Ronnie Earl does not just play the guitar. Instead, he breathes his life into the instrument to create a deep feeling of mind, body, and spirit delivered straight from the heart. From his fingertips, he is able to communicate a message and a belief. In terms of guitar playing, it is that very inner ability which separates the good from the greats. Ronnie Earl has clearly qualified to stand alongside the latter company.
Ronald Horvath was born in Queens, New York, on March 10th, 1953. While many six-string prodigies share stories of jamming alongside living legends while still in their teen years, his story is different; a musical career that began as a college student in Boston. Deriving inspiration from B.B. King and Muddy Waters amongst others, Ronnie became motivated with a deep-felt intensity that has yet to simmer. Eight plus years with local legends Roomful of Blues would subsequently provide the framework and experience for Horvath, who would soon become known to the music world as Ronnie Earl when the great Muddy Waters himself would call young Ronnie up on stage but could never remember his last name (instead naming him after blues slide guitarist Earl Hooker). It was those very musicians that ignited Ronnie’s passion for the blues, and his exposure to these legendary artists is an experience that Earl cherishes to this very day. “I’m from New York City, and we used to go to the Fillmore East a lot,” recalls Ronnie of those early days. “The first person I saw there was Richie Havens. I liked seeing him a lot. Then one night I saw B.B. and Albert King. All of a sudden I saw people with tuxedoes, a horn section, and this incredible guitar. After seeing B.B. King, I never thought that I could ever do anything like that.” As a student at Boston University, Ronnie was also exposed to some of the best musicians in the business. His expanded horizons would later shape the musician he is today. “In Boston, they had a place called the Jazz Workshop,” recalls Earl. “I was able to see George Benson there. And then they had Muddy Waters, with Louis Meyers, who was an incredible guitar player, and his band that included the late, great Pinetop Perkins, Buzz Jones, and Willie Smith.” It is Waters’ influence that Ronnie holds dear and provides the standard of his craft. “Muddy, to me, is like Mother Earth,” said Earl of Waters’ musical influence. “He is the core of the blues”.
Ronnie would graduate with a Bachelor’s Degree in Education and spend a brief time as a Teacher, working with special needs children. But it was music that became his true passion. Ronnie was quickly developing into one of the New England area’s finest young guitarists. The Speakeasy in Cambridge, Massachusetts became Ronnie’s workplace, providing him with the opportunity to be on stage with the likes of veteran blues greats Otis Rush and Big Walter Horton. The circle of area musicians soon expanded to the likes of Johnny Nicholas, Sugar Ray Norcia, Kim Wilson, Jimmie Vaughan, and his little brother Stevie Ray, who would soon carve out his own niche in the blues world. In 1979, Ronnie was asked to join Roomful of Blues, a ten-piece band based in Providence, Rhode Island area that featured some of the best talent in the New England area. Following in the footsteps of a local hero named Duke Robillard, Ronnie recognized the difficulties in following a musician of Robillard’s caliber in an established band. Over the course of the next eight years, young Ronnie would prove that he was certainly more than up to the challenge. “Frankly, I don’t think that anyone can replace Duke Robillard,” said Earl of his Roomful assignment. “He (Robillard) is a guitar genius; he is someone that can play all of those musical styles yet still has his own way of doing it. My hat is always off to him.” (Check out Robillard and Earl’s 2005 collaborative effort “The Duke Meets the Earl” for a true blues guitar experience). Earl is also quick to humbly establish the fact that the band was at a different level. “Roomful was a group of superior musicians who knew a lot more than I did when I came in,” said Earl of those years. “The horn players..Greg Piccolo; they were ahead of their time. They were retro before people knew what retro was.”
The Roomful of Blues experience would shape Ronnie’s life both personally and professionally. The combination of an unfamiliar environment, the nature of the industry, and the constant pressure of touring, traveling, and performing, would prove a toxic mix that would take its toll on Ronnie’s spirit. “My problem was that I got into drugs and alcohol,” said Earl of those early days with the band. “I started getting comfortable, but I was out of my element. I started hanging out with the wrong crowd, and it was the ‘80s. I got very addicted to cocaine and alcohol and medications.” It would take the life experience of another guitar great for Ronnie to realize that he would one day be able to overcome his own addictions. “When I was in Roomful, Stevie Ray (Vaughan) used to come down and play with us a lot,” recalls Earl. “A lot of people don’t realize that those bands (Roomful of Blues, Fabulous Thunderbirds) were very close. One time, we were at the old Lupo's, and Stevie had these backstage passes that said “Say No to Drugs”. He (Stevie Ray) had cleaned up. It was like a sign came to me; people are finding a different way to live.” Ronnie soon made the effort to move to a higher ground. And he has been there since. “In 1989, I got sober and I have been for 22 years,” said Earl of his experience. “And that’s my greatest accomplishment, far beyond anything musical.” Earl also credits that discipline for providing a positive influence on his music. “The 12 step program and a life of sobriety is always the same,” said Earl. “It’s a day at a time. And because of that, my music changed. And I found my music somehow.”
