You’ve never heard a tale like that of guitarist Rick Deitrick. A product of the ’60s, Rick went from playing the accordion as a kid in Ohio to joining a rock band and performing at love-ins throughout Southern California. Once he found a $100 Yamaha acoustic at a pawn shop, his life took a new turn: He’d take his guitar (sans case) out on hikes and create acoustic instrumentals influenced by his surroundings. The byproduct of these hikes was a series of self-released albums, now reissued as a boxed set by Tompkins Square Records.
Quirky backstory aside, it’s gorgeous music that has stood the test of time.
This interview has it all: 1960s love-ins, a cranky John Fahey, a two-foot-tall chipmunk, a guitar sacrificed in a fit of rage, and a musician who continues to march to the beat of his own drummer.
Learn more about Rick Deitrick’s ‘The Unguitarist: Complete Works, 1969-2022’ here:
https://tompkinssquare.bandcamp.com/album/the-unguitarist-complete-works-1969-2022
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