Shea hails from the gritty end of Route 66 in San Bernardino . The place used to be known for its sprawling honky-tonk scene, and he soaked up the local ambiance and took it to heart.
Shea started out playing folk on the coffeehouse circuit before gravitating to the country scene as a sideman. This on-the-job education translated into a solo career that's produced five albums and countless gigs at venues and festivals all over the country.
He's received rave reviews for his songwriting and playing and is hailed as a honky-tonk storyteller.
But this is honky-tonk with attitude.
Rick Shea cut his teeth in the Bars and Honky Tonks of San Bernardino where he grew up and has gone on to build a solid career for himself as a solo artist, singer, guitarist and songwriter. With 7 critically acclaimed albums and performances all over So Cal, the West Coast and across the country, Shea is equally at home with an acoustic guitar and a set of ballads and stories or with his worn old Telecaster burning through a set of rockin’ originals and a few Honky Tonk standards.
Shea’s songs embrace everything from Norteño and border rock to the more traditional folk and country music of California that he grew up with and have been compared to the songs of Tom Russell, Kate Wolf and Dave Alvin. Shea is a deeply evocative singer and a formidable guitarist and his albums have been called everything from “marvelous” to “stunningly good”.
As a “Guilty Man” Rick toured with Dave Alvin for 7 years, from Hollywood to Madison Square Garden, opening many of the shows and playing on most of Dave’s albums from that time including the Grammy winning “Public Domain”.
Shea’s played with a long list of other artists over the years including Los Lobos, Rosie Flores and R.E.M. and continues to do session work and shows in between his own performing and recording schedule.
Ricks latest album “Shelter Valley Blues” follows the journey of the dark title track through the more lighthearted Rockpile meets Tex-Mex romp of “Sweet Little Pocha” to the Irish tinged folk of “Ty Robby” with several other vivid and compelling stops along the way and has been called his “career album” and compared to early albums by The Band.
“When I first heard Merle Haggard, Bob Dylan and The Carter Family I understood the deep personal expression that was possible in a traditional song and over the years I’ve tried to write songs that in some way measure up to that”.
“Staunchly independent…represents the best of California music,” LAWeekly
“a storytellers sense of detail and more, a sense for which details to leave out,” OCWeekly
Hello Rick, I really enjoyed the feature 'The Cowboy's Sweetheart' presented on your music a couple of week's ago. Would love to see you in Byron Bay one day. Mary 'Mystery Train' www.bayfm.org
Hi Rick, thanks a ton for taking the time to listen to our tunes. Really appreciate it. Also a big thanks for the add. Hope you have a great weekend, take care!
God bless. Glad to be friend's. Hope we'll all meet someday. http:/cdbaby.com/cd/hddewitt Please do log in there&write YOUR own personal comment of hans's tune's....thank's. Later then..... Mrs.Dewitt
Thanks Rick. I'll try to make one of your shows while you are in Texas. Got the Sho Bud from Greg Leisz a while back. Still sounds exactly like him...yeh right.
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