Ron Prince was only 10 years old when Willie Dixon opened his studio on 76th and Racine Street, four blocks from Prince’s house.

Four years later, Prince began spending time hanging around Dixon and his studio.

At 12, his dad bought him his first guitar, and at 14, Dixon helped Prince form The Brighter Side of Darkness. The band consisted of kids ranging in age from eight to 16 years old.

The Brighter Side of Darkness was quickly recognized by the legendary Chess Brothers and other local blues artists.

A family decision to move to Decatur, Ill. forced Prince to leave Chicago and the band. But The Lighter Side of Darkness was just the beginning for Prince, unleashing a love for music that would impact the rest of his life.

Drifting from band to band during high school, Prince graduated in 1976 and moved back to Chicago. He then enrolled in the legendary blues school, Theresa’s Lounge, on Chicago’s south side.

Prince’s upperclassmen at Theresa’s Lounge included legendary guitarists Sammy Lawhorn, John Primer and John Watkins, among others.

The 20-year-old guitarist began playing gigs with Johnny Dollar and the Scandalous Band, Bobby Rush and Syl Johnson. At the same time, Prince began playing with another group of musicians that eventually formed a band called Mona Lisa.

Deeply-rooted in blues, Mona Lisa began emulating the music of more avante-garde rock musicians and found themselves at the front of the black rock/blues movement.

In 1978, Prince met Donald Kinsey, who had just finished recording two albums with reggae legend Bob Marley. The two hit it off and formed the band The Chosen Ones.

The Chosen Ones recorded an album in Chicago and then relocated to California where Prince played gigs from time to time with Bobby Ingram.

Three years later, Prince followed Kinsey back to Chicago to join a band Kinsey had formed with his father and brothers called The Kinsey Report.

During his two years of playing with The Kinsey Report, Prince recorded four albums with the group.

For the next two years, Prince toured with the legendary James Cotton Band before starting his own band, Ron Prince and Hard Time.

The band’s most recent album, “Paroled,” captures over 30 years of Prince’s blues career. The album is full of Prince’s infectious blues rock riffs and is a testimony of his skill as a songwriter and guitarist.

With a history full of guitar hero influence, Prince takes the stage with the skill and experience of a music veteran and the energy of someone half his age.

Ron Prince and Hard Time will be bringing its rock-based blues to the Maintenance Shop Saturday at 8 and 10:30 p.m. Tickets are $6, $4 for students.