Ron Thompson (blues guitarist)
Encyclopedia
Ron Thompson is an American
electric blues
and blues rock guitarist, singer and songwriter. Thompson has released seven albums since 1983 on labels including Blind Pig
. He has worked with Little Joe Blue
, John Lee Hooker
, Lowell Fulson
, Etta James
and Big Mama Thornton
.
Thompson commented on his preferred style, "blues is like a medicine, or religion to me, it'll cleanse your soul". Meanwhile, Mick Fleetwood
stated, "Ron Thompson is my favorite guitarist".
, United States
, and had mastered basic guitar and slide guitar
techniques by his mid-teens. He was educated at Newark Memorial High School
, in Newark, California
. In the early 1970s, Thompson played backing to Little Joe Blue
, and worked solo and as a sideman
in San Francisco Bay Area
clubs
. He joined John Lee Hooker
's backing band in 1975, staying with him for three years. In 1980, Thompson formed his own group, the Resisters, and secured a recording contract
with Takoma Records
. He played at the San Francisco Blues Festival
in 1978, 1979 and 1983.
In 1983, he released his debut album
, Treat Her Like Gold. Thompson also found employment separately working with Lowell Fulson
, Etta James
and Big Mama Thornton
. Thompson's second album Resister Twister was released in 1987 and nominated for a Grammy Award
, plus 1990's Just Like a Devil, was taken from his work on Mark Naftalin
's Blue Monday Party radio show.
Thompson's 2007 album, Resonator was a purely acoustic
production.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
electric blues
Electric blues
Electric blues is a type of blues music distinguished by the amplification of the guitar, bass guitar, drums, and often the harmonica. Pioneered in the 1930s, it emerged as a genre in Chicago in the 1940s. It was taken up in many areas of America leading to the development of regional subgenres...
and blues rock guitarist, singer and songwriter. Thompson has released seven albums since 1983 on labels including Blind Pig
Blind Pig Records
Blind Pig Records is an American blues record label.Blind Pig was formed in 1977 in Ann Arbor, Michigan by Jerry Del Giudice, owner of the Blind Pig Cafe, and his friend Edward Chmelewski. The label is now based in San Francisco...
. He has worked with Little Joe Blue
Little Joe Blue
Little Joe Blue was an American blues singer, and guitarist.-Career:Born Joseph Valery, Jr. in Vicksburg, Mississippi, his music were heavily influenced by the work of Louis Jordan, Joe Liggins, and B. B. King...
, John Lee Hooker
John Lee Hooker
John Lee Hooker was an American blues singer-songwriter and guitarist.Hooker began his life as the son of a sharecropper, William Hooker, and rose to prominence performing his own unique style of what was originally closest to Delta blues. He developed a 'talking blues' style that was his trademark...
, Lowell Fulson
Lowell Fulson
Lowell Fulson was a big-voiced blues guitarist and songwriter, in the West Coast blues tradition. Fulson was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He also recorded for business reasons as Lowell Fullsom and Lowell Fulsom...
, Etta James
Etta James
Etta James is an American blues, soul, rhythm and blues , rock and roll, gospel and jazz singer. In the 1950s and 1960s, she had her biggest success as a blues and R&B singer...
and Big Mama Thornton
Big Mama Thornton
Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton was an American rhythm and blues singer and songwriter. She was the first to record the hit song "Hound Dog" in 1952. The song was #1 on the Billboard R&B charts for seven weeks in 1953. The B-side was "They Call Me Big Mama," and the single sold almost two million...
.
Thompson commented on his preferred style, "blues is like a medicine, or religion to me, it'll cleanse your soul". Meanwhile, Mick Fleetwood
Mick Fleetwood
Michael John Kells "Mick" Fleetwood is a British musician and actor best known for his role as the drummer and namesake of the blues/rock and roll band Fleetwood Mac. His surname, combined with that of John McVie, was the inspiration for the name of the originally Peter Green-led Fleetwood Mac...
stated, "Ron Thompson is my favorite guitarist".
Life and career
Thompson was born in Oakland, CaliforniaOakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and had mastered basic guitar and slide guitar
Slide guitar
Slide guitar or bottleneck guitar is a particular method or technique for playing the guitar. The term slide refers to the motion of the slide against the strings, while bottleneck refers to the original material of choice for such slides: the necks of glass bottles...
techniques by his mid-teens. He was educated at Newark Memorial High School
Newark Memorial High School
Newark Memorial High School is a comprehensive high school in Newark, California. It is located to the southeast of Newark's business district, between I-880 and San Francisco Bay.- History :...
