Cover photo © 2025 Joseph A. Rosen
When most bands perform, the audience’s attention naturally focuses on the singer, the one communicating the message of the song. So, it’s rare when a non-singing musician has an audience so spellbound that they would remain entranced even if every song was an instrumental. Ronnie Earl is such a musician. He doesn’t showcase dazzling speed or display tricks, like playing behind his back. Instead, he transfixes us with his clean and beautiful tone, the emotive space between the notes, and his undeniable soul. Ronnie communicates so well through his guitar that he doesn’t need to sing a single word. His gift is so rare it led to the audience at one festival giving him four different standing ovations before he was even close to the end of his set.
Ronnie was born Ronald Horvath in Queens, NY. He took the name Earl in 1971, in honor of slide guitarist, Earl Hooker. Other inspirations for him were Otis Rush, BB King, Magic Sam and Robert Lockwood. He always had a love of music but focused first on completing his bachelor’s degree in special education from Boston University. He briefly taught handicapped children before joining Roomful of Blues and becoming a full-time musician. However, he has always continued to teach and inspire others.
“I was a professor at Berklee College of Music. Some of my students went on to become very wonderful musicians. I like to pass it on, like the old-timers passed it on to me.”
Ronnie enjoyed volunteering to bring his music to those who might not otherwise hear it, through programs such as blues-in-the-schools, and visits to nursing homes and prisons.
“I became a volunteer. I think it’s wonderful and it’s very important. It’s one of the best things I’ve ever done. Going to the prisons was very heart-warming. It felt like I was really doing some good.”
Ronnie joined Roomful of Blues in 1979, but in 1984 he formed his band, The Broadcasters (named after one of the first Fender guitars, the precursor to the Telecaster). There have been numerous iterations of The Broadcasters, but most recently the band has included a wonderful singer named Diane Blue. Ronnie was asked how they met.
”I went to this little coffee house, and she was there with a guitar player, and I ended up sitting in. I loved her from the very beginning. She started coming to my shows, and I had her sit in. One day I said I wanted her with me all of the time. What struck me was her ability to sing anything, from Sam Cooke to blues. She has a natural voice, a beautiful voice. And she is just a wonderful, wonderful person.”
In 2023, Joe Bonamassa released his album, “Blues Deluxe: Volume 2”. As a highly accomplished songwriter, Bonamassa rarely covers the work of others, but for this album he chose to include his cover of a song Ronnie co-wrote, “I Want to Shout About it”. Bonamassa has been noted in prior interviews to say that he first heard Ronnie play back in 1990 and found his sound to be “clean and larger than life…Ronnie plays in the classic blues style of T-Bone Walker and BB King, relying on a very clean tone.” Ronnie noted that he was “quite flattered” that Bonamassa made the choice to include the song.
In 2025, Ronnie collaborated with Rory Block, known as one of the greatest living acoustic blues musicians. Ronnie played guitar on “Walking the Back Streets” for her album Heavy on the Blues. Ronnie was enthusiastic about this partnership, stating, “I just love Rory’s music. I thought our music complimented each other very well.”
In 2024, Ronnie released the book Beautiful Child: The Life of Blues Guitarist Ronnie Earl in Technicolour. Written by manager and longtime friend, Rev. Debbie Blanchard, the book includes stories that were told to her by Ronnie as well as many stories from family, friends and musicians who have played with him. The book has earned 4.25 stars (out of 5) on Goodreads. When asked about it, Ronnie was, as usual, quite humble about it, simply noting that he was pleased because “everybody tells me that they really enjoyed it”.
One clear theme in the book is the loving energy others see in Ronnie. He has been noted to say that he tries to stay very optimistic and positive in all he does. He was asked how he manages to maintain a positive attitude with such depressing world events occurring on nearly a daily basis.
“I try to wear the world as a loose garment. I still have to have my joy, so I keep the news at bay, so to speak.”
One expression of that loving positivity was Ronnie’s role at an important fundraiser for Phil Pemberton, former singer of Roomful of Blues, who is struggling with numerous serious medical conditions. Also present was Duke Robillard, who founded Roomful of Blues but left the band in 1979. The fundraiser was called “Roomful of Love”.
“The benefit was a really nice thing. There were a lot of people playing and Duke and I got to play together. That doesn’t happen very often! It was just a good soulful vibe.”
