said Gresham who had his voice box removed so he communicates with a prosthesis.
He moved in with his mother to take care of her which meant packing away his belongings in 2013. They include sentimental items like a grammar school photo with his twin brother. When Gresham pulled it out for our camera, he was laughing. Then he started crying.
"These are tears of joy, because me and my brother go way back," Gresham said.
A lot of things in his storage unit "go way back" like Gresham's gold record award for his work on the "Super Bowl Shuffle" by the 1985 Chicago Bears.
It turns out, Gresham is a decorated audio engineer.
"I did a song called 'Water Runs Dry.' I mixed and produced this," said Gresham pointing to another award for his role creating the Boyz II Men song.
He also worked on records including an Earth, Wind & Fire album that he dusted off and showed us.
Back in his prime, the music industry called him "Ronny Rockin' G."
"Because I used to rock when I did your mixes," he said.
His music is more melancholy these days because his storage unit is getting too expensive especially as inflation affects the senior citizen's grocery bill.
"The green beans was 87 cents a can. Now they're $1.96 a can," said Gresham.
Public Storage is upping his tab by $52 a month – from $185 to $237. The company already allowed Gresham a month grace period to hold off on the higher payment after a friend called on his behalf.
"It's gonna force me to move or sell some of my stuff," said Gresham, who lives on disability and a small amount of money from his teaching job at Columbia College.
It's unclear if inflation is to blame for Ronny Rockin' G's increased storage rate.
CBS2 called and emailed several people at Public Storage to ask but no one got back to us.
Whatever the reason, Gresham says he can't afford to pay more since prices of everything else are going up too.