Richard performing Steve Reich's 'Electric Counterpoint' live, animated by Mark Charlton:-
Promotional video for 'Una Limosna Por El Amor De Dios' from Richards 'La Guitarra Latina' album of music by Brazillian composer Villa Lobos:-
I'm a guitarist, multi-instrumentalist and composer. My solo show has been touring for 20 years or so. I'm often billed as "The Guitar Whisperer". My gigging usually takes place in the UK but I have taken the show to Holland, Denmark, Belgium, France, Portugal and Switzerland. I have written concert music as well as music for TV and Film. I have had to forge my own path, trying to avoid the areas of the classical world which I know are a total pain in the arse whilst attempting to bring technical depth and musical honesty to the music I choose to play. I also work as record producer and have collaborated with many others from bassist Herbie Flowers to existential geometer Greg Bright.
I was born in Hollingbury just outside Brighton in 1962, the second youngest in a family of six children. From as far back as I can remember I was obsessed with the guitar and grew up listening to Segovia and Django on my Mum and Dad's radiogram.
I went to Carden School where I only really behaved myself in music lessons. The music teacher there was Janet Morgan. She was an inspiration.
I had my first guitar lessons at home from my Dad, and at the age of seven started attending the Brighton Guitar Studios which were in Waterloo Street, Hove and run by John Thackeray. My first teacher there was Merry Curd, later on John was brave enough to take over.By my teens I was completely immersed in my guitar playing but had taken up the cello as my token orchestral instrument. Whilst at Dorothy Stringer High School I also had a go at double bass and trombone and had become very interested in early music and very disinterested in school.I joined the Brighton Youth Orchestra and received further inspiration from a wonderful character called David Gray. I first performed the Aranjuez concerto with the BYO, conducted by David, at the Brighton Centre and during a tour of Portugal in 1979. I'd also started playing double bass in a Bluegrass band "The Jon Vickers Dog Rough String Band".
After two years at Varndean (taught by the great and infamous Dafydd Bullock) I spent five years at the Royal College of Music studying guitar (Prof Charles Ramirez), cello (Prof Michael Evans) and composition (Kenneth Jones). I gave my debut in 1986 at the Purcell Room and, in spite of everything, have worked in music ever since.
My current "Guitar Whisperer" solo shows are guitar led and feature the more exotic works from the classical repertoire as well as DADGAD arrangements and orginals played on the steel strung guitar. I perform amplified and make use of electronic gear such as samplers, Kaoss Pads etc - whatever I decide to sling in the gig van that day...I'll also usually play some works on other instruments (banjo, mandolin, electric guitar, cello and even unaccompanied Bach on the ukulele).
Click on the picture below
to visit Richard's site