Another way that Ronnie tries to spread positivity is by speaking openly about his mental health issues and substance dependence in an effort to lessen the stigma for those who might seek treatment. He has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and diabetes and is now more than 35 years sober after a long history of abusing many different types of substances. He generously shared his story for the book Blues Therapy (by Schlank & Benoit), in which many blues musicians discussed their mental health/substance abuse issues and shared the role the blues has played in their healing. He shared even more details in his book, Beautiful Child, and takes every opportunity to try to promote a message of healing to others.
“It’s important because there are an awful lot of ads for drinking on TV, and a lot of ads for gambling. You find out, like I found out, that maybe it’s all fun in the beginning, but it could really wreak havoc on your life and your family. I’m 36-1/2 years sober and that’s the most important thing in my life. That, and God, and my family. I’ve never had a relapse. I always stayed close to my sobriety. As far as my bipolar disorder. I’m fine for the most part. I still have bouts of it and don’t ever know when it’s going to come. But I take medicine and feel pretty good most of the time.”
After suffering some medical complications, Ronnie has cut way back on his touring.
I’m kind of semi-retired now. I had some health issues, and I don’t travel as well as I used to. Pretty much now I just play in New England, but that suits me. I traveled the world for forty years, so now I’m happy when we get an opportunity to play and I’m happy when I get to be home. I still get out and do little shows for people close to the house, but I’m not seeking to travel anymore. I feel that, looking back on it, it was kind of a bit of a race. It was almost competitive with the bigger agencies I was on. It is nice to not have that pressure anymore.
Although it seems that musicians rarely seem to have time to listen to new artists, Ronnie was asked if there were any relative “newcomers” about whom he was excited. It’s not surprising he mentioned a band known for their pure and emotive style.
“The Cash Box Kings. They sound really good, but I haven’t yet seen them live. I’d really like the opportunity to see the Cash Box Kings perform live!”
Ronnie continues to inspire young guitarists, and the influence of his clean, emotive style can be seen in young virtuosos, such as Gabe Stillman and Jad Tariq. Jad discussed what he appreciated about Ronnie’s work:
“Ronnie Earl plays with an unmatched sense of flow. He’s able to continuously pull ideas out of his head and onto the fretboard in real time and does so with a seemingly endless amount of creative inspiration. He is an improviser in the purest sense. He isn’t just recycling licks and tricks. He’s actually composing on the spot.”
And Gabe Stillman noted the influence Ronnie had and still has on his work and presentation:
“The first time I met Ronnie Earl was in 2019. A bunch of us were hanging out in Memphis talking like we do, and I was peppering my comments with some colorful language. Ronnie grabbed my hand and softly said, ‘don’t curse; you’re a gentleman.’ I’ll never forget it. Ronnie pours every ounce of himself into his guitar. He is the epitome of authenticity and sincerity. His playing is not just blues licks; whether blistering, whiplashing, incinerating guitar glory or soft, soothing whispers, you can feel Ronnie’s caring for each and every note. I am always striving to be the gentleman that Ronnie Earl saw that day. For me, Ronnie is the REAL gentleman.”
When asked if he had any advice for young artists, Ronnie jokingly answered, “yeah—get a lawyer!” He elaborated, stating that he believes young artists often get into trouble by signing with record companies too quickly.
“Sometimes they are just not being cognizant—just being young and foolish and wanting instant results. They think, ‘I’m on a label! I’m on a label!’ They should try to learn from the people who came before them. And for those who might be finding it difficult to stay sober, I say practice the program, stay close to God, and stay close to others in recovery.”
Recently an AI survey question appeared on Facebook asking, “What tips do you have for playing like Ronnie Earl?” A few of the responses beautifully reflected the reverence musicians have for his work. Robert Aguayo wrote “Tell someone how you feel using the notes on the guitar. When you’re doing it, think of nothing else.” And Rhandy Simmons poetically noted, “Play every note like it was the last note that God was going to let you play!”
Ronnie Earl may be semi-retired, but his positive influence will continue to be felt by those in the blues world. And, nothing stops us from making road trips to places like Jimmy’s Jazz and Blues in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, or the Iron Horse in Northampton, Massachusetts, where he still plays. You can find out more about Ronnie Earl at www.ronnieearl.com, and you can purchase the book Beautiful Child on Amazon.
