Blues, Boogie Woogie & New Orleans Piano
 
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Welcome-

Here you'll find information on "Ricky Nye and the Red Hots", 
"The Swingin' Mudbugs", and my solo & duet outings. Read what people 
have been saying about us in the press. Take a listen to clips from my 
recordings
and check out my schedule to find out where I'll be performing- 
thanks for stopping by and c'mon back...   

p.s.- feel free to E-MAIL me- it's: rickynye@hotmail.com

 

WEEK AT A GLANCE: May 4- 10

WED. 7- Ricky & Bekah Williams @ CHEZ NORA
THURS. 8- Ricky & Dottie Warner @ ARNOLD'S
FRI. & SAT. 9 & 10- Ricky w/Vince Corkery (upright bass) &
                                  Bob Luther (drums) @ BRANDT'S CAFE-
                                                                         St. Louis, MO

for more details, click HERE...

 

NEWS:

Back from a week in Paris (March 7-14) playing with Anthony Stelmaszack (guitar), Thibaut Chopin (upright bass & harmonica) & Simon "Shuffle" Boyer (drums)...a gig at the One Way (one of the few existing blues clubs in Paris) preceded four nights at the legendary Caveau de la Huchette (located around the corner from the Notre Dame)...this warmed us up for two days of recording, successfully completing my upcoming CD release...I couldn't be more excited!! These guys are true "bluesicologists"- playing and recording with them was an effortless endeavor- on top of that, they are some of the most gifted and wonderful people I have ever known...

 

A dear friend and piano inspiration, CHARLIE BOOTY, has passed away... Charlie played the Second and Fifth Blues & Boogie Piano Summits and was a frequent performer at the Arches Boogie Piano Stage, part of the annual Cincy Blues Fest


Had a great time @ Trad Blues Fest in Columbus Sat. Feb. 23rd- 
the Columbus Blues Alliance is an outstanding organization...
a sad end to a perfect evening: I slipped on ice in the parking 
lot and fractured the tip of my thumb (and am very sore from the fall)...
not cancelling any gigs- it's all about adaptability, baby!


Ricky was selected by the Greater Cincinnati's Cincy Blues Society to represent them in the solo/duo category at the International Blues Challenge (IBC) in Memphis, TN on January 31st, February 1st & 2nd, 2008

The newest CD releases: the first solo recording, entitled "SNAPSHOT", and "HIGHLIGHTS from the EIGHTH ANNUAL BLUES & BOOGIE PIANO SUMMIT" are now available worldwide at CD BABY

 

THANKS!!!! to all who attended the
NINTH ANNUAL BLUES & BOOGIE 
PIANO SUMMIT
-

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 10th, 2007 @ the Historic
SOUTHGATE HOUSE  (859- 431-2201) 24 E. 3rd St., Newport, KY

This year's lineup featured outstanding performances from:

ANN RABSON
MARTIJN SCHOK & GRETA HOLTROP
CHRISTOPH ROIS
RICKY NYE featuring
BEKAH WILLIAMS

thanks also goes to Chuck Madden (photography) Art & Jeremy Cadell (audio recording) & Landman Productions (videography)


WHAT A NIGHT!

This year shone a spotlight on some of the current women of the blues: Ann Rabson from the group "Saffire- The Uppity Blues Women" and her own active solo career; Greta Holtrop, a leading vocalist from the Netherlands; and Cincinnati's own Bekah Williams, one of Ricky's musical partners for the last many years, while continuing to represent traditional boogie woogie & blues piano with Martijn Schok from the Netherlands and Christoph Rois from Vienna- rhythm section featuring Brian Aylor (drums), John Schmidt (upright bass) & special guest from Ann Arbor, MI, guitarist George Bedard

BIG THANKS to our sponsors: Seta Music, Chez Nora Restaurant, York Vision, Destiny Yacht Charters, HeaterMeals, CityBeat, Marsh Inc., MMP Printing, Eat Well, WNKU 89.7 FM & WAIF 88.3 FM

look for CD release in spring of 2008 & the milestone 
TENTH ANNUAL BLUES & BOOGIE PIANO SUMMIT- 
SATURDAY NOVEMBER 8th, 2008, once again at the
Historic SOUTHGATE HOUSE



 

Greater Cincinnati and the rest of the world lost three very special people:

BIG JOE DUSKIN (1921-2007)

PAUL SEBRON a.k.a. MR. PIG (1953-2007)

MARK CHENAULT 


some words from Ricky...

