For those of you who are not familiar with guitarist Ronny Drayton, let me tell you: He’s extraordinary. Ronny has played for a gang of folks over the course of his career, artists such as Roy Ayers, The Family Stand, Nona Hendryx, Meshell Ndegocello, Defunkt, to name only a few. And he recently stepped out of his sideman role to lead his own outfit, No 4th Man.
Unfortunately, over the course of the last three years, he’s also been fighting for his son’s life and freedom. Donovan Drayton is currently being held at Rikers Island awaiting a fair hearing for a crime Ronny and his family insist he didn’t commit. You may recall that The Family Stand is donating the proceeds of the song “Story” to Donovan’s legal defense fund.
What follows is part 1 of an interview I did with Ronny. In it, you’ll be able to hear what he, Donovan, and their family has been going through.
More to come, so stay tuned.
UPDATE: There have been some technical issues with the player. Will repost the interview once it’s fixed.
