:''This article refers to the musician. For the district attorney of Travis County, Texas, see Ronnie Earle.'' Ronnie Earl (born Ronald Horvath, March 10, 1953,

Queens Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

) is an American

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the ...

guitarist A guitarist (or a guitar player) is a person who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of guitar family instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themsel ...

and music instructor.

Career

Earl collected blues,

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

, rock and

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun '' soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest att ...

records while growing up. He studied American History at

C.W. Post College LIU Post (formally, the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University, and often referred to as C.W. Post) is a private university in Brookville, New York. It is the largest campus of the private Long Island University system. The campus is name ...

on Long Island for a year and a half, then moved to Boston to pursue a

Bachelor's Degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to si ...

in Special Education and Education at

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with its original cam ...

where he would graduate in 1975. He spent a short time teaching handicapped children. During his college years, he attended a

Muddy Waters McKinley Morganfield (April 4, 1913 April 30, 1983), known professionally as Muddy Waters, was an American blues singer and musician who was an important figure in the post- war blues scene, and is often cited as the "father of modern Chicag ...

concert at the Jazz Workshop in Boston. After seeing Waters perform, Earl took a serious interest in the guitar, which he had first picked up in 1973. His first job was as a

rhythm guitar In music performances, rhythm guitar is a technique and role that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with other instruments from the rhythm section (e.g., drum kit, bass guitar ...

ist at The Speakeasy, a blues club in

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston, ...

. In addition to playing in the Boston blues scene, Earl traveled twice by Greyhound Bus to Chicago, where he was introduced to the Chicago blues scene by

Koko Taylor Koko Taylor (born Cora Anna Walton, September 28, 1928 – June 3, 2009) was an American singer whose style encompassed Chicago blues, electric blues, rhythm and blues and soul blues. Sometimes called "The Queen of the Blues", she was known f ...

. Later he traveled to

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

and

Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...

, where he spent time with

Kim Wilson Kim Wilson (born January 6, 1951) is an American blues singer and harmonica player. He is best known as the lead vocalist and frontman for the Fabulous Thunderbirds on two hit songs of the 1980s, " Tuff Enuff" (which was the group's only Top 40 ...

Jimmie Vaughan Jimmie Vaughan (born March 20, 1951) is an American blues rock guitarist and singer based in Austin, Texas. He is the older brother of the late Texas blues guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan. Several notable blues guitarists have had a significant ...

and The

Fabulous Thunderbirds The Fabulous Thunderbirds are an American blues band formed in 1974. Career After performing for several years in the Austin, Texas blues scene, the band won a recording contract with Takoma/Chrysalis Records and later signed with Epic Recor ...

. In 1979, he joined the

band Band or BAND may refer to: Places *Bánd, a village in Hungary *Band, Iran, a village in Urmia County, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran * Band, Mureș, a commune in Romania *Band-e Majid Khan, a village in Bukan County, West Azerbaijan Province, I ...

Roomful of Blues as

lead guitar Lead guitar (also known as solo guitar) is a musical part for a guitar in which the guitarist plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs and chords within a song structure. The lead is the fe ...

ist. He began performing

solo Solo or SOLO may refer to: Arts and entertainment Comics * ''Solo'' (DC Comics), a DC comics series * Solo, a 1996 mini-series from Dark Horse Comics Characters * Han Solo, a ''Star Wars'' character * Jacen Solo, a Jedi in the non-canonical ''S ...

in 1986, in addition to playing with Roomful of Blues, and he released his first solo

album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records c ...

on the Black Top Records

label A label (as distinct from signage) is a piece of paper, plastic film, cloth, metal, or other material affixed to a container or product, on which is written or printed information or symbols about the product or item. Information printed ...

with a quartet that focused on blues

instrumental An instrumental is a recording normally without any vocals, although it might include some inarticulate vocals, such as shouted backup vocals in a big band setting. Through semantic widening, a broader sense of the word song may refer to inst ...

s. After leaving Roomful of Blues, he began collaborations with contemporaries

Ron Levy Ron Levy (born Reuvin Zev ben Yehoshua Ha Levi, May 29, 1951) is an American electric blues musician and composer. Levy was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. He primarily plays piano and organ. Levy grew up in Brookline, Massachu ...

