Andy Rau

Andy Rau was born and raised in Southern California and has been performing professionally since 1975. He began his career as the in-house banjo player at Knott's Berry Farm amusement park in his hometown of Buena Park. During that twelve-year period, he performed in a host of musical situations including bluegrass bands, country rock bands, and a variety of stage productions.

Along with concert halls, fairs, and music festivals Andy has also worked at Disneyland, Magic Mountain, Universal Studios, Six Flags Magic Mountain, Sea World, Paramount Studios, Disney Studios, and Burbank Studios, and has recorded in the studio for movies and television. He was also the founder, songwriter, and front man for the Andy Rau Band, bluegrass influenced folk-rock unit, which has toured across the United States and Canada for thirty-six years.

Andy’s solo shows feature a 5-string banjo, guitar, and vocals covering songs from his five albums plus some new compositions as well as traditional songs.

In the mid-'90s his band’s first CD On The Horizon was released followed a few years later by Different Man and Penny Moon. With the success of these albums, the band began to receive airplay and reviews from around the world. These were followed by Higher Ground and Simple Man. He has endorsements with The Deering Banjo Company, GHS Strings, Kavanjo banjo pickups, and ProPik finger picks. Feature articles have appeared in magazines such as Acoustic Musician, Frets, Bluegrass Unlimited, Bass Player, and Banjo Gazette (Great Britain).

Andy also enjoys sharing his expertise on the banjo and is open to taking students from all skill levels and musical interests: from complete beginners to advanced students looking for in-depth training in Scruggs style bluegrass banjo.