Rick Holmstrom
| Rick Holmstrom | |
|---|---|
| Born |
May 30, 1965 Fairbanks, Alaska, United States |
| Genres | Electric blues, West Coast blues, rhythm and blues |
| Occupation(s) | Guitarist, singer, songwriter, record producer |
| Instruments | Guitar, vocals |
| Years active | 1985–present |
| Labels | Black Top, Tone-Cool, M.C. |
| Associated acts | William Clarke, Johnny Dyer, Rod Piazza, Mavis Staples |
| Website | Official website |
Rick Holmstrom (born May 30, 1965) is an American electric blues and rhythm and blues guitarist, singer and songwriter. Holmstrom has previously worked with William Clarke, Johnny Dyer, and Rod Piazza. He is currently the bandleader for Mavis Staples. In addition, Holmstrom has played and recorded with Jimmy Rogers, Billy Boy Arnold, Booker T. Jones, Jody Williams, and R. L. Burnside.
One critic observed of Holmstrom, "he delivers music with technical savvy and traditional stylings, without sacrificing originality and pure adventure".
Rick Holmstrom was born on May 30, 1965 in Fairbanks, Alaska, United States, one of three children and the only son of Larry and Diane Holmstrom. His paternal grandfather, Francis O. Holmstrom, was a native of Everett, Washington who moved to Fairbanks during the early part of the middle 20th century and owned a jewelry store in downtown Fairbanks for many years. Holmstrom grew up in Fairbanks, where his father worked as a broadcaster and broadcasting executive, and also headed the Fairbanks office of the Governor of Alaska under governor Jay Hammond. After relocating to Southern California, and while attending college in Redlands, California, he joined a local blues group. Holmstrom also went to blues concerts, where he played guitar with Smokey Wilson and Junior Watson.
He joined William Clarke's backing band, and played both lead and rhythm guitar for three years up to 1988. That same year, Holmstrom suffered a significant tragedy in his family, as his father and one of his sisters were killed in a whitewater rafting accident in Alaska's Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. Later joining forces with Johnny Dyer, Holmstrom played on his albums, Listen Up (1994) and Shake It! (1995). He moved on to join Rod Piazza's backing group, the Mighty Flyers and, in 1996, released his first solo album, Lookout! on Black Top Records. It was an instrumental affair, about which one reviewer noted "Holmstrom's inventive ideas are top-notch, making each track stand mightily on its own".
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Wikipedia