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RAGTIME RICK BLAUFELD

Ragtime Rick Blaufeld began playing the blues in 1963, after meeting Mississippi John Hurt at the Philadelphia Folk Festival, and taking informal guitar lessons from both him and Rev. Gary Davis. After honing his blues chops in the coffee houses of New York City’s Greenwich Village, Rick moved to California in 1965, and has lived in Mendocino County since 1972. He has been the owner of Mendocino Music, specializing in vintage guitars, since 1985. In 1990, Rick founded the Mendocino County Blues Society, and from 1992 through 1998, produced the Mendocino County Blues Festival. He also produced the all-acoustic Boonville Folk-Blues Festival from 2002 through 2004. Ragtime Rick presently hosts a radio show called "Roots of the Blues" on KZYX & Z, Mendocino County Public Broadcasting, which airs on alternate Monday nights from 8 to 10 P.M. Pacific time, and is webcast live at www.kzyx.org.

Ragtime Rick has performed and recorded the songs of a host of country blues and ragtime greats, as well as his own original compositions. He has released eleven self-produced albums since 1991, as well as contributing several tunes to each of three volumes of "Blues Showcase," a series produced by the Mendocino County Blues Society in the early nineties. Rick has nine CDs currently available, combining rootsy covers with authentic-sounding originals. These include "Down and Out Blues," featuring guitar and vocal duets with folk-blues guitar wizard John Brandeburg, released in 1997; "Half a Buck Blues," a solo album of blues classics, plus the original title track, released in 1999; "Blue Cat Blues," which includes several of Rick’s original tunes, and features the mandolin of Thom Davis on the title track, released in 2000; "Hippie Blues," more classic covers, plus three originals, featuring graphics by Cal Schenkel of "Mothers of Invention" fame, released in 2003; "Rags To Riches," an album of ragtime guitar instrumentals, released in 2004; "Favorite Blues," a collection of 18 of Ragtime Rick's favorites from three of his earlier albums, released in 2005, "Sweet Woman Blues," more classic and original blues, released in 2006; "Green Rocky Road," recorded live at the 2006 Mendocino Acoustic Blues Workshop, with folk-blues artist John Brandeburg; and his latest CD, "Vintage Blues," featuring some of the best tunes from his three earliest cassette albums.

Among the venues at which Ragtime Rick has performed are the Mendocino County Blues Festival, Wild Iris Folk Festival, Mendocino County Library, Sonoma County Folk Festival, The Inn of the Beginning, Mendocino Art Center, Willits Community Theater, Crown Hall, Gualala Summer Art Fest, Gloriana Theater, Art in the Gardens, Camino Country Blues Festival, Boonville Folk-Blues Festival, Caspar Inn, Mendocino Acoustic Blues Workshop, and the annual Port Townsend Country Blues Workshop , in Port Townsend, Washington, where he has been on staff several times over the last ten years.

In 2003, Rick co-produced for Centrum Recordings the album, "Lay Down My Old Guitar," a tribute to the late bluesman and songster John Jackson. This CD, which is available both from centrum Recordings and Mendocino Music, contains 17 of the tunes John used to play, performed by some of the best of today's acoustic blues artists, including Cephas & Wiggins, Roy Book Binder, Corey Harris, Mary Flower, Terry Robb, Saffire, Pat Donohue, and Ragtime Rick. All profits received by Centrum Recordings for this CD will benefit the John Jackson Memorial Blues Scholarship Fund!

Ragtime Rick has performed with, opened for, or taught on staff with, John Jackson, Steve Mann, J.C. Burris, Johnny Shines, Jim Kweskin, K.C. Douglas, Brownie McGhee & Sonny Terry, Catfish Keith, Mark Hummel, Ron Thompson, Bo Diddley & Lady Bo, Nick Gravenites, Paul deLay, Robert Lowery, Mary Flower, Cephas & Wiggins, Saffire, Del Rey, Steve James, Terry Robb, Honeyboy Edwards, Sam Mitchell, and Louisiana Red, among many others. Rick also appeared briefly in the PBS documentary "Sweet Old Song," performing with string-band legend Howard Armstrong, a.k.a. Louie Bluie.

For the past several years, Rick has taught a blues guitar class for children at the Mendocino Recreation and Community Center. He currently performs regularly at Frankie's Ice Cream and Pizza in Mendocino, the Mendocino Hotel, and other local venues. Ragtime Rick is also one of the featured instructors at the annual Mendocino Acoustic Blues Workshop, presented by the Mendocino Recreation and Community Center. Rick is always available for guitar lessons, festivals, workshops, and concert performances...email him at rick@mendocinoguitars.com, or call 707-895-FRET!