Ron Thompson To Perform At Blues On Grand In Des Moines

Press release for the upcoming Ron Thompson Show at the mighty BOG

RHYTHM AND BLUES LEGEND
RON THOMPSON
TO PERFORM IN DES MOINES!

Nationally acclaimed rhythm and blues legend Ron Thompson and his band The Resistors will appear at Blues on Grand on Friday, June 6^th, at 9:30 PM. Blues on Grand is located at 1501 Grand Avenue, Des Moines. For more information, call 515.244.3092.

Ron Thompson was honored last fall by the City of San Francisco for his decades of musical contributions to the community and to the world at large. A few days after Barry Bonds got "his day" in The City for breaking the all-time baseball home run record, San Francisco celebrated its own musical home run king, Ron Thompson. By official proclamation of Mayor Gavin Newsom, September 5, 2007, was declared Ron Thompson Day in San Francisco.

Just recently, Thompson was also honored by the City of San Jose during its week-long San Jose Blues Week. Thompson was formally presented with the award by Mayor Chuck Reed during the Metro Fountain Blues Festival on May 10th.

Ron Thompson is a celebrated guitarist and vocalist who was nominated for a Grammy for his album “Resistor Twister.” Thompson has received countless awards and accolades, including Real Blues magazine’s Best Live West Coast Blues Act, Best West Coast Blues Slide Guitarist, and Best West Coast Blues Guitarist/Modern.

Besides touring as band leader with John Lee Hooker for seven years, Thompson has played with Big Mama Thornton, Sonny Rhodes, Luther Tucker, Jimmy McCracklin, Pee Wee Crayton, Carla Thomas, Percy Mayfield, Etta James, B.B. King, Jimmy Reed, Booker T. Jones, and countless others.

Tom Mazzolini, founder and producer of the San Francisco Blues Festival, the longest running blues festival in the United States, said, “I’ve always felt Ron is the most talented blues guitarist I’ve ever seen. He can do it all. He’s extraordinarily gifted. What many folks aren’t aware of is that Ron was a huge asset in the re-emergence of John Lee Hooker—he was the foundation for that boogie sound.”

Thompson performed extensively in 2007, including a summer tour with Chris Isaak; two shows with Bruce Willis; a week on the Legendary Rhythm and Blues Cruise last October with such musical VIPs as Taj Mahal and Elvin Bishop; and he headlined a number of festivals throughout the nation as well.

Thompson headlined the 40^th Anniversary of the Summer of Love Concert in Golden Gate Park last September, sharing the bill with legends such as Jefferson Starship, Canned Heat, Jesse Colin Young, and many others. A two hour documentary of the concert, which began with Thompson's sizzling performance, was aired in the San Francisco Bay Area recently, and will soon be nationally syndicated.

Ron is headlining several blues festivals around the nation in 2008, and will be performing in Des Moines as part of his Summer Midwest Tour. Thompson will be touring Europe in Fall 2008.