Jerry Portnoy Jerry Portnoy (born November 25, 1943 in Evanston, Illinois, United States) is an American harmonica blues musician, who has toured with Muddy Waters and Eric Clapton. Biography Portnoy grew up in Chicago. He first heard the blues played outs ...

Earl King Earl Silas Johnson IV (February 7, 1934 – April 17, 2003),
known as Earl King, was an American singer, guit ...

Jimmy Rogers Jimmy Rogers (June 3, 1924December 19, 1997) was an American Chicago blues singer, guitarist and harmonica player, best known for his work as a member of Muddy Waters's band in the early 1950s. He also had a solo career and recorded several pop ...

, and

Jimmy Witherspoon James Witherspoon (August 8, 1920 – September 18, 1997) was an American jump blues singer. Early life, family and education Witherspoon was born in Gurdon, Arkansas. His father was a railroad worker who sang in local choirs, and his mot ...

. In 1984, Earl formed his own band which he called 'The Broadcasters'. The band was named after one of the first Fender guitars, distributed in 1950, which originally had been labeled The Broadcaster. The first group of Broadcasters included Darrell Nulisch (vocalist),

(harmonica), Steve Gomes (bass), and Per Hanson (drums). In 1988 they released their first album, ''Soul Searchin'', followed by ''Peace of Mind'' in 1990. Their album ''Language of the Soul'' was released in 1994. The lineup for the Broadcasters for that album was Bruce Katz (keyboards), Per Hanson (drums) and "Rocket" Rod Carey (bass). The next album ''The Colour of Love'', featured Marc Quinones (percussion) and

Gregg Allman Gregory LeNoir Allman (December 8, 1947 – May 27, 2017) was an American musician, singer and songwriter. He was known for performing in the Allman Brothers Band. Allman grew up with an interest in rhythm and blues music, and the Allman ...

(keyboards). The latter association led to Ronnie Earl and the Broadcasters' opening for the Allman Brothers Band at Great Woods, and to Warren Haynes (guitarist for the Allman Brothers Band) sitting in with Ronnie Earl and the Broadcasters at Johnnie D's in Somerville. Later, Katz joined the Gregg Allman Band. In 2000, Earl was diagnosed with several medical ailments, and scaled back his touring, and also re-evaluated his career plans. In 2002, Earl gathered together a new group of Broadcasters and began a productive and creative partnership with Stony Plain Records of

Edmonton Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city an ...

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest T ...

, Canada. The new Broadcasters were Jim Mouradian (bass), Dave Limina (piano, Hammond B3), and Lorne Entress (drums). In 2014, Diane Blue (vocals) joined the band as a full time Broadcaster and became the first female Broadcaster. In August 2016, Lorne Entress left to work on other projects and, in January 2017, Jim Mouradian died suddenly after a show. The current group of Broadcasters (2018) now include Dave Limina (piano, Hammond B3), Diane Blue (vocals), Forrest Padgett (drums), and Paul Kochanski (bass). In 2017, Ronnie Earl and the Broadcasters released ''The Luckiest Man'', his eleventh release from

Stony Plain Records Stony Plain Records is a Canadian independent record label, which specializes in roots music genres such as country, folk, and blues. The label has released more than 300 albums. History Stony Plain was founded by Holger Petersen and Alvin Ja ...

. In October 2018, Ronnie Earl and the Broadcasters celebrated thirty years as a band. Earl is a four-time (1997, 1999, 2014, 2018)

Blues Music Award The Blues Music Awards, formerly known as the W. C. Handy Awards (or "The Handys"), are awards presented by the Blues Foundation, a non-profit organization set up to foster blues heritage. The awards were originally named in honor of W. C. Hand ...

winner as Guitar Player of the Year. For five years he was an

Associate Professor Associate professor is an academic title with two principal meanings: in the North American system and that of the ''Commonwealth system''. Overview In the '' North American system'', used in the United States and many other countries, it is ...

of Guitar at

Berklee College of Music Berklee College of Music is a private music college in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern American music, it also offers college-level cours ...

and, in 1995, he released ''Ronnie Earl: Blues Guitar with Soul'', an instructional VHS tape for Arlen Roth's Hot Licks Video that was then re-released in DVD format in 2005. Earl was also the blues instructor at the 'National Guitar Summer Workshop'. In early 2004, Earl's "Hey Jose" was named Best Blues/R&B Song at the third annual Independent Music Awards. Earl frequently plays both scheduled and impromptu sessions at the Bull Run Tavern in

Shirley, Massachusetts Shirley is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is approximately thirty miles west-northwest of Boston. The population was 7,431 at the 2020 census. The town has a well-preserved historic New England town center. It is ho ...

