People tasked with having to describe Ronnie Earl invariably note his passion. It’s worth repeating because it’s true. For his 40-year career as a blues musician, Ronnie has transfixed audiences with his distinct brand of emotion-laden blues. Still today, each time he performs he gives his audiences his all and shoots for the moon. Ronnie Earl is a four-time Blues Music Award winner as “Guitar Player of the Year,” and a world-renowned composer and musician. Most of his 26 albums have included chart-toppers and best-sellers and he continues to be a crowd favourite at music festivals to this day.

Following the immensely successful Beyond the Blue Door album released in 2019, Ronnie continues to perform with his outstanding band The Broadcasters on his latest release: Rise Up. Scheduled to be released on Sept 11, 2020 by Stony Plain Records, Rise Up contains songs written and recorded just as the COVID19 quarantine was winding up. The majority of the album, recorded in The Living Room Sessions in Ronnie’s home, are filled with songs that remind us of the comfort brought by family and community.

Ronnie Earl has always believed in the power of music to heal the mind and spirit, and the 15 tracks on this new disc demonstrate that implicitly. Rise Up confirms Earl’s status as one of the most soulful blues/soul/jazz guitarists working today and as Gregg Grella reminds us, “Ronnie Earl continues to play elegant guitar.”

Over a 45-year career as one of the world’s top blues musicians, Ronnie Earl has transfixed audiences with his distinct sound of emotion-laden blues. On his own and with his band The Broadcasters, Ronnie is a four-time Blues Music Award winner as “Guitar Player of the Year,” with 28 albums and multiple chart-topping compositions in his catalogue.

Ronnie sets the songs of this album into context with a quote from Rev Dr Martin Luther King Jr prominently placed in the album art: “The Blues tell the story of life’s difficulties, and if you think for a moment, you will realize that they take the hardest realities of life and put them into music, only to come out with some new hope or sense of triumph.”

These 12 songs present triumphant Blues - uplifting and hopeful songs that point to a better tomorrow, including “Soul Searching,” “A Prayer for Tomorrow,” “The Sun Shines Brightly” and “Your Love Keeps Lifting Me Higher And Higher.” Celebrating artists who have contributed to the theme of hope, Mercy Me includes “Blues for Ruthie Foster,” “Blues for Duke Robillard” and “Dave’s Groove” (co-written with Dave Limina).