A now clean and sober Ronnie Earl would move forward to form his very own band, Ronnie Earl and The Broadcasters (named after the first Fender Telecaster guitar), and hit the road as an all instrumental blues group. The results spoke volumes of just how far Ronnie had progressed in overcoming his addictions. 1993’s “Still River” would forge the new sound and earn Ronnie and his band a strong following throughout the states and Europe. A string of strong recording efforts would follow. “Language of the Soul”, “Blues Guitar Virtuoso – Live in Europe”, and “Grateful Heart Blues and Ballads” would continue to earn the praises of audiences and the industry.
Most impressive about Ronnie Earl’s musical catalog is his ability to consistently create something fresh, delving deep into his encyclopedia of blues and jazz to produce an honest effort that can truly be appreciated by his audiences. His approach to writing in the studio provides that foundation. “I think for me it happens at home, with just me sitting around with the guitar”, explained Earl of the creative process. “Believe it or not, I still use cassette tape; I’m an old school person. I’ll record and send it to my piano player (Dave Limina) or my drummer (Lorne Entress) and I ask them to learn it. Then we have a rehearsal or two where we find some loosely-based structures. Then we go in the studio. The solos are all spontaneous. We may take another stab at it, but we keep everything very fresh in the studio, and we make most of the records in two days. Everything has to be from the heart.”
The current Broadcasters lineup consists of Dave Limina (Piano and Hammond B3), Jim Mouradian (Bass), and Lorne Entress (Drums). The band has worked together since 2003’s “I Feel Like Going On” (Stony Plain Records) and has continued to churn out creative efforts including the 2007 release “Hope Radio” (and subsequent DVD “The Hope Radio Sessions”. Ronnie Earl’s most recent recording effort, “Spread The Love”, will be featured during his upcoming tour dates. “I wouldn’t say we’re promoting (the album), but more like it’s our gift of music that we are trying to spread,” Earl explained. “For about 20 years, I was on the road with my band. But for the last 5 or 6 years, I’ve been settled home with my wife and just playing the New York/New England area. We’ve had many offers to go to Europe, but we’re enjoying playing around home. My wife is a School Teacher and I like seeing her every day if I can.”
Ronnie has now been clean and sober for 22 years now. When asked to describe his music, Earl does not hesitate with his response. “Spiritual,” Earl simply states. “ I just try to bring a lot of spiritual healing to the public. I try to have divine intentions with what I do musically with our band”.
Ronnie Earl is a two-time W.C. Handy Blues Award winner as Guitar Player of the Year. Ronnie Earl and the Broadcasters will visit the Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center in Old Saybrook, CT on Friday evening, May 13th. Check out www.katharinehepburntheater.org for ticket information or
www.ronnieearl.com for more on the music of Ronnie Earl and the Broadcasters.
RONNIE EARL DISCOGRAPHY
ROOMFUL OF BLUES:
• Hot Little Mama (1981)
• Eddie Cleanhead Vinson & Roomful of Blues (1982)
• Blues Train with Joe Turner (1984)
• Dressed Up To Get Messed Up (1986)
• Live At Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel (1986)
SOLO:
• Smokin’ (1983)
• They Call Me Mr. Earl (1984)
• Deep Blues (Compilation) (1985)
• Soul Searchin’ (1988)
• Peace of Mind (1990)
• I Like It When It Rains (1990)
• Surrounded By Love (1992)
• Test of Time (1992)
• Still River (1993)
• Language of the Soul (1994)
• Blues Guitar Virtuoso Live In Europe (1995)
• Blues and Forgiveness – Live In Europe (1995)
• Grateful Heart: Blues and Ballads (1996)
• Eye To Eye (1996)
• Play Big Blues (1997)
• The Colour of Love (1997)
• Healing Time (2000)
• Ronnie Earl and Friends (2001)
• I Feel Like Going On (2003)
• Now My Soul (2004)
• The Duke Meets The Earl (with Duke Robillard) (2005)
• Heart and Soul: The Best of Ronnie Earl (2006)
• Hope Radio (2007)
• Hope Radio DVD Sessions (2008))
• Living In The Light (2009)
• Spread The Love (2010)