Added Apr 2009

RICK PAYNE

Based in the south west Rick rarely appears in Lincolnshire, though he has appeared at Spalding Blues Club some years back.

Often compared with Ry Cooder, finger picking and slide guitar maestro Rick Payne's performances have taken him to prime time TV, festivals, Arts Centres and theatres throughout the UK and on tour to Europe, USA, Scandinavia and the Greek Islands.

He has provided the background music for a number of major BBC TV productions, inc. Whicker's World, Natural World and Ray Mear's Bushcraft; a programme for Channel 5 TV and for wildlife programmes on Radio 4 and the BBC World Service. He has also featured on BBC Radio 2 with Nigel Kennedy and on the Paul Jones Show and played live on BBC1 'Holby City'

His mastery of acoustic blues takes him beyond the usual boundaries of blues festivals and clubs. He frequently plays at jazz and folk events and has even played the blues at a classical music festival - on stage after the English Symphony Orchestra.

A qualified guitar tutor, Rick passes on his skills to around 150 students per week at schools in the South West and at workshops nationwide plus many more on-line students. He has recorded a number of CDs including the noted 'Blue River Blues' for Bennett House Records, California.

His 10 CD + video set '60 Day Finger style Blues Camp' is one of several tuition sets promoted by TRUEFIRE USA and Acoustic Music Records [Peter Finger, Germany] has published Rick Payne's Fingerstyle Blues, tuition book/CD.

He has been featured in USA magazine Premiere Guitar, Acoustic, Blues Matters, MOJO , Blues in Britain and other magazines.

Reviewers have described his sound as: heart wrenching and passionate, delicate and scorching, seriously brilliant, totally absorbing and spellbindingly evocative with raw and fiery vocals to match.

'…held this sell out audience spellbound from start to finish…' Spalding Blues Club

'…the guitar playing is simply amazing, it expresses such emotion you have to sit back in awe…' R & B magazine

'…impressive slide guitar playing from West Country bluesman whose work bears comparison with early Ry Cooder…' Daily Telegraph

'…his performance was flawless….so great is his guitaring you sometimes find yourself wondering who is playing whom…' Blueprint [British Blues Connection ]

'Tell everyone from me - this guy is the real deal, I could tell he was good from the second he plugged in.' Sherman Robertson

For more info visit www.rickpayne.co.uk, click on 'mp3' to hear samples.

Rick plays all kinds of stuff but the tracks on the albums 'Blue River Blues' (recorded in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada, USA) and 'Live At The Folk House' (Bristol) are what you will get at a gig.

See - www.myspace.com/rickpayneonline / www.youtube.com/user/suprorick for more about this amazing guitarist

Line 6 endorsee - Variax 700 Acoustic Guitar