He’s going to surprise you July 11.

By Colin W. Sargent

We look forward to hearing you at the North Atlantic Blues Festival in Rockland on July 11. You know you’ll be ducking seagulls because you’ll be playing on the public landing. Any other considerations?
Not really. Enthusiastic crowds. That’s all I plan for.

Have you ever thought of coming to your performance in Maine by train?
No—we’re usually in a bus or a van or flying. One time after playing at the Blues Festival in Maine, I finished my gig and we started driving south to a show in Nantasket, near Hull, Massachusetts. On the way we caught a flat. Luckily my bus had dual wheels in back. I got the flat fixed. Two miles later we caught another flat. I knew I was going to be late to play at The C Note in Nantasket Beach. I had to call my manager. How could I tell him I’d had two flats? I could just hear him: Sure, Ronnie. If you don’t want to do the show, just tell me. I drove from Maine to Nantasket on three wheels.
By the time we got there, a quarter of the people had left. I said, “Just let me play for the people who are here—for free.” Some of them I see later still remember that night. We tried to make it count.

See the full story in the digital magazine above.