Artist description MP3.com is The online 'Home on the Range' for Cowboy Singer, Guitarist and Composer, Rick Devin. Rick carries on the Americana music traditions of singing country western and cowboy music from the American West. Recent works include a CD tribute to the Classic American Cowboy Songs and a CD featuring original songs of cowboys, cowgirls, broncs, and the cowboy life style.

Music Style Country Western and Cowboy Music, Americana

Musical Influences Roy Rogers, Michael Martin Murphey, Don Edwards, Ian Tyson, Eagles, Dan Fogelberg, John Denver,

Similar Artists Ian Tyson, Don Edwards, Michael Martin Murphey, Eagles, Dan Fogelberg, John Denver

Artist History Rick Devin continues to build a recorded legacy enriching our vision of the American West. In it’s tales of the day-to-day lives and emotions of those who lived it, his ballads paint a sweeping landscape of both the mind and heart, keeping alive the sights, sounds and feelings of this most American contribution to culture and art…. Cowboy Music. The quality of this cowboy balladeer's music stems from the fact that he is so much more than a singer.� Rick Devin is perhaps one of the best purveyors of cowboy music in America today. A historian, composer and musicologist, someone well-versed in cowboy lore and musical traditions, Rick brings a rare complement of knowledge of and love for his craft. Mostly though, there is the soul of a poet; a man who has never succumbed to any temptation to present a glamorized or romanticized version of the West.� Devin deals with the bad weather and petty motivation, with sadness, nostalgia and longing as parts of the landscape, like any other. Rick was exposed as a child to a vast cross-section of music from classical to jazz, and blues to western-swing, and pop to early rock. Many of the those influences enter his original music, as they did some of the music of the West. Devin was drawn to the cowboy life by the books of Will James and the Westerns of the silver screen.� He taught himself guitar starting at age nine, and chased the rodeo and worked ranches in California and Nevada during his teens and Twenties.� In 1980, he got a job as an actor/singer for Glen Campbell’s Christmas Special Television Show and he was to stick with music and cowboying, from then on.� Rick started recording Radio Jingles and teaching guitar lessons in 1982. He also made his first record in 1982, ‘My Favorites’. Rick became the manager of the Sierra Meadows Pack Station in Mammoth Lakes, California and he would play acoustic sets during the Hayride Dinners. Often, special guests would accompany him, including Riders In The Sky, Johnny Western, and Sons Of The San Joaquin. Always yearning to ride new ranges of the American West, Rick ventured throughout the Sierras and Rocky Mountains, working as a cowboy, riding and strumming his guitar. When I asked Rick how he learned the classic western yodels, he painted for me, visual images of him riding alone into the High Sierra Mountains, with a pack string of six mules, to supply a drop camp in the backcountry. He chuckled, ‘It was just the eight of us, my mare, my string and myself and they didn’t seem to complain too much. I also learned to play the harmonica that summer. With an eight to twelve hour ride each day, I learned pretty quickly and my harp was easier to fit into my duster pocket than my guitar.’ It was then, the summer of 1984, and Rick’s love of the cowboy lifestyle, that his music took on the classic, cowboy ballad style that we hear so clearly today. For nearly twenty years since that summer, Rick Devin continued to ride the ranges and sing the cowboy songs so close to his heart. Yet, his ranges and audiences had grown to a world wide status. He tells of a wide variety of rides and shows that he has shared through out North America, Europe and South America, some performing along side with many of music’s greatest stars, an extensive list, like a who’s who in Country and Western Music. Rick recorded and released ‘Colorado Reflections’ in 1998, with an independent label, selling out his inventory at his cowboy shows. He then recorded ‘Colorado Cowboy’ in the fall of 1999 at a guest ranch in Colorado with his band, ‘The Eagle River Band’, it was released in 2000 on the Red Cloud Records Label. ‘Colorado Cowboy’ contains a collection of cowboy songs old and new, including Rick’s smash hit single, ‘Momma, I’m A Cowboy’. After much success and high accolades from the critics, Red Cloud Records released another recording in 2002, ‘Row Of Doors’ . This CD seems to further cement Rick’s place in music history as a solid fundamental performer and original composer of cowboy music. His unique blend of purely western themes and hauntingly beautiful melodies mixed with various musical influences is a rare treasure, indeed and it earned him much press and recognition through out the music world. Not since, Ian Tyson have we seen this kind of depth in new cowboy music. Rick’s newest recording, ‘Cowboy Classics’, is a crowning point in his extensive career. While sticking to the truly classic cowboy songs, Rick has taken his listener on a journey through time, from the hustle and bustle of every day modern life to the simple pleasures of a hot cup of coffee or a warm campfire after a long day in the saddle. One seems to be so close to the history of the music that you can smell the fresh air and feel the pain in your knees. The richness of Rick's voice coupled with his magical stage presentation makes Rick Devin one of America's premier western singers and concert attractions.� The accolades though, have been simply added bonuses for Devin, who sings what he does out of love and respect for the genre. Rick's career continues to blossom, and luckily for all who care about it, he has because of his sincere and humble approach, added much to the literature and music of the West, passing on to the rest of us, a legacy rich for his efforts.