These guys are three of the most unique characters I have ever known- to lose three good friends in a month is too much...


Big Joe Duskin had a profound effect on me (as I will tell below)- 


I met Paul Sebron (Mr. Pig) about six years ago, referred to him to provide entertainment for a monthly crawfish boil he was organizing. Once it got going, I was with him for over four years, even playing at the wedding to his dear wife Chris, who carries on the business on W. Elder St. next to Findlay Market. His crawfish boils were legendary- Paul was responsible for bringing people from such varied backgrounds together over his food- the unifying factor. Plus he always sang after dinner- good blues he wrote (like "My Baby's Eveready") or improvised on the spot, plus his version of "Sweet Home Chicago", complete with a dissertation on Chicago neighborhoods, landmarks and his years in the windy city...the best was when he invited people to come up & "testify"- share a good story they had, or to give thanks (mostly about the food!)...Paul left this earth way too soon, and is a man that is dearly missed.


Shortly upon moving back to Cincinnati in '79, I met Mark Chenault when he was working the door at a local club called Shipley's- he was someone I could talk to about free jazz, punk rock, blues, funk, soul, whatever- a real music (and life) enthusiast. About ten years later Mark worked the door at the legendary Cory's blues club, where I played with probably my biggest musical mentor, the late Big Ed Thompson. Whenever Mark was in the house, I knew I had some ears to play to, and he always made me play good...Mark spent his own time in a variety of bands, but I think his main gig was that of an ambassador, spreading his energy & love to all- even though he is gone, he left lots of it here with his friends & loved ones.



I first met Big Joe Duskin in ’82, before I ever started to mess around with boogie woogie- that didn’t matter to Joe, he just knew I played piano, and that made us friends. Through the time I’ve known him he has always been very supportive of me, and of so many musicians. His playing and singing was loved by blues enthusiasts and fellow piano players all over the world- I can’t tell you how many times, upon encountering the European leaders in blues & boogie in my travels, their first words to me were “how’s Big Joe?”

I treasure the times we played together, the many phone calls, running errands and especially meaningful were the times visiting Joe during his last year, when he was bedridden- I’d come in, turn on his keyboard and go at it, and Joe would lay in bed and sing his head off, improvising blues I’d never heard from him before.

Because I loved Joe, it was inevitable that aspects of his style made their way into my playing- his album “Cincinnati Stomp” was a template for me to study boogie woogie, and I learned the title track to perform as homage to him. When he played a blues, he was on “Joe time”- the lazy tremolos, the space in his playing all added up to me. The message in his style also came as words of advice he gave one day- he said “Rick, take it from an old pro: don’t work so hard! Take your time, talk to the people- they like that.” I knew exactly what he was talking about, but I said “Joe, you have a commanding presence, a big booming voice, you’re a great storyteller...I’m just a little white guy- what am I supposed to do? If I start talking away, they’d just tell me to shut up & play!” And he laughed, which is something I really miss- his chuckling, and the sound of his laughter will always resound in my mind.

Big Joe’s love of food is legendary- it mattered as much to him how you were fed at a gig as any other aspect of the show. If I called to relate tales of my travels, he’d always ask “how’d they feed you?” After Joe played a prestigious concert at Music Hall in Cincinnati, I called to see how things went- he said “Rick, it was so nice- they had fried chicken, mashed potatoes, peas...”-nothing was said of the performance! Once when visiting Joe in the hospital, he asked if I would go downstairs to the Burger King and get him a cheeseburger & french fries. When I asked if didn’t they have him on a particular diet, he said “hell with them- I’m going home tomorrow”. So I indulged him, and you would have thought he was eating the finest meal of his life...food was a big pleasure for Big Joe.

His compromised health in the last years of his life did nothing to dampen his hope and spirit. Joe’s performance at his 84th birthday party was a perfect example of the transference of love from his fans right back at them- it was the last time he was truly on fire, playing and singing until he had nothing left to give. To see him hold court at the Arches Stage at the annual Cincy Blues Fest was always beautiful- his appreciation for the other pianists and their appreciation for him always resulted in a truly inspired and joyous set.

I feel truly blessed to have had Joe as a friend and inspiration to me. Years ago, after he was in the hospital on a regular basis, I wondered when the day would come that Joe would leave this earth, and that day arrived- May 6th, 2007. Yet his spirit is alive and strong, in myself and every other musician he’s played with and encouraged. Whenever I play, especially now, I offer it up for him...

God bless Big Joe Duskin.

