Drawing from a multitude of influences ranging from
elegant classical and jazz styles to the rawest, most basic blues, country
and soul, Radoslav Lorkovic has taken on an unusually broad musical spectrum
and refined it into his distinctive piano stlye. His tenure on the R&B
and folk circuits has culminated in five critically acclaimed solo recordings
and numerous appearances on the recordings of and performances with artists
including Odetta, Jimmy LaFave, Ribbon of Highway Woody Guthrie Tribute, Greg Brown, Richard Shindell, Ellis Paul, Dave Moore, Andy White and Bo Ramsey.
His twenty year touring career has led him from the taverns of the upper
Mississippi River to the castles of Italy, The Canary Islands, The Yup'ik villages of Alaska
and Carnegie Hall.
Born in Zagreb, Croatia in 1958, Lorkovic's initial
exposure to music can be attributed to two grandmothers. Antonija Bujas,
his maternal Grandmother, sang him Croatian, Slovenian and Czech folk
songs since birth. At age one he was reported to be singing back on pitch.
By age three he was putting on floor shows for his grandfather and friends
who would respond by showering him with coins yelling "pivaj Radoslav
pivaj!" During this time classical music played in the home constantly
due to the influence of his paternal grandmother Melita Lorkovic, a internationally
renown classical pianist. After this blend of central European musical
influences Radoslav moved to the United States at age six. He had a foothold
on a classical music career when at age fourteen he was sidetracked by
a blues scale that a friend had taught him.
After several years and countless hours of expounding
on this spark, Lorkovic began touring at age 20 with Bo
Ramsey and the Sliders. Lorkovic entered the band having mastered
the styles of boogie-woogie greats such as Albert Ammons, Pete Johnson,
Freddie Slack etc.. Ramsey's influence drove Lorkovic deeper to the core
of the blues. The music of Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters and Little Walter
shifted Lorkovic's focus to the basics as he began to draw from the styles
of Otis Spann and Pinetop Perkins. Several years later Lorkovic
and Ramsey joined forces with Greg
Brown adding musical authenticity to his deep Iowa Roots. At this
time Lorkovic was simultaneously brushing up on his classical heritage
and looking south to the polyrhythmic sounds of Professor Longhair and
James Booker. He had picked up Tex-Mex and Zydeco accordion as well. In
1990 he made his solo recording debut. Six CDs later, Lorkovic currently
tours the world regularly appearing at prestigious events such as
the Woody Guthrie Festival, Womad, Winnipeg Folk Festival, Falcon Ridge Folk Festival, Mountain Stage, Prairie Home Companion as well as a litany of Italian castles and villas.
Ciao Radoslav Hopkins ,Thank you for the add and the friendship. you are very good, I like your stupendous music a lot,and stupendous voice. you are fantastic ..really. talk to you soon, and all of my best wishes to always listen to your good music. all the best.. from italy neal
Ciao Radoslav , Thank you for the add and the friendship. you are very good, I like your music and the splendid voice. talk to you soon, and all of my best wishes to always listen to your good music. all the best.. from italy neal
Hey, It's Dave Clupper. If I haven't told you thank you for your support yet, thank you! Check out the video below for a live clip shot from Downtown Tulsa with my daughter Ellen. Also, stop by my profile and enjoy a majority of my new record "Letting Go" released earlier this month. If you want to own a copy, look for the Buy Now Button on my profile or to just own a track, visit iTunes by clicking here. Talk soon!
Radislav, once again you amazed us at the Ribbon of Highway stop in Tampa last night. Whenever you stepped out from behind the ivories or played so beautifully playing them, I looked to my girlfriend and we both were just beaming. You have that affect. Hurry back, please.
It is I who bows down to you. Your music is exquisite. Saw you for the first time last night at the Woody Guthrie gig. My husband and I were blown away by the entire show...but you in particular, were mesmorizing.