Rick Dakotah

About me:

My BIO....I was "Elected" to the "American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers" in 1998. I write, arrange, engineer, & produce my works in my ASCAP licensed home studio................... Music has always been what I have been in to. Not from a Performers/Artists view, but from the creative side. When I was five or so I was surrounded by Artists and Performers of all sorts. It totally had me hooked. I played air guitar and beat on boxes for drums, and completely envisioned myself doing something along that line.. Around then I was introduced to, and had a bit part in a major theater production, but acting wasn't my real drive. I was given the choice while sitting in the dressing room of the main performers, of what I would want to do for my life. I chose composer/writer! I wanted to be the one who wrote the stuff for them, either as lines/plays etc. or the music score. My sister was subjected to many of my creations. She was an eager student/ actress/ singer/ stagehand/ etc.etc. Music was not a part of my upbringing as far as learning an instrument. Listening was though! I was saturated with Classical music. Everyone in my family played Classical music. From French Horns, to Harps, to Pianos, to Recorders, to singing it. If that wasn't enough we all did Ballet. We spent many nights at rehearsals. And..wearing tights and a skimpy shirt were also a part of my get up later. In school I was a gymnastics freak, and when not in school, if I had had my way..I'd have looked like Alice Cooper!) Fortunately though for me and others I guess, I discovered other forms of excitement. In the haze and fury of my life, I caught flashes of real music going on. The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, David Bowie, The Who, The Doors, The RollingStones, and countless other people doing what I wanted to do. Then I found myself in England. My world changed from then on. I was engulfed in the whole music scene from all over Europe. I had my ears glued to my radio. And with it, under my pillow at Boarding schools, ..I would take in the world of music as I slept. I listened to everything under the sun. Even Classical music! But mostly Jazz and Pop. What I wanted to hear was heavy guitar stuff but it was not on the radio. It was a kind of music people didn't put on the air to much. But it was available underground and that's where I began to dig it up. On my off times from school I'd rummage thru my brothers record collections. What fun! Then it happened! One of my brothers had begun to play the electric guitar as I discovered one day. I tinkered with it without permission and next thing I knew I had to have one. I finally acquired one, .. although I was not encouraged to pursue this violation of the family code!!! One day while crossing a village street that went through my school. ..A friend and I saw coming up the road a van with tons of stuff written all over it. It was a Major Artist and band going to a festival near by. I was on crutches at that time and preceded to cross the road and pretended to have a very hard time. They didn't stop and pick me up and take me with them (sigh) but it was cool and it changed my life... Anyway, Life again took hold and I returned to the States. Travel is a thing I like to do, and so I took off towards Maine to build a cabin in the woods. It didn't go that way and I found myself wondering what else to do. I was hitching and this elderly woman said "go west young man". Well I did just that. I hitched half way across the country, then I decided it would be cooler to ride the freight trains. ..I did this for another year stopping and surviving in most major cities and mountains and woods. Without any money. People are generous and I was willing to work if need be. I was only harassed and robbed by the U.S authorities! Other than that, life was fun. I learned a lot about myself and this country. But music was still pestering me from inside. One day many years later the music bug bit me again. I grabbed my guitar and started to play... I just played whatever came into my head. I would put my fingers on the guitar and feel around till I liked what I heard. I was playing songs! I did this for years. It was amusing. I was never bored and never heard an old song again. I began to record my creations on tape machines, which people were saying I should do at the time. It started like that and soon I had tapes and tapes of stuff. It was still just a means to not have to hear songs over and over on the radio... My recordings got better as my equipment got better. It really took off when I received a Multi-track. ..I could do full songs then! But, I would have to learn how to use the other instruments to do it. I acquired many instruments from then on. It got so bad that I had rooms of instruments. Each of them becoming apart of my world. They all had songs that needed to be heard. Eventually..I sold and traded most everything except my choice few. ...What did I do next. I let my fingers do the creating again. To make the story short...it all brings me here!..... I do MUSIC AND ARTWORK. I was "ELECTED" to MEMBERSHIP in 'ASCAP' 1998. ..................................I have Seventeen albums out in the world today. I'm always busy doing something. I wake at around 3:00am everyday jump in a kayak, go for a 5 mile burn or so, and return to my computer for promotion and fan emails etc. (That's the spring, summer, fall routine) My day then is decided by the way I feel. I either do music or Artwork. In between I do computer work, hanging out in the woods and mountains, or flower gardening. So my days are long and full. But everything I do is fun, fun, fun. It all makes for this....I'm just where I've always wanted to be. Living in a one horse town, on a pond, in the mountains, doing what I do......... ...Of course my dreams of my own Castle are still there! :) .. Anyone for tea? Jolly good show, and all that rubbish. lol. www.RickDakotah.com. :) Thanks to all my fans worldwide! :) Rock on Rick Here is a sampling of my artwork.... ..