Ry Cooder facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ry Cooder
Cooder performing in June 2009
Background information
Birth name	Ryland Peter Cooder
Born	(1947-03-15) March 15, 1947 (age 78) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Origin	Santa Monica, California, U.S.
Genres	Americana roots rock folk blues Tex-Mex country gospel world music
Occupation(s)	Musician songwriter film score composer record producer writer
Instruments	Guitar bass mandolin bouzouki banjo slide guitar
Years active	1967–present
Labels	Warner Bros. Nonesuch Elektra
Associated acts	Taj Mahal Little Feat Lowell George Captain Beefheart Buena Vista Social Club Ali Farka Toure The Rolling Stones Carla Olson

Ryland Peter Cooder (born March 15, 1947) is an American musician, songwriter, and film music composer. He is also a record producer and writer. Ry Cooder plays many instruments, but he is most famous for his unique slide guitar playing. He loves traditional music and often works with musicians from different countries.

Cooder's solo music mixes many styles, like blues, folk, and rock. He has played with famous artists such as John Lee Hooker, the Rolling Stones, and Eric Clapton. He also helped create the album Buena Vista Social Club (1997), which became a huge worldwide hit. A Wim Wenders film about the musicians, also called Buena Vista Social Club (1999), was nominated for an Academy Award.

Rolling Stone magazine listed Cooder as one of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" in 2003. In 2011, he published a book of short stories called Los Angeles Stories.

Ry Cooder's Early Life

Ryland Peter Cooder was born in Los Angeles on March 15, 1947. His mother was of Italian heritage. He grew up in Santa Monica, California, and finished high school there in 1964. He started playing the guitar when he was only three years old. When he was four, he had an accident and lost sight in his left eye. He has used a glass eye ever since.

Ry Cooder's Music Career

Starting in the 1960s

Cooder first gained attention playing with Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band. He played on their 1967 album Safe as Milk. Before that, he worked with Taj Mahal in a band called the Rising Sons. Cooder also played with Randy Newman on his album 12 Songs.

During this time, Cooder joