Welcome to the website of
Ronnie Earl and
The Broadcasters
“…he is one of the most serious blues guitarists you can find today.  He makes me proud!”...B.B. King
In October 2013 Ronnie Earl and the Broadcasters
will celebrate 25 years as a band.  Their first show was held
on October 31, 1988 at The Last Call in Providence, Rhode Island.
Here are the current group of distinguished Broadcasters.

Dave Limina, Hammond B3 and piano

Dave Limina is a Professor in the Piano Department at Berklee College of Music, where he received the Most Valuable Contribution to the Performance Curriculum Award in 2001 for his work in creating and developing the Hammond organ program.  As a keyboardist, composer, and arranger, Dave has performed with Gloria Estefan, Duke Robillard, Courage Brothers,  Mark Murphy, Lori McKenna, Mighty Sam McClain,  Kenny Neal, Catie Curtis, Freedy Johnston, Martha Reeves, Brooke Benton, Toy Caldwell, Felix Cavalieri, Steve Forbert, and The RB Funkestra with Fred Wesley and Eric Krasno. Also Grammy winning songwriters, Robert Lee Castleman, Gary Nicholson, Paula Cole, Mark Walker and Steve Leslie. He has been the keyboardist/conductor for the first national touring company of the Broadway musical Rent.  He received Boston Music Award nominations for his work with Courage Brothers, Ronnie Earl, and Mighty Sam McClain. He played keyboards on Michelle Willson's Wake Up Call, which was a Boston Music Awards winner in 2001 for "Best Blues Album".   He is the author of "Hammond Organ Complete" (Hal Leonard), and the instructional video/DVD "Accelerate Your Keyboard Playing" (Rittor Music). 

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Jim Mouradian, Bass

Jim Mouradian has been a member of Ronnie Earl and the Broadcasters since 2000.   Jimmy grew up immersed in a family of classically trained musicians, picked up a bass in junior high and has been playing ever since.   He is also a legendary luthier, who has designed his own line of Mouradian guitars and handles every guitar he works on with meticulous detail.   He and his son, Jon, operate Mouradian Guitar in Winchester, MA, where they are known as "guitar gods" and "guitar repair wizards," although Jimmy insists that his favorite role is that of being a dad and grandfather.  Visit  http://www.mouradianguitar.com/

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Diane Blue, Vocals

Boston's Diane Blue is a soul-stirring vocalist, skillful harmonica player and a crowd-pleasing entertainer. Voted "Outstanding Female Singer" in The Blues Audience 2011 Readers' Poll, Ms. Blue is a soulful and sassy performer with a strong and energetic delivery, serving up her own spin on soul, blues and R&B. She won the 2010 Massachusetts Blues Challenge, earning the honor of competing at the 2011 International Blues Challenge in Memphis, Tennessee. She was nominated "Best Blues/R&B Act" and "Best Female Vocalist" in 2007 by the Providence Phoenix and also nominated "Best Local Blues Act" by Motif Magazine in 2007. Ms. Blue is one of two featured vocalists on Ronnie Earl’s recently released CD, “Father’s Day” (2015) and also is the featured vocalist on his prior CDs “Good News” (2014) (4 songs), and “Just For Today.” (2013).   http://www.dianebluemusic.com/

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Forrest Padgett, Drums

Forrest Padgett joined the Broadcasters August 2016.  Forrest is a highly regarded and respected drummer in the Boston area and we welcome him to the group!  Forrest has played drums professionally for over forty years, performing with such artists as The Radio Kings, Brain Templeton, Paul Rishell, Duke Robillard, Little Charlie Baty, Charlie Musselwhite, Luther Guitar Jr. Johnson, Lavern Baker, the Radio Kings, East of Eden, and more. He attended Crane School of Music in Potsdam, NY, and the Berklee College of Music in Boston. He graduated from Framingham State University with a B.A. in English.

Dave Clark, Road Manager

 

Dave is our new Road Manager. He has prior experience working with a Rock Band in the 80's. Dave is also the owner of a European Car Sales and Service business in Concord, MA. Dave brings his management and technical skills to the band to ensure a smooth performance. Dave and his family also find time for Alpine skiing, offshore fishing, and Water sports.  www.villageeuropean.com



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Debbie Blanchard, Manager


Debbie Blanchard is the manager for blues guitarist Ronnie Earl and the Broadcasters and recently retired from her position as the  Minister at the First Baptist Church of Littleton, MA, where she servied for fifteen years. She is the author of The Christmas Church, a book about the church, a place where Christmas is kept all year long. She is a Fellow of the College of Preachers at Washington’s National Cathedral, a graduate of Andover Newton Theological School in Newton Center, MA, and she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music from Westminster College in New Wilmington, PA. 
Tom Hazeltine
Tom Hazeltine recently retired as the road manager for the band and will continue to work with the Broadcasters on special projects. He has been a fan since the early "Roomful of Blues" days.  Ronnie jokes that he hired Tom as the Road Manager, because "we don't go out on the road."  Tom felt that he had the better part of the deal, because when the band did travel, and they did, they asked him to come along! Tom kept an eagle eye on Ronnie and the band during the flow of a concert and both he and his wife, Suwanna, showed up early and stayed late doing whatever needs to be done. Tom's cousin James "Rocky" Meara also helped out at many of the shows. Tom also has a passion for photography and a great eye for a good picture, as he shot the cover of Ronnie Earl and Friends, released in 2001, as well as Spread the Love released in 2010.

See a slide show below about Tom that celebrated his work with Ronnie and the band as well as his creativity and passion for the blues. 
 

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