Group Members Rick Devin and his Eagle River Band

Instruments Vocals, Guitars, Mandolin, Harmonica, Bass, Drums, Percussion, Horns

Albums Cowboy Classics (2003) Row Of Doors (2002) Colorado Cowboy(2000) Colorado Reflections (1998) My Favorites (1982)

Press Reviews (CD REVIEW)“In the various marriages of one genre of music to another which have been rampant across the airwaves so much lately, Rick Devin has surely managed to discover one of the more unusual combination of sounds available to present with his new disc, Row of Doors. The music on this disc creates an interesting new sound by combining a series of truly western themes and pure western lyrics with contemporary smooth jazz sounds. It's unusual; it's creative. It's certainly a good showcase for Devin's brilliant guitar playing. Devin is a very capable songsmith, writing most of the songs on this disc, including the title track "Row of Doors," "The Quilt," and "Spotted Eagle's Prayer" (which may arguably be one of the finest Native American folksongs I've heard in a while); He also does a few covers, both of which are startling with Devin's unusual style -- "Ghost Riders in the Sky" and "Night Rider's Lament." In the latter, Devin shows a nice skill for classic Western yodeling. This is a most unusual disc. Certainly Devin is an excellent guitar player, and a very good lyricist. It's a brand-new approach to a sound, certainly; where the tunes are not laid-back jazz or even big-band sounding tropical (showing a hint of Michael Nesmith influence, I'm thinking), they are more strongly reminiscent of some kinds of folk (notably mid-60's to 70's style, ala Jim Croce or Gordon Lightfoot). Devin seems to be poised to make his place with other notable "we don't know what kind of music they sing, they just sing it" writer/performers, such as John Hiatt and John Prine. The live tracks that close the disc, "Shoebox Memories" and "Give It My Best," are among the best pieces on the disc. I do like an unusual musician, and he is most certainly that. I've also demonstrated a fondness for songs around the "tropical campfire." So if you like to explore with your music a little bit, then by all means check him out. It may be he's just what you're looking for.” Kathy Coleman, Country Music Guide (CD Review) Cowboy Music with a modern sound! Rick Devin has been exposed to many musical influences, and this is reflected in his work. His new CD, Row of Doors, is principally a cowboy album, containing 11 of his originals among the 14 songs. He combines cowboy standards with new material, and gives his music a modern sound with heavy percussion on most selections. He's been a musician for quite awhile, spending most of the past 7 years working with Michael Martin Murphey. O.J. Sikes - The Western Way Magazine AND Rope Burns Magazine, USA. (CD Review) Soulful Country Americana for the twenty first century. Warm, lively and very unique. This real working cowboy has come from the old west to bring us a modern outlook on life, love and adventure. Five Stars! CD Baby.com, USA. (CD Review) Rick uses all of the crayons in the box on this hour long musical journey. Hermes Barbosa, Recreio da Barra News, Rio de Janerio, Brasil. (CD Review) Beautiful voice, very cowboy, emotional arrangements. Gianluca Sitta, BCMA News, Milano, Italy. (CD Review) His show includes music for everyone... He has mastered the art of crowd participation and his latest CD, Row Of Doors, is a must for any music collector. Marc Angelo, Vail Daily, Vail, CO, USA.

Additional Info http://www.rickdevin.com

Location Dillon, CO - USA

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