-Talkin' Blues With Ron Thompson
Blues is in an awkward state right now.
For one thing, there aren't many good original blues artist out at the moment.
Sure there are tons of "blues cover bands" who effortlessly bore you by plowing through the 12 bars song after song, weekend after weekend, with no feeling or emotion--no connection to the their audiences.
But what happened to the SOUL in a live blues show?
The kind of blues that would mix gospel and/or (real)
r & b vocals with guitar, pounding piano, rhythmic backbeat in an exciting stage performance?
It is so much better to see a live show when the performer actually puts some feeling into it.
The kind of show where YOU can actually catch the vibe off of what the performer is putting forth.
These days most of the current blues artists I've seen aren't really feeling what they are doing.
They're just going through the motions--painting by numbers, in a sense.
Do we really need another sad and soul-less rendition of "Mustang Sally"?
It was so refreshing for me to have finally seen a current blues artist who incorporates soul and emotion along with an invigorating stage presence that you can definitely feel when your watching him.
The legendary Ron Thompson has wowed audiences all over California since the early 1970's with his brand of high energy rhythm & blues.
You can sense the passion for the music in Thompson's voice as he simultaneously brings soulful singing, amazing guitar work and top notch harmonica and piano playing to the table.
The living legend took time out to chat with
Souls & Sounds about real blues and more!
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San Francisco Bay Area native Ron Thompson was influenced by his moms piano playing early on, which in turn gave him the idea to take the same route.
"I'm a piano player at heart. When I was a little kid, about 5, I used to love Fats Domino! I still do in fact...and Little Richard," says Thompson.
Soon he developed a liking for different styles of blues in the vain of Jimmy Reed, John Lee Hooker and Elmoore James.
"Those guys are who really influenced me to pick up a guitar and start playing," says Thompson.
In the early 70's Ron began performing in several nightclubs throughout the East Bay and soon found himself recording with and playing alongside some of his biggest influences among other top names.
Over the years he has performed with Jimmy Reed, The Vaughn Brothers (Stevie Ray & Jimmy), John Lee Hooker, Big Mama Thornton, Sonny Rhodes, Luther Tucker, Jimmy McCracklin, Pee Wee Crayton, Carla Thomas, School Boy Cleve, Percy Mayfield, Etta James and B.B. King. Just to name a few!
After witnessing a Ron Thompson performance, Mick Fleetwood (drummer of Fleetwood Mac) was so taken up by the quality of Ron's live show that the two met, collaborated and formed the side project, The Blue Whale, in the 1990's.
"Lord above, this guy
is really happening!"
- Mick Fleetwood
His energetic performances and exquisite guitar, piano and harmonica playing quickly gained him a following and critical acclaim.
“With one 12-bar solo guitar chorus, Thompson can and does turn any size audience into a cheering, ebullient rooting section for the blues.”
- San Francisco Examer
"A mind-boggling talent"
- Guitar Magazine
During the 1990's, Thompson ventured outside of the bay area and spent some time living in Los Angeles and Madera.
"The only thing I didn't like about Los Angeles was the traffic. The traffic was terrible! Everything else was fine. I really liked it. The blues scene down there is alot slicker than the bay area's. Alot slicker," says Thompson.
Ron also took a liking to Madera which then became his valley connection and he soon began doing shows at spots all over the city and Fresno.
He currently takes the drive down to Fresno once a week to perform at Porky's Rib House every Thursday night.
According to Ron, "I love that crowd! The people are friendly over there and they really have a good time. I always look forward to doing the show every week."
And Thompson knows a thing or two about developing a connection with the audience as opposed to just going through the motions.
When asked about the many blues cover bands out there that don't seem to be feeling the music, Ron replied, "that's the business side of it. When you see a band like that, you know they're just doing it for the money. But you have to get that fire going. You know, get the thing going! You don't get that too much when you "paint by numbers". I don't want to talk bad about anyone. But I'll tell ya, I've seen some stuff out there that's BAD man....I mean reeeally boring! It's like ahh man...you know?"
Although he loves the blues, Ron also has an open mind for several types of music.
"I listen to alot of stuff. I can't be like they used to be, when they used to say 'that Elvis ain't going no where or 'those Beatles ain't going no where'. I still listen to Jimmy Reed and John Lee Hooker. But I also listen to reggae, old country western, even hip hop. Actually, my favorite rapper is Too Short. I remember buying his stuff when he used to sell cd's out of the trunk of his car!"
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Ron is currently working on his forthcoming solo album and is also in the process of completing an essentials cd compiling all of his greatest hits. Keep a look out!
**You can catch the energetic, invigorating and soulful performance of Ron Thompson LIVE every Thursday night from 6pm-9pm at:
Porky's Rib House
719 E Barstow
Fresno, CA
(Corner of Barstow & First)
