Mark Hummel wished he could have gathered his musical comrades to salute and honor the late Ron Thompson a year ago after the late guitar virtuoso died Feb. 15, 2020.
Still, there was no way the harmonica wizard wasn’t going to produce a fundraiser for his longtime friend once COVID-19 restrictions were lifted.
So, on Saturday, July 31, Hummel and at least 20 others pay tribute to one of the Bay Area’s most acclaimed musicians in a concert at the Empress Theatre in downtown Vallejo.
“The primary reason is that we never got a chance to do it,” Hummel said.
Thompson died from diabetes-related complications. He was 66.
Though Thompson lived in Hayward and Marin County most of his life, the Empress is ideally located for Thompson’s fans from around the Bay Area, Hummel said, adding that the thought was to present the postponed concert this past February, “but we were scared to do it because we didn’t think things would be opened up and we were right.”
Thompson was a “real mainstay” in Bay Area music from the 1970s on, Hummel said.
“Ron was a super hot act,” Hummel said, speculating that Thompson “would have had a really hard time” if he survived into the pandemic.
“Most musicians are all about playing and Ron definitely was all about playing,” Hummel said.
It was a special time for the two when Thompson returned to the East Bay after a stint in Madera.
“The most fun I had with Ron was driving him to and from gigs,” Hummel said. “It was a gabfest about blues people. That was always a fun thing with Ron. And he loved to go to swap meets. He’d find these harmonica albums for me for 10 cents,” Hummel said.
“Ron was a character and he had this absurd sense of humor,” Hummel added.
Hummel met Thompson in 1974 when Hummel arrived in the Bay Area from Southern California.
“He was the first authentic-sounding blues guy I met when I moved here,” Hummel said. “Ron opened the doors for me.”
Ron Thompson & The Resistors debuted on the album, “Treat Her Like Gold” in 1983 followed by “Resistor Twister,” which earned a Grammy nomination.
Thompson played a number of different instruments, including mandolin, harmonica and piano, and was also an accomplished singer. Yet, he was at his best on the guitar.
“It was rare to meet a kindred spirit of traditional blues,” Hummel said. “He turned me on to where to go to meet other blues people.”
Hummel described Thompson’s personality as “pretty wired. That’s the best way to describe him. He was very enthusiastic. That’s why we hit it off.”
Most of the tops names in blues coming through in the 1970s secured Thompson & The Resistors, from Jimmy Reed to Big Mama Thorton and T-Bone Walker.
“He had the trio and he really knew the music so well,” Hummel said. “All these older guys were enthralled with him. People were knocked out. His reputation really preceded him.”
Hummel said most of those booked originally for the memorial remain in the lineup, including Lady Bianca, Mitch Woods, Junior Watson, Vallejo’s Steve Freund, Rusty Zinn, Gary Smith, Andy Santana, and Terry Hanck. Angela Strehli has been added and there is also one “special guest,” Hummel said.
“The show’s lookin’ pretty damn good. I think we’ve got a solid lineup,” Hummel said. “I think it’s the biggest live blues show to come along since things opened up.”
Hummel checked the list of musicians.
“The cool thing about this lineup is that almost every individual is an old friend of Ron’s,” said Hummel, happy to take whatever proceeds from the door for MusiCares and the Alameda County Food Bank.
Though doing most of the legwork, Hummel said he fully intends to enjoy the tribute.
“It’ll be a blast,” he said. “We’re celebrating Ron’s legacy and the music that he loved.”
Memorial Concert for Ron Thompson, July 31, 6 p.m., Empress Theatre, 330 Virginia St., Vallejo. Performers include Angela Strehli, Bianca, Mitch Woods, Junior Watson, Steve Freund, Rusty Zinn, Franck Goldwasser, Gary Smith, Mark Hummel, Dave Earl, Neil Barnes, Andy Santana, Bob Welsh, Sid Morris, Kevin Zuffi, Randy Bermudes, Henry Oden, AJ Joyce, June Core, Gary Silva, Larry Vann, Terry Hanck.
Proceeds go to Music Cares (the Grammy Foundation’s arm of musician support) and Alameda Food Bank.empresstheatre.org.