, either on the main stage in the ballroom, or sitting in with visiting bands and performers in the tap room. He plays an annual birthday show at the Bull Run every March. In February 2022, Ronnie Earl and the Broadcasters released the album, ''Mercy Me''. It is their 26th studio album, and 14th with Sony Plain Records.

Discography

Roomful of Blues

1980–1988

Ronnie Earl and the Broadcasters

Studio albums

*1983 ''Smokin' '' *1984 ''They Call Me Mr. Earl'' *1986 ''I Like It When It Rains'' *1988 ''Soul Searching'' *1990 ''Peace of Mind'' *1991 ''Surrounded by Love'' *1993 ''Still River'' *1994 ''Language of the Soul'' *1995 ''Grateful Heart: Blues and Ballads'' *1996 ''Eye to Eye'' -with

Pinetop Perkins Joe Willie "Pinetop" Perkins (July 7, 1913 – March 21, 2011) was an American blues pianist. He played with some of the most influential blues and rock-and-roll performers of his time and received numerous honors, including a Grammy Life ...

*1997 ''The Colour of Love'' *2000 ''Healing Time'' *2001 ''Ronnie Earl and Friends'' *2003 ''I Feel Like Goin' On'' *2004 ''Now My Soul'' *2005 ''The Duke Meets the Earl'' -with Duke Robillard *2007 ''Hope Radio'' *2009 ''Living in the Light'' *2010 ''Spread the Love'' *2014 ''Good News'' *2015 ''Father's Day'' *2016 ''Maxwell Street'' *2017 ''The Luckiest Man'' *2019 ''Beyond The Blue Door'' *2020 ''Rise Up'' *2022 Mercy Me

Live albums

*1995 ''Blues Guitar Virtuoso – Live in Europe'' (note: ''Blues and Forgiveness'' is the same album) *2013 ''Just for Today''

Compilations

*1985 ''Deep Blues'' *1992 ''Test of Time: A Retrospective'' *1997 ''Plays Big Blues'' *2006 ''Heart and Soul: The Best of Ronnie Earl''

Guest appearances

Ronnie Earl has appeared as a guest on over 40 albums and projects. With

* ''Jimmy Rogers with Ronnie Earl and the Broadcasters'' (Bullseye, 1994) With

Big Joe Turner Joseph Vernon "Big Joe" Turner Jr. (May 18, 1911 – November 24, 1985) was an American singer from Kansas City, Missouri. According to songwriter Doc Pomus, "Rock and roll would have never happened without him." His greatest fame was due to ...

* ''Blues Train'' (Muse, 1983) -with special guest:

Dr. John Malcolm John Rebennack Jr. (November 20, 1941 – June 6, 2019), better known by his stage name Dr. John, was an American singer and songwriter. His music encompassed New Orleans blues, jazz, funk, and R&B. Active as a session musician from ...

With

Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson (born Edward L. Vinson Jr.; December 18, 1917 – July 2, 1988) was an American jump blues, jazz, bebop and R&B alto saxophonist and blues shouter. He was nicknamed Cleanhead after an incident in which his hair was a ...

* '' Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson & Roomful of Blues'' (Muse, 1982)

DVDs

*2001 ''Blues Guitar with Soul'' *2008 ''Hope Radio Sessions''

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Earl, Ronnie 1953 births Living people American blues guitarists American male guitarists People from Queens, New York Boston University School of Education alumni Black Top Records artists Contemporary blues musicians Independent Music Awards winners 20th-century American guitarists 20th-century American male musicians Stony Plain Records artists Verve Records artists Telarc Records artists Rounder Records artists