Ricky Nye - Who is Ricky Nye?
Blues, Boogie Woogie & New Orleans Piano

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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, 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 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 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 Julien Brunetaud (Paris); Fabrice Eulry (Paris); Renaud Patigny (Brussels); Michael Pewny (Vienna); Martijn Schok (Netherlands); Eric-Jan Overbeek a.k.a. Mr. Boogie Woogie (Netherlands); Silvan Zingg (Switzerland); and Jean-Paul Amouroux (Paris), who have all hosted Ricky for their international boogie woogie festivals and touring dates. Since 1999, Ricky has been the producer of the annual BLUES & BOOGIE PIANO SUMMIT, from which CDs have been released from the years 2000-2006.    

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 Dr. John, 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, accordion and lead vocals); Chris Carero (guitar and vocals), also presently with the notorious "Blue Lou & The Accusations" and his own "Newport Trio": the outstanding Brian Aylor (drums), 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!



THE SWINGIN' MUDBUGS are a trio featuring Ricky Nye on piano along with Brian Aylor (drums) and upright bass, playing elegant blues & 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!

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Ricky Nye - P.O. Box 9637 - Cincinnati, OH. 45209