Email address: trips2rei@yahoo.com
Lucky to have shared the bill with:
Big Willie Dixon
Bonnie Raitt
Buddy Rich
Dave Alvin
Jim Lauderdale
Jennifer Warnes
Lowen and Navarro
Country Joe McDonald
Rosie Flores
Bill Staines
Billy Edd Wheeler
Billy Novick
Bob Gibson
Bonnie Koloc
Bryan Bowers
Chris Proctor
Corky Siegel
Dave "Snaker" Ray
Dave Mallett
David Bromberg
Ellis Paul
Gamble Rogers
Gerry O'Bierne
Guy VanDuser
James Lee Stanley
Jim Kweskin
Jim Post
Mason Daring
Megon McDonough
Michael Smith
Small Potatoes
Sonnie Terry 
    and Brownie McGhee
Spider John Koerner

Lucinda Williams
Stan Rogers
Stephane Grappelli
Greg Brown
Tuck and Patti
Ramblin' Jack Elliott
Stephen Bishop
Steve Goodman
Iris DeMent
Leon Redbone
Michael Johnson
Joan Armatrading
John Fahey
John Prine
Josh White, Jr.
Livingston Taylor
Louden
Wainwright III
Mary Travers
Mimi Farina
Paul Cebar
Paul Gerimia
Steve Young
Tom Rush
Tony Bird
Tracy Nelson
U. Utah Phillips
Wendy Waldman
Willy Porter
Paul Winter
Pete Seeger
Peter Yarrow
Robin and Linda Williams
Rosalie Sorrels

 

The recovery of the master tapes of his first solo album and the start of a new CD mark the return of songwriter/guitarist Richard Pinney to the recording scene. He had slipped off the radar for a long period.

The master copies of his albums were lost in a garage Los Angeles and though he was not gigging much, he kept his chops alive with daily practice. He thought he had said everything he was going to say and the songwriting slowed to a crawl. But he never quit, believing that he was meant to be a player.

In 2000 he started doing daily internet shows. He also took on regular gigs among the younger acts just starting out, just as often the opener as headliner. He hosted several open mic nights to encourage local music. Through these combined efforts, he found the drive again and created new music and guitar styles.

Richard Pinney's classic  album "Devil Take My Shiny Coins" (Mountain Railroad Records) was on many critics' lists of that year's best. This fine recording is being re-released on CD in Winter 1999.  It will be remixed and digitally re-mastered. It was engineered by the legendary bluesman, Dave "Snaker" Ray. It featured Bob Dylan's backup players for "Blood On the Tracks" and Bonnie Raitt's first producer,  Willy Murphy, on bass.

fingerpicksEarly in his career Richard was teamed with Greg Brown. They recorded a live album, "Hacklebarney", now a collectors' item. The admittedly raw performances showcase the two at the very beginning of their careers. After they split, Richard toured on the prestigious Coffeehouse Circuit out of New York City. As a producer, his credits include Jim Post and the Free Hot Lunch Band.

He toured with Bonnie Raitt and has shared the bill with Tuck and Patti, Lucinda Williams, Dave Alvin, Iris DeMent, Joan Armatrading and John Prine. He has been paired with dozens of jazz, folk and blues legends including Pete Seeger, Sonny Terry and Brownie McGee, Big Willie Dixon, Stephane Grappelli and Buddy Rich. His songs have recorded by Michael Johnson, Mimi Farina, Jim Post  and others.

Richard worked in Los Angeles for eight years where he was on the staff of TriStar Pictures and The Olympic Games. At  Chameleon Records, he championed the acoustic duo Lowen and Navarro who were signed to record their first album on the label. He encouraged the label to consider Lucinda Williams and others. He was  involved with dozens of  independent record labels sporting many styles: punk, alternative, metal, jazz, rock, folk and others.

Returning to Milwaukee, he was an A&R rep (talent scout) for Narada Records (MCA distributed, later bought by Virgin Records). He managed Willy Porter and created the ongoing  Wisconsin Singer/Songwriter Series.