Rick Hatfield & The Jumpin' Bobcats
Rick Hatfield & The Jumpin' Bobcats
Genres: bluesrock, blues, harmonica blues, guitar blues, violin blues
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About Rick Hatfield & The Jumpin' Bobcats
Rick Hatfield has been playing music since he first hit the road at 17 with a dime in his pocket, a cheap guitar and a bag full of harmonicas. He spent the late 1960s playing his way across the country in bars and coffee houses – in an era when hippies often were shot at while venturing through Midwestern America. Then, during the early 1970s, he joined a great Texas blues band called the Boogie Brothers, led by David Skinner, refining his blues harp chops. Next was a solo stint in Wichita, KS, accompanying himself on harmonica and guitar. While in Kansas, he also played harp with stellar musicians including Elmo Bee and Larry Gordon. Among those musicians was Ed Macy, who became a huge influence in Rick’s musical education and who took him on the road on New Year’s Day in 1973, heading for the West Coast. Rick resumed his solo acoustic show in Southern California during the late 1970s and travelled from California to Kansas playing mostly original music which then was classified as “Folk;” today we call it “Americana.” In 1979 he rejoined Ed Macy, and then, during the 1980s, he formed a pop duo called “Hatfield and Delaney” with Anita Delaney, playing the hotel lounge circuit from Ohio to Wyoming, from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to the Mexican border, and all points in between. At that point, Rick decided to narrow his eclectic set list to focus on the blues and swing music that he loved. He moved to the San Francisco Bay area during the late 1980s and struggled to find his niche until the early 1990s when he met Jeanie Patterson, the owner of the famous Sweetwater club in Mill Valley, CA. She booked him as an opening act for many of the stellar musicians that played there and also hired him to host the open mic, where he met quite a plethora of musical artists. Subsequently, Rick attracted professional representation and formed Rick Hatfield and The Jumpin’ Bobcats, playing original jump-blues and swing music at clubs, concert stages, theaters and colleges throughout the Western states. During that period, Rick also travelled overseas and became the first American to perform in Far Eastern Russia – an unforgettable experience. Just as some cards were beginning to fall into place, his wonderful wife became ill with cancer and after a long struggle, passed away in 2000. The loss was devastating and for several years, Rick rarely picked up his instruments. Today, time has helped heal the wound and Rick has returned to his primary purpose in life: music. Most people still know him primarily as a harmonica player, but he also plays guitar and writes songs. He’s glad to be back. On Facebook: Rick Hatfield CDbaby: Album 'The Frill Is Gone' Official Website: Rick Hatfield
Taken from Last.fm
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