Ragtime Rick Blaufeld began playing the blues in 1963, after studying with Mississippi John Hurt and Rev. Gary Davis. Rick has lived in Mendocino County since 1972, and been the owner of Mendocino Music, on the internet at www.mendocinoguitars.com, 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 currently 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., and is webcast live at www.kzyx.org.

Rick has released eleven self-produced albums since 1992, of which nine are currently available on CD. In 2003, he co-produced for Centrum Recordings the album, "Lay Down My Old Guitar," a tribute to his mentor, the late bluesman and songster John Jackson. Ragtime Rick has performed at many Northern California venues, including the Wild Iris Folk Festival, the Camino Country Blues Festival, the Mendocino County Blues Festival, the Boonville Folk-Blues Festival, the Sonoma County Folk Festival, and the Mendocino Acoustic Blues Workshop. He has also been on staff several times over the last ten years at the annual Port Townsend Country Blues Workshop, in Port Townsend, Washington.

Ragtime Rick has performed with, taught with, or opened for, a variety of prominent blues artists, including 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 classes for children at the Mendocino Recreation and Community Center. He currently appears monthly at Frankie's Ice cream and Pizza in Mendocino, and also performs frequently at other local venues.

Contact Ragtime Rick at 707-895-FRET, or email rick@mendocinoguitars.com.

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