While 10 a.m. a weekend morning might seem an unlikely time for a live blues show, on the third Saturday of each month, anyone getting a morning caffeine fix at Bird Rock Coffee Roasters can enjoy the bonus of Delta blues tunes by legendary guitarist Robin Henkel. His Bird Rock Coffee Roasters sets are basic — just Henkel on a chair with his guitar playing a mix of originals and classics by performers like Mississippi Fred McDowell and Muddy Waters. “There was a time when 10 a.m. would have seemed like an unreasonable hour,” Henkel said. “Things went a lot later then. Most of the gigs these days are over by 11 p.m., so I hope I’m not blowing my image. But this works fine for me because I’m a pretty early riser.” Henkel is a local institution, performing his music in various formats from solo to big bands. He’s shared the stage with a variety of artists, from the San Diego Symphony to 1950s revivalists Sha-Na-Na. He has released 10 albums since his 1981 debut, “Let’s Get Squished,” and he has won two San Diego Music Awards. Henkel also maintains one of the busiest schedules of any area musician. It’s rare to run into Henkel when he’s not at or en route to a gig. Meanwhile, his slide guitar can be heard regularly on TV at the start of commercials for The Longhorn Steakhouse chain. Some of his songs have also become soundtrack library favorites, showing up on multiple shows on networks such as VH1, CMT, Animal Planet and The Discovery Channel. Ironically, Henkel has never heard or seen any of his music on television. “I’m out playing all the time, but besides that, I don’t even have a cable hookup. Really, all I know is from an occasional statement telling me a track was used somewhere, maybe Brazil, ” he said. He said sometimes he can tell what kind of show his music is used on from the titles, “like when they used a bit of a song in VH1’s ‘50 Juiciest Celebrity Hook Ups,’” he said. Sometimes he can only guess, especially when the show is in a foreign language (as happened recently). “I just assume it was a detective show,” he said. Even with a packed monthly calendar, Henkel said Bird Rock Coffee Roasters is one of his favorite venues to perform at. “I think in any coffeehouse environment a fair amount of people come in that are not necessarily there for the music. They’re there to read the paper or work on their laptops,” he said. “But I just get a lot of respect from the people there. They look into the area where I’m playing and I can see an enthusiasm for the music. I can see them walk by on the street with a smile on their faces as they listen.” He said as a working musician, he often gets hired to provide “background music” or has to compete with televisions in a bar. “That’s what a lot of us do to make income,” he said. “So to actually go to a gig where people actually dig the music, there are no TVs and I’m not playing behind a plant, hey, that’s cool.” WHO: Robin Henkel WHEN: Saturday, April 16 at 10 a.m. WHERE: Bird Rock Coffee Roasters, 5627 La Jolla Blvd. WHAT: all-ages, free blues music