, in Newark, California
Newark, California
Newark is a city in Alameda County, California, United States. It was incorporated as a city in September 1955. Newark is an enclave, completely surrounded by the city of Fremont. Its population was 42,573 at the 2010 census.-Geography:...
. In the early 1970s, Thompson played backing to Little Joe Blue
Little Joe Blue
Little Joe Blue was an American blues singer, and guitarist.-Career:Born Joseph Valery, Jr. in Vicksburg, Mississippi, his music were heavily influenced by the work of Louis Jordan, Joe Liggins, and B. B. King...
, and worked solo and as a sideman
Sideman
A sideman is a professional musician who is hired to perform or record with a group of which he or she is not a regular member. They often tour with solo acts as well as bands and jazz ensembles. Sidemen are generally required to be adaptable to many different styles of music, and so able to fit...
in San Francisco Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
clubs
Nightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
. He joined John Lee Hooker
John Lee Hooker
John Lee Hooker was an American blues singer-songwriter and guitarist.Hooker began his life as the son of a sharecropper, William Hooker, and rose to prominence performing his own unique style of what was originally closest to Delta blues. He developed a 'talking blues' style that was his trademark...
's backing band in 1975, staying with him for three years. In 1980, Thompson formed his own group, the Resisters, and secured a recording contract
Recording contract
A recording contract is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist , where the artist makes a record for the label to sell and promote...
with Takoma Records
Takoma Records
Takoma Records was a small but influential record label founded by John Fahey in the late 1950s.. It was named after Fahey's hometown, the Washington, D.C. suburb of Takoma Park, Maryland.-History:...
. He played at the San Francisco Blues Festival
San Francisco Blues Festival
Debuting in 1973, the San Francisco Blues Festival is the longest running blues festival in the United States. Tom Mazzolini, the event's producer, founded the blues festival to educate the public about the history and evolution of the blues...
in 1978, 1979 and 1983.
In 1983, he released his debut album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
, Treat Her Like Gold. Thompson also found employment separately working with Lowell Fulson
Lowell Fulson
Lowell Fulson was a big-voiced blues guitarist and songwriter, in the West Coast blues tradition. Fulson was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He also recorded for business reasons as Lowell Fullsom and Lowell Fulsom...
, Etta James
Etta James
Etta James is an American blues, soul, rhythm and blues , rock and roll, gospel and jazz singer. In the 1950s and 1960s, she had her biggest success as a blues and R&B singer...
and Big Mama Thornton
Big Mama Thornton
Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton was an American rhythm and blues singer and songwriter. She was the first to record the hit song "Hound Dog" in 1952. The song was #1 on the Billboard R&B charts for seven weeks in 1953. The B-side was "They Call Me Big Mama," and the single sold almost two million...
. Thompson's second album Resister Twister was released in 1987 and nominated for a Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
, plus 1990's Just Like a Devil, was taken from his work on Mark Naftalin
Mark Naftalin
Mark Naftalin is an American blues keyboardist, composer, and record producer.-Life:Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, Naftalin is the son of former Minneapolis mayor Arthur Naftalin; he is married to third wife Ellen Naftalin...
's Blue Monday Party radio show.
Thompson's 2007 album, Resonator was a purely acoustic
Acoustic music
Acoustic music comprises music that solely or primarily uses instruments which produce sound through entirely acoustic means, as opposed to electric or electronic means...
production.
Discography
| Year | Title | Record label |
|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Treat Her Like Gold | Takoma Takoma Records Takoma Records was a small but influential record label founded by John Fahey in the late 1950s.. It was named after Fahey's hometown, the Washington, D.C. suburb of Takoma Park, Maryland.-History:... |
| 1987 | Resister Twister | Blind Pig Blind Pig Records Blind Pig Records is an American blues record label.Blind Pig was formed in 1977 in Ann Arbor, Michigan by Jerry Del Giudice, owner of the Blind Pig Cafe, and his friend Edward Chmelewski. The label is now based in San Francisco... |
| 1990 | Just Like a Devil | Winner |
| 1998 | Magic Touch | Poore Boy |
| 2003 | Just Pickin | Acrobat Acrobat Records Acrobat Records is the independent record label of American songwriter Matt Nathanson formed in 1993.... |
| 2004 | Still Resisting | Poore Boy |
| 2007 | Resonator | 32-20 |