Ronnie Earl
Hears Some Good News in Memphis at the Blues Music Awards;
New CD for
Stony Plain Records Set for Release on June 17
EDMONTON, AB – Ronnie Earl, “The Stratocaster Master,” got
some great news in Memphis last week when he was named as Best Guitarist at the
35th annual Blues Music Awards, and then proceeded to put a prominent
exclamation point on that accolade with an absolutely mesmerizing live
performance that saw him joined by Kim Wilson, Bob Margolin and Dave Keller,
resulting in a standing ovation. Now, the multiple Blues Music Award-winner has
some more Good News to share with his legion of fans around the
world via the June 17 release by Stony Plain Records of his latest tour de force
CD.
On Good News, Ronnie Earl is joined once again
by The Broadcasters (Lorne Entress – drums, Dave Limina – keyboards and Jim
Mouradian – bass), his band of over 25 years, to create a mostly instrumental CD
of spellbinding intensity and deep soul that will add to his growing collection
of landmark albums. Produced by Earl and recorded at Wellspring Sound in Acton
Mass., Good News also includes special guest Diane Blue, whose
captivatingly soulful vocals add further power to several of the tracks, as well
as guitarists Nicholas Tabarias and Zach Zunis.
Good News is Earl’s eighth album for Stony
Plain Records, and it clearly demonstrates, once again, the deep respect and
knowledge he has for his peers and mentors. Along with a majority of original
songs, Ronnie salutes several of his influences with loving interpretations of
Sam Cooke’s “Change Is Gonna Come;” “Blues for Henry,” a tune co-written with
the legendary Hubert Sumlin; and the Junior Wells composition, “In the Wee
Hours.” The album’s closer, “Runnin’ in Peace,” features lyrics written by Ilana
Katz Katz, who was near the finish line of the Boston Marathon when the first
bomb exploded on April 15, 2013.
The new album’s title celebrates Sam
Cooke's album, Ain't That Good News, released 50 years ago
in 1964. After having been
arrested down South in 1963 he was inspired to write the song, “Change is Gonna
Come,” which he recorded in 1964. He later appeared on The Tonight Show days
before the Beatles were on The Ed Sullivan Show. Cooke was shot and killed at
the end of 1964, and the song “Change is Gonna Come,” became a rallying cry for
the civil rights movement.
Ronnie
Earl has been part of the music scene for many years. Deeply inspired by Muddy
Waters, T-Bone Walker and Otis Rush, he started playing guitar in the mid-1970s.
He formed his own band The Broadcasters in 1988. Along the way, he went on to
tour the world with The Allman Brothers Band, Santana, and playing festivals
with Ray Charles, B.B. King and Etta James.
“My greatest love in
music is the blues; this is my ‘mother music,’” he says. “And I dig deep — I
have no choice; playing, for me, is a very emotional experience. I put every
particle of my soul into it. I’m just trying to get into peoples’ souls and
reach their humanity.”
Ronnie Earl and The Broadcasters are
booked exclusively world-wide by Ted Kurland Associates (www.tedkurland.com). For more information, visit
www.ronnieearl.com and www.stonyplainrecords.com.
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