Biscuits and Blues to Host Local Blues Legend

Ron Thompson with several of his guitars (from his Facebook announcement)

With only days away from Lavay Smith’s gig at the Biscuits and Blues club, I thought it might be appropriate to pass on information about a major local blues artist who will be appearing there next month. Born in Oakland on July 5, 1953, Ron Thompson is a master of the full gamut of blues guitar techniques. Prior to forming his own group, the Resisters, in 1980, he spent seven years leading John Lee Hooker’s backing band. On September 5, 2007, then Mayor Gavin Newsom declared the day to be “Ron Thomson Day in San Francisco.” Because his event page on the Blues and Biscuits Web site says nothing about a backup group, there is a good chance that this will be a solo performance, which tends to be a good thing, since solo work provides the best opportunities for individual expressiveness in what may be the most expressive of our indigenous art forms.

Thompson’s visit to Biscuits and Blues will take place on Sunday, July 8, meaning that, for all intents and purposes, this gig will be his 65th birthday party! He will give two shows starting at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m., respectively. The venue is located at 401 Mason Street, on the northwest corner of Geary Street, one block west of Union Square. The place is a supper club, so reservations are usually made for dinner and a show. Those reservations are handled by OpenTable, but they may be made through the aforementioned event page for this evening. Tickets for each of the shows will be $20.