Summer 2005 Edition
Carolyn Phillips, Editor in Chief
Ron Thompson’s Bluesletter
Summer 2005 Edition
Carolyn Phillips, Editor in Chief
FESTIVALS AND OTHER PERFMORMANCES!
Ron and His Resistors are excited to be playing a number of fun outdoor festivals
this year, including:
The San Francisco Blues Festival – Headlining!
Great Meadow at Fort Mason, San Francisco
September 25th @ 4:45 PM
With the Legends of Chicago Blues: James Cotton, Hubert Sumlin, Willie Big Eyes
Smith, Henry Gray, and Bob Stroger.
(Ron will be performing with these performers and without His Resistors.)
http://www.sfblues.com/
Comcast San Jose Jazz Festival – FREE!
Downtown San Jose
August 14th @ 3 PM
http://www.sanjosejazz.org/festival.html
Brownsville Blues Festival
Brownsville, CA
September 4th @ 3 PM
530/675-0195
Comcast Art & Soul Festival
Downtown Oakland
September 5th @ 12 PM
http://www.artandsouloakland.com/main/index.htm
Calistoga Downtown Blues Festival—FREE!
Washington Street (off Lincoln), Calistoga
August 27th @ 2:15 PM
http://www.calistogajazz.com/index_files/Page416.htm
DG’s
530 Main Street, Napa
September 3rd @ 9:00 PM
$7.00 Cover Charge
http://www.dgsjazz.com
The Torch Club
904 15th Street (between I and J streets), Sacramento
October 8th @ 9PM
http://www.torchclub.net/
Ron is playing all over the place these days, so be sure and check
the website to see when he is next appearing in your neck of the woods! It’s
also essential to check the website before you head out the door as gigs are
often changed or once in while—cancelled—at the last minute. http://www.rtblues.com/calendar.html
See the last page of the Bluesletter
for additional performances in August and September.
STILL RESISTING IS A SMASH HIT!
Our thanks go out to the many marvelous DJs who are giving heavy
radio airplay to Ron’s newest CD, Still Resisting, throughout the United
States, as well as in Canada, England, Germany, Australia, Belgium, Mexico,
Israel, New Zealand, Argentina, Denmark, the Virgin Islands, and even Croatia
and Poland! Still Resisting was a Spring “Top 15 Clicks to Pick”
on XM Bluesville satellite radio and is listed as Number 11 on Real Blues magazine’s
“Top 100 Releases of 2005.”
Real Blues magazine published a kickass review of Ron and Still Resisting:
http://www.rtblues.com/realblues.html
MUSIC FOR MADERA YOUTH!
Ron is pleased and proud to once again play at the Madera Breakfast Lions’ “Moonlight Madness” event on August 6, 2005. The Breakfast Lions will use proceeds from this event to fund the many worthy youth activities they support. They sent us a list of everything they underwrite, and frankly, the list is so long it would consume TWO Bluesletters if we chronicled everything they do!
Some of the many deserving activities and organizations the Lions subsidize are: Ear of the Lion (providing hearing services worldwide); Eye of the Lion (to date, the Lions have provided 12,000 pairs of glasses to many 3rd world countries!); Camperships Camp Pacifica (Camp for Hearing & Sight Impaired Boys & Girls); two high school Band Booster organizations; PACES (Arts in School); Madera Youth Soccer League; Campfire Girls and Boys; M.U.S.D. Math Team; and many, many more! If you have been thinking of going out to see Ron play, you couldn’t pick a better event to attend—extraordinary music for numerous cool causes!
Moonlight Madness
August 6, 2005
5PM - Midnight
Ron & His Resistors perform 9PM - Midnight
Sponsored by the Madera Breakfast Lions Club
Madera Fairgrounds
1850 West Cleveland Ave, Madera CA
Dinner, Cocktails, Auction
$10 (music only) and $25 (dinner included)
IF YOU’RE DOWN WITH THE BLUES THEN
GET DOWN WITH THE BLUES
Don and Susan Heflin and the Central Valley Blues Society have
been working non-stop since 2002 to promote blues in the Central Valley. Don
has his own band, Deja Blues, but sometimes fills in as a Resistor on bass guitar
with Ron (and we like it, we like it!). We would like to take a minute to thank
you, Don and Susan, for all you do! For a great article on Don and the Central
Valley Blues Society, visit:
http://maderatribune.com/news/newsview.asp?c=162896
IN MEMORIAM
DEREK MICHAEL “MIKE” SMITH
May 24, 1951—June 27, 2005
With deep sadness, Ron announces the recent death of his close friend, Mike Smith of San Francisco, due to complications from cancer. Mike was born in London, England, and moved to the United States in 1982, joining his brother Lenny, who had moved to the states in the 70’s. Mike, like Lenny, was an amazing guitar player, and performed in the English rock band, Sam Apple Pie. Mike was also a Resistor, performing bass duties for Ron from time to time, and played in many other bands as well. Lenny is Mike’s sole surviving near relative. However, Mike had many cousins, other relatives, and friends who will miss him enormously as well. A memorial service will be held Sunday, July 24th at 1 PM at Ashley & McMullen, 4200 Geary Blvd., San Francisco at 1PM. Mike’s life will be celebrated afterwards—just the way he would have wanted it, with music!— at the Blarney Stone Bar and Restaurant, 5625 Geary Blvd (at the corner of 21st Avenue), also in San Francisco.
From Ron: “Besides being a very close friend, Mike was a very talented bass and lead guitarist. In the 70’s, his band was declared ‘a great blues rock band’ by Peter Green. We will miss him.”
THANKS TO….
WOW! Ron has so much help out there and so many good friends, we can’t list them all. If you don’t see your name listed here, blame the Bluesletter editors, not Ron! Ron sends his gratitude to: Rene Solis, Bill Wax, Rudy and Abel Parris, Linda Maria, Darryl Angle, Peter Barnato, Lauri B. Ballard, Bob Hakins, Michael Fernandez, Bruce Latimer, Bill Brownell & Candy, Rick Nagle, Andan Lauber, Queenie Taylor, Johnnie Smith, Mick Martin, and Tom Mazzolini.
RON’S AUGUST/SEPTEMBER SCHEDULE
In addition to the performances listed at the beginning of the Bluesletter, Ron is appearing at the following:
AUGUST 2005
* Every Thursday – Porky’s, Fresno, 6pm
(unless otherwise noted)
6 Moonlight Madness Fundraiser
Breakfast Lions Club, Madera, 8pm
7 The Florence, Niles, 8pm
13 Private Party, Elk Grove
14 San Jose Jazz Festival, 3pm
22 The Hayward Bistro,
8pm
Duo with Mitch Moughon
24 Biscuits & Blues, SF, 8:30pm
27 Calistoga
Downtown Blues
Festival, 2:15pm
SEPTEMBER 2005
4 Brownsville Blues Festival, 3pm
5 Art & Soul Festival, Oakland, 12pm
9 JJ’s Blues Club, San Jose, 9pm
12 The Hayward Bistro,
8pm
Duo with Mitch Moughon
25 San Francisco Blues Festival,
4:45pm
With “Legends of Chicago Blues”
James Cotton and Ron sign autographs at the January 2005
Modesto Harmonica Blowout.
(Photo courtesy of Linda Maria)
OUR FAVORITE QUOTE OF THE YEAR:
"It took me an hour to calm down after arriving home from the Ron Thompson
show.”
--Anonymous 87 year-old woman who saw him at the Newman West Side Theatre in
June 2005.
© 2005 Ron Thompson