The Ronstadt Brothers
9:00PM
A family Thanksgiving gathering in 2009 – more precisely, an after-dinner, all-night jam session between father and sons gave birth spontaneously to the performance group Ronstadt Generations. Michael J. (guitar/mandolin/mandocello/vocals) found himself running through generations of material with his two sons, Michael G. (cello/mandolin/guitar/vocals) and Petie (guitar/bass/vocals). This session evolved into a rehearsal as the trio played the passages again and again, figuring out harmonies and developing arrangements. Ronstadt Generations was born.
Steeped in family music traditions dating to the 1840s when his great-grandfather emigrated from Germany and settled in the Southwest, Michael J. Ronstadt – younger brother of renowned singer Linda Ronstadt – was just wrapping up seven years touring internationally with the Santa Cruz River Band. Simultaneously, his sons Michael G. and Petie had become increasingly engaged in individual music endeavors.
That jam session became a flashpoint, providing inspiration and impetus for Michael J. to return to his music roots and to create a project to explore, preserve and share the rich musical history of the Ronstadt family. That legacy, noted in a number of history books and publications, began in the late 1800s with his grandfather, Federico “Fred” Ronstadt, and is an important piece of the fabric of Tucson and the entire Southwest region of the United States. Today, that long history continues with Ronstadt Generations.