Welcome. I'm glad you're here.
Music has been one of the great joys of my life for more than sixty years. Along the way it's introduced me to remarkable people, taken me to places I never imagined, and taught me lessons that reached far beyond music itself.
The music you'll discover throughout this website is part of that journey, but it's only part of the story. Behind every performance is a memory, a friendship, a turning point, or a lesson that helped shape me, not only as a musician, but the person I've become.
If you'd like, I'd love to share a few of those stories with you!
The Stories Behind the Music
I've begun collecting these memories here, and I warmly invite you to spend a little time with them. I've shared one below. To see the rest of them, click this link...
One of my earliest memories...
One of my earliest memories became one of the most profound experiences of my childhood. Looking back, I can see that it quietly set the course for much of the life that followed.
"Leave him be...he's playing the right notes."
One of my earliest memories is of sitting in my grandmother's lap while she played her baby grand piano.
I was about four and a half years old. The rest of the family was talking after dinner. I wandered into the den where Grandma was playing her baby grand piano. She couldn't read a note of music, yet she played Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Bach, and countless other classical works entirely by ear.
Mesmerized, I moved closer...then finally climbed into her lap so I could watch her hands. Every now and then I'd reach out and play a single note.
My father walked into the room and said, "Ricky, leave Grandma alone while she's playing."
Grandma smiled, "Leave him be...he's playing the right notes."
On the drive home that night I told my parents,
"I want to do what Grandma is doing."
When my parents shared what I had said, my grandmother gifted her piano to me so I could learn.
Looking back, I believe there comes a time in many lives when someone other than a parent says or does something that quietly changes our direction forever.
For me, that person was my grandmother.
"From my earliest memories, music became part of how I experienced the world. Long before I understood harmony or counterpoint, I understood wonder. Curiosity has been one of my greatest teachers ever since, leading me to remarkable people, unforgettable songs, and musical paths I never expected to travel."
Where would you like to go next?
🎵 Listen
Hear more of music by remarkable singer/songwriters on your favorite streaming service.
🎻 Discover the Stories Behind the Songs (Lost & Found Folk)
Explore remarkable songs and the stories behind them.