...born 1951 in San Antonio Texas. Decided early on to become a guitarist.

 

 

Rick visiting with jazz great Jimmy Bruno after a jam session

Fiddling with Curley Lewis at the San Marcos western swing festival

First musical influence
....played rhythm guitar to fiddle tunes.

Early influences
....Bob Wills....Buck Owens....Merle Haggard. ....All the musicians on the country shows on TV and the great road bands like Ernest Tubb, Bob Wills and Hank Thompson.

Country and swing heroes
....Johnny Gimble, Roy Clark, Roy Nichols, Phil Baugh, Chet Atkins, Leon McAulif, Leon Rhodes..etc.

Telecaster Heroes
....Brent Mason, Redd Volkaert, Vince Gill ,and Jimmy Bryant among others.

Discovered jazz guitar in 1968 by hearing "Color him Funky" by Howard Roberts and became hooked on Jazz guitar to this day.

Jazz guitar heroes
.....Howard Roberts, Barney Kessel, Herb Ellis, Wes Montgomery, Les Paul, Jimmy Wyble, Eldon Shamblin and others too numerous to mention.

 

Favorite gig
....touring once a year with George Strait and his Ace in the Hole Band."

"Life is good!"

Vocal heroes
...George Strait, Tommy Duncan, Merle Haggard, Tony Bennet, Sarah Vaughan , Ella Fitzgerald among many others.

" I guess I am a total guitar nut. I love all the different aspects and sounds that they make. Guess that is why I have so many guitars. I like to play my electric classical guitar a lot too. I have recently started to learn more bluegrass flat-picking too. That will keep a man busy"