 

 



R.I.P.  H-BOMB FERGUSON  (1929-2006)


Historical information about H-Bomb Ferguson can be found @ www.cdbaby.com/cd/hbombf

Video footage & photo montage from documentary filmmaker 
John Parker

 

the NEWEST- Ricky's first solo recording entitled "SNAPSHOT", and "Highlights from the EIGHTH ANNUAL BLUES & BOOGIE PIANO SUMMIT"- 
plus
"QUICK 'N' DIRTY"  & "Highlights from the THIRD, FOURTH, FIFTHSIXTH & SEVENTH BLUES & BOOGIE PIANO SUMMITS"  ("PIANO IS FUN!" & Highlights from the SECOND SUMMIT are currently out of print, but a few copies remain at some of the shops listed below...) are available worldwide through www.cdbaby.com, and if you're in Cincinnati, they are available NOW @ Shake It Records, Phil's Records (Latonia, Kentucky ), Everybody's Records, Mole's and Joseph Beth Booksellers (check out the CD reviews of the Second Summit & Third Summit from the Cincinnati Enquirer)...

and here's a review of "Quick 'N' Dirty" from CityBeat Magazine (12-24-03): 

The title of Ricky Nye and the Swingin' Mudbugs' sophomore release (the follow-up to 1998's Piano is Fun!) is a play on the recording philosophy behind the album. Nye likes to record in as few takes as possible, and Quick was done with little overdubbing or other fixes (just like Fun!). But if you've seen Nye's trio perform live, you know that the local prince of boogie-woogie-styled piano probably doesn't require many "do-overs." There are certainly no holes in Quick 'N' Dirty. The energy and spontaneity exhibited makes listeners feel like they are dancing the night away in some sweaty bayou speakeasy. That intimacy translates superbly as Nye and Mudbugs Tony Franklin (drums) and Nick Lloyd (upright bass) rip effortlessly through a plethora of blues stylings on songs written by a variety of composers (save "Oh Yes," the sole Nye original). From the down-low blues of Muddy Waters' "What Is That She Got?" and the more up-tempo R&B of "Grits Ain't Groceries" (made famous by Little Milton) to the yearning, soulful balladry of "Please Send Me Someone To Love" and Nye's trademark barrelhouse rolls on "Downtown Boogie" and "Dixie Lullaby," you can take Quick 'N' Dirty as a musical history lesson or, more appropriately, as a joyous escapade through the repertoire of one of Cincinnati's most talented musicians. Nye obviously has the deepest respect for the New Orleans-spawned art form, but he doesn't treat the material too preciously, raucously banging out the tunes with skill and grace, but also with a genuine sense of glee, something that permeates from nearly every note. Between quality releases like Quick 'N' Dirty, Nye's organization of regular blues and boogie piano summits, featuring like-minded artists from around the world, and steady European touring, his place as one of the preeminent masters of the style is secure. -- MIKE BREEN

("QUICK 'N' DIRTY" also made CityBeat's TopTwenty Local Releases of 2003)

 
    
Pick up a copy of BEKAH WILLIAMS excellent debut CD @
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bekahwilliams  Produced by Ricky & Bekah, featuring The Swingin' Mudbugs with special guests (Dave Haley & Sonny Moorman on guitars, and local tenor sax icon Ray Heckman), and recorded by Erwin Musper @ his Bamboo Room Studio- it's a mighty fine songbook...get yours today!

 

Click HERE for the old RICKY NYE & NICK LLOYD bio page (not presently working together, but former longtime musical partners),  complete with MP3s and a nifty neat-o VIDEO of Ricky & Nick performing Ricky's tune "Walk The Walk" (video production courtesy of Jim McKell)...also, see the boys playing with Kevin Fox (on the same page), and check the other performances from many of Cincinnati's finest...


See what they say about Ricky @ http://www.boogiewoogie.com/  



            LOCAL MUSIC ACHIEVEMENTS AWARDS:


CEA AWARDS
(sponsored by CityBeat Magazine)-
BLUES ARTIST OF THE YEAR: 2000, 2001, 2004 & 2005
NOMINEE in 1999, 2002, 2003, 2006 & 2007


CAMMY AWARDS- formerly sponsored by 
                                   The Cincinnati Enquirer:

BEST BLUES BAND (Ricky Nye & The Red Hots)- 2001
BEST SOLO ACT- 2001
BEST BLUES/R&B INSTRUMENTALIST- 2002
BEST SOLO ACT- 2002