Rick Franklin facts for kids

Frederick "Rick" Franklin was born on March 16, 1952. He is an American Piedmont blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. Piedmont blues is a special style of blues music. It started in the southeastern United States. Rick Franklin has released four music albums. He has worked with many other musicians. He also studies and teaches about blues music history.

Rick Franklin's Life and Music Journey

Rick Franklin was born in Alexandria, Virginia, in the United States. His family was a military family. This meant they moved around a lot when he was young. He lived in different parts of the United States and even in the United Kingdom.

In 1968, his father retired from the military. His family then settled down in Virginia. As a young person, Rick was inspired by many blues musicians. Some of these included Blind Blake, Mississippi John Hurt, and Big Bill Broonzy.

Rick later moved to Arlington County, Virginia, where he still lives. Since 1981, he has been playing his own style of Piedmont blues music. He performs at many local events, clubs, and music festivals. He has also played with famous blues musicians like John Cephas and John Jackson.

Besides performing, Rick Franklin teaches people how to play blues guitar. He has taught at special blues music workshops. These include the Euroblues Promotions Blues Week and the Port Townsend Blues Week. He also helped organize the first DC Blues Society Blues Festival.

Rick has played at many music festivals. These include the Washington Folk Festival and the Columbia Pike Blues Festival. He has also performed at the Old Songs Festival in New York. Sometimes, he plays by himself. Other times, he performs with harmonica player Phil Wiggins.

In 1998, Rick Franklin and Neil Harpe recorded an acoustic album. It was called Doin' The Dozens. The next year, Rick, Neil, and another musician named Usilton released Hokum Blues. They even appeared on local television. Since 2005, Rick Franklin and His Delta Blues Boys have played monthly in Arlington. This acoustic blues trio focuses on music from the 1920s and 1930s.

In 2007, Rick released his third album, Searching for Frank. This album showed he was a true blues music historian. He brought back the music of an old blues artist named Frank Stokes. His most recent album is Dancing With My Baby. It was released in 2013 and featured Tom Mindte.

Rick Franklin's Albums

Here are the music albums Rick Franklin has released:

See also

• List of Piedmont blues musicians