The life of one of Hull's most famous sons will be celebrated with some top rock music this weekend.

Friends, fans and former collaborators of legendary guitarist Mick Ronson will play two shows in memory of the Beverley Road-born musician who died from liver cancer in 1993. The shows kick off tomorrow at Hull's Adelphi venue before moving on to The Springhead in Aston Road, Willerby, on Saturday.

On the bill will be musicians who started out with Mick in Hull band The Rats in the 1960s, as well as groups who have been inspired by the sound he helped pioneer with David Bowie in The Spiders From Mars. Les Nicol, who was one of Mick's great guitarist rivals growing up in 1960s Hull, said he was looking forward to paying tribute to him.

He said: "Ronno and I were rival guitarists back when we started out. He was in The Rats and I was in a band called ABC and there was a lot of competition there – but we were good mates, too.

"When I went down to London, Mick was really good to me. When I was really on my uppers he sorted me out with a few jobs. That's the sort of bloke he was – really friendly and really down to earth."

Les, who later joined Leo Sayer's band and toured the world, will headline the celebration show at The Adelphi, tomorrow, where The Nicol Band will be joined by Jessie and Tracy Hunter, the children of Ian Hunter of Mott The Hoople fame, who Mick played with.

Les, who now lives in Swanland, said one of his most enduring memories of Mick was playing the board game Risk with him one Christmas at his flat in London.

"Doesn't sound very rock'n'roll, does it?" he said. "But behind closed doors we weren't always very rock'n'roll – especially Mick. He was just a nice, ordinary person."

Keith "Ched" Cheeseman, another old friend who played bass with The Rats, will be stepping up to the microphone at The Springhead show on Saturday.

The event, which will run from 12.30pm until late into the night, will feature performances from up-and-coming bands Eureka Machines and Leila And I, Australian guitarist JJ "Fuzzy Fingers", The Rollin' Ronson Revue and tribute act David Bowee, who will be playing all of the classic Spiders material. Keith said he was honoured that his band, Vigilante, were asked to take part.

He said: "I was a fan before I knew Mick. I used to go and see The Rats play at the Birdcage club in Anlaby, because they were my favourite band and he was my favourite guitarist.

"Even back then, when I was just a fan, he was a really genuine bloke. He used to let me have a go on his guitar when he'd finished his set. When he asked me to be the bassist with The Rats, it was a massive deal for me."

Keith, who played at Mick's final Rats gig at The Duke of Cumberland in North Ferriby, before he left to join David Bowie, said he was moved to play after seeing the Ronson fans' dedication on his website.

He said: "The way they talk about Mick, even all these years after he died, shows he touched a lot of people with his music. The fact they're still keeping his memory alive, even now, shows what a special talent he was."