RON HACKER & THE HACKSAWS

Burnin’

Blue Skunk Music

By Geoff Trubow

Ron Hacker came into the blues by way of juvenile detention during his misspent youth in the ‘50s. Caught breaking into parking meters, the 11-year-old spent time in juvie hall with blues lovin’ counselors who turned him onto records by Howlin’ Wolf, Elmore James, Muddy Waters and more. But it wasn’t until Hacker was 27 that he picked up the guitar and taught himself to play the blues. A close friendship with blues mandolin legend, the late Yank Rachell, gave Hacker deep insight into Delta blues.  Over the years, Hacker has developed a powerful slide guitar style that has taken him around the world to perform at major blues festivals.

 On Burnin’, the singer/songwriter/guitarist is backed by only bass and drums. Naturally, when a white blues guitarist leads and is part of a trio, inevitable comparisons to early Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jeff Healy and even Luther Dickinson of the North Mississippi All Stars are bound to occur.  However, Ron Hacker is very different from these musicians.  Although his influences are clear upon listening to the Burnin’ album, he strays from traditional blues and does not quite reign himself into Chicago blues. 

            The San Francisco Bay area bandleader covers Robert Johnson’s “32/20” and Sonny Boy Williamson’s “Welfare Store” with more of a boogie style and a delicately deep voice that sounds like a more mellow Freddie King.  Solidly backed by Ronnie Smith on drums and Artis Joyce on bass, Hacker remains jaggedly faithful to Chuck Berry on his version of “Almost Grown” and Z.Z. Top’s “Fool For Your Stockings”.  He also intersperses some very sturdy slide guitar work to both tunes as he does to the instrumental title track that efficiently closes the record, one of the three original tracks included.

            In reference to Hacker’s slide guitar playing, it nicely compliments a rich voice that does not attempt to over extend itself.  His soloing is certainly not as aggressive as guitarists like Buddy Guy or Albert King, but it works very nicely as he puts his spin on Elmore James and Mississippi Fred McDowell.

            Burnin’ is a nicely done take on some old favorites with a catchy boogie woogie feel. It’s well worth the listen.

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