Biography
After sharpening his skills alongside Little Joe Blue and John Lee Hooker, guitarist Ron Thompson stepped out on his own in 1980 by assembling the blues/roots-rock trio the Resisters. A 1990 Winner label release titled Just Like a Devil drew its tracks from Thompson’s guest spots on pianist Mark Naftalin’s Blue Monday Party radio broadcasts.
Oakland, California, served as Thompson’s birthplace and childhood home. He took up the guitar at age eleven and soon added slide technique to his arsenal. While still in his late teens he began performing slide guitar with Little Joe Blue. Roughly five years followed in which he worked Bay Area clubs both alone and as an accompanist. In 1975 John Lee Hooker invited Thompson into his backing unit, an offer the guitarist accepted. The ensuing three years with Hooker helped him build a national profile.
Thompson parted ways with Hooker in 1978. Two years after that he assembled his own group, the Resistors, and secured a deal with Takoma Records. His first album, Treat Her Like Gold, surfaced in 1983. Even after establishing a solo path, Thompson kept collaborating with artists such as Lowell Fulson, Etta James, and Big Mama Thornton. His second album, Resister Twister, arrived in 1987 and was followed not long after by Just Like a Devil. Through the remainder of the 1980s and into the 1990s he maintained an active stage presence, though new recordings appeared less often.
Oakland, California, served as Thompson’s birthplace and childhood home. He took up the guitar at age eleven and soon added slide technique to his arsenal. While still in his late teens he began performing slide guitar with Little Joe Blue. Roughly five years followed in which he worked Bay Area clubs both alone and as an accompanist. In 1975 John Lee Hooker invited Thompson into his backing unit, an offer the guitarist accepted. The ensuing three years with Hooker helped him build a national profile.
Thompson parted ways with Hooker in 1978. Two years after that he assembled his own group, the Resistors, and secured a deal with Takoma Records. His first album, Treat Her Like Gold, surfaced in 1983. Even after establishing a solo path, Thompson kept collaborating with artists such as Lowell Fulson, Etta James, and Big Mama Thornton. His second album, Resister Twister, arrived in 1987 and was followed not long after by Just Like a Devil. Through the remainder of the 1980s and into the 1990s he maintained an active stage presence, though new recordings appeared less often.
Albums
