The Ricky J Taylor Combo

This band of award winning musicians performs a blend of original folk/americana music and traditional fiddle tunes. All delivered with high level musicianship and great stage presence.

The Ricky j Taylor Combo performs original music which is multi-genre and includes elements of folk, traditional country, bluegrass and even chamber music. They mix in a few covers as well. Based in Huntsville, Alabama, Ricky’s songs are grounded in the southern traditions where music is sincere and born from matters of the heart. The songs often reflect a universal search for meaning by illuminating the human condition; capturing emotions that are sincere, cathartic, sad or uplifting. All done through highly articulate lyrics and musical arrangements. They also feature traditional instrumental tunes.

During his lengthy career, Ricky has recorded two full-length albums of original music and has appeared on national TV and festivals across the US. He toured with bluegrass great Claire Lynch prior to forming his band “The Live Roots Ensemble” and most recently “The Ricky j Taylor Combo”. He has gained an endorsement from Gallagher Guitars as a singer-songwriter and is a Featured Artist. In 2017, he was nominated Best Male Solo Act in the Rockin' City by Huntsville Alabama’s (link hidden). Ricky is a member of the Last Honky Tonk Music Series based in Morgan City La. In addition to his Combo, Ricky fronts bluegrass band “Walker Street Opry” and retro-country band “The Lost Troubadours”.

Ricky is joined by Jesse Lindsey Smith on bass and vocals, Rick Rorex on mandolin and vocals and Andy Kruspe on percussion and Melodica.

Jesse plays multiple instruments including the piano, guitar, and bass and is a singer/songwriter. Some of her fondest childhood memories were sitting on the piano bench beside her grandmother learning to sing harmony. Jesse's early musical influences gravitated to powerful female vocalists across many genres such as Dinah Washington, Ella Fitzgerald, Linda Ronstadt, and Sonya Isaacs. She was also captivated by the beauty of intertwining harmonies commonly heard in church hymns and southern gospel music, so it is no surprise those early influences pour out of her today.

Rick Rorex is a highly accomplished mandolin player. His early mandolin influences were Emmylou Harris, Country Gentlemen, Seldom Scene, Bill Monroe and Doyle Lawson. Rick got his first experience as a professional musician playing with James Monroe and his Midnight Ramblers. James' group at the time included the legendary musicians Uncle Josh Graves on dobro, Monroe Fields on bass and Mark Rayborn on Banjo. During this time, Rick had the opportunity to play a few shows with the great Mac Wiseman.
In the mid 1980’s, Rick recorded a solo mandolin instrumental project called Old Friends and New Trends with progressive guitarist Al Smith, Banjoist Mark Rayborn and the late great Fiddle player Randy Howard. This recording contained a mixture of fiddle tunes, swing and dawg tunes. As a follow up to this recording, Rick, Mark Rayborn, Al Smith, and Randy Smith formed a group and played many gigs in and around the Chattanooga and Atlanta areas. This group's repertoire was focused on new acoustic music. Following this group, Rick played in the band Acoustics with Mark Rayborn, Neal Nichols, Bobby Burns and a young guitarist Kenny Smith.

In 1994, Rick won the National Mandolin Contest in Winfield Kansas. Shortly after, he published an instructional book called Mandolin Tunes and Techniques capturing many of the arrangements and solos from his competition years.

Andy Kruspe Is A Freelance Percussion Instructor And Bodhrán Player From Huntsville, Alabama. He Has Performed With Several Groups Throughout The Southeastern United States, Including Black Market Haggis, Mithril, Candace Corrigan, The Liminal Duo, And 2nd Breakfast, Milltowne, And The Cold Turkeys. Andy Is Also Active As A Bodhrán Teacher And Clinician. He Has Taught At Several Workshops And Clinics In The United States And Ireland, Including The O'Flaherty's Irish Music Retreat (Midlothian, Texas, USA), The Fiddle And Pick Irish Music Weekend (Pegram, Tennessee, USA), Craiceann (Inis Oírr, Ireland), And Búla Buzz’s Paddy’s Buzz 2021 (Online From Portlaoise, Ireland). Andy Has Written Four Method Books For The Drum- First Steps: A Beginner's Guide To The Bodhrán, The Bodhrán Primer, Playing The Tune: Techniques For Accompanying Irish Traditional Music On The Bodhrán, And In Session + One (With Scottish Bodhrán Player Martin O’Neill).

Prefer minimum of 15 x 20 stage area, 12 channel PA system. Can be provided by the band wt small additional fee (of course!).