The 16^th season of Tryon’s most popular summer event – Summer Tracks – continues on Friday, July 3 with “Love Letter: Peggy Ratusz Pays Tribute to Bonnie Raitt.” Sponsored by Heartwood Gallery and The Purple Onion, the show begins at 7 p.m. at Rogers Park. 

Last year Peggy created a memorable tribute to the music of Linda Ronstadt that won praise from audiences throughout the area. This year, Ratusz has brought together some of Asheville’s finest instrumentalists to pay tribute to the queen of bottleneck Blues and her number one musical influence, Bonnie Raitt. 

Raitt’s legacy is both broad and wide. Her incredibly versatile talent crosses blues, folk, roots, pop, rock and soul genres. Raitt’s unique voice is one that every female blues vocalist tries to capture with that magic between growl and soulful melody. The incredible artists she’s shared the stage with and accompanied throughout her long career range from Aretha Franklin to Howlin’ Wolf, from Elvis Costello to Norah Jones, from BB King and Buddy Guy to Bryan Adams and John Prine.

“Love Letter” is a powerful, exciting and nostalgic combination of Raitt’s classic hits and Ratusz’s Bonnie Raitt favorites. Tonight’s band features on slide, resonator, electric and acoustic guitars Mike Barnes and Jonathan Pearlman; Aaron Price on keys; Michael Hynes on bass; and Patrick Armitage on drums, plus some surprise guests. 

This show is the third of six Summer Tracks concerts scheduled for this season. Each summer, this well produced series attracts more than 2,000 people to Tryon’s Rogers Park, drawing visitors from all over Western North Carolina and Upstate South Carolina.

As with all Summer Tracks concerts, the show is free, though a voluntary donation at the gate is encouraged. Audience donations along with the generous sponsorships of local businesses and individuals make these shows possible. Manna Cabana’s delicious fresh food, O’Duggan’s ice cream, water and soft drinks will be for sale.

Summer Tracks is produced by the Town of Tryon in affiliation with Peter Eisenbrown of Blockparty Productions. For more information about Summer Tracks and the performers visit www.summertracks.com.

-Submitted by Peter Eisenbrown