|
HOME
|
 RICKY
NYE
(Rick Neiheisel) was born in Cincinnati in 1956, and was bitten by the music
bug at the age of five. Upon his return to the area in 1979, his musical
journeys on piano, organ & accordion have taken him through jazz, funk, rock
& roll (years 1979-1985 with
legendary cult faves The Raisins), country, zydeco, New Orleans styles, boogie
woogie & blues (three years with the late Big Ed Thompson)- knowledge which
has landed him on countless recording sessions and as accompanist to renown
blues artists such as James
Harman, Junior Watson, Jason Ricci, Francine Reed and Darrell
Nulisch. Besides leading
two
groups, RICKY NYE & THE RED HOTS (winners of BEST BLUES BAND in the
Cincinnati Enquirer's 2001 CAMMY awards) and his trio RICKY NYE INC.
(formerly The Swingin' Mudbugs, the
band behind Ricky's 1998 release "Piano Is Fun!" and 2003's
"Quick 'N' Dirty"), Ricky
performs in solo
settings (winning BEST SOLO ACT in the 2001 & 2002 CAMMY Awards, along with
BEST BLUES/R&B INSTRUMENTALIST in 2002 CAMMYS, and BEST BLUES/R&B ARTIST
in the 2000, 2001, 2004,
2005, 2010 & 2013 CEA Awards held by CityBeat Magazine),
in duet settings with upright bass
or drums, and with vocalists
extraordinaire
Bekah Williams & Dottie Warner. Since 1996, Ricky has been a regular performer on the Arches
Boogie Stage at the Queen City Blues Fest, which put him in association and
friendships with some of the finest blues and boogie pianists from around
the world, such as Fabrice
Eulry (Paris); Lluis Coloma
(Barcelona) ; Chris Conz (Switzerland): Joerg Hegemann (Germany); Julien
Brunetaud (Paris); Renaud
Patigny (Brussels); Martijn
Schok (Netherlands); Eric-Jan Overbeek a.k.a. Mr.
Boogie Woogie (Netherlands); Julian Phillips (U.K.); Michael
Pewny (Vienna); Silvan Zingg
(Switzerland); and Jean-Paul
Amouroux (Paris), who have all
hosted Ricky for
their international boogie woogie
festivals and touring dates.
Since 1998, Ricky has
been the producer of the annual BLUES & BOOGIE PIANO
SUMMIT, from which CDs have been released from
the years 1999-2010.
You can also check out this link for a more
extended bio
by Mike Breen of CityBeat Magazine
|
|
 RICKY
NYE & THE RED HOTS
are a four-piece group specializing in New Orleans-style rhythm &
blues (a la
Professor Longhair, James Booker & Fats Domino), zydeco,
straight-ahead blues, funky organ R&B, and traditional rock n' roll
and boogie woogie piano.
The group consists of Ricky Nye (piano, organ, vocals); Edwin Vardiman
(guitar,
vocals) who leads his own honky-tonkin' group called "Straw Boss"; the
outstanding
June Levis (drums), long time drummer with formidable blues artists
such as
Sweet Alice Hoskins and the late pianist Pigmeat Jarrett; and John Schmidt (bass), formerly with
Texans "Johnny Reno & The Sax Maniacs" and Cincinnati's "The Warsaw
Falcons".
Since its beginning in 1993, the band has performed for major festivals
and events including Festival New Orleans (a touring Jazz and Heritage
festival); Mardi Gras, Maifest and Oktoberfest events in
Covington, KY, and Cincinnati's
Jammin' On Main, Riverfest Fireworks and Tall Stacks celebrations.
Voted "Best Blues Band" in the Cincinnati Enquirer's 2001 CAMMY
Awards, RICKY NYE & THE RED HOTS is a fun and energetic party band
in the truest sense of the word. Check 'em out!
|
|
 RICKY
NYE INC.
(formerly known as "The Swingin'
Mudbugs") features Ricky Nye (piano, vocals) along with Paul Ellis
(drums): Chris Douglas (upright bass), and special guests Ray Heckman
or Brian "Boss" Hogg (tenor sax), playing elegant blues and ballads (a
la Charles Brown and Mose Allison), New Orleans stylings and
traditional boogie woogie. The group
has experienced great success with the release of their discs "Quick
'N'
Dirty" (2003) and "Piano is Fun!" (1998, with Don Aren- bass &
Brian Baverman- drums). Their many concert performances included 2003
&
2006's Tall
Stacks Music, Arts & Heritage Festival, held in Cincinnati. This
aggregation is adept at either simmering or creating a rollickin'
good time!
|
|
HOME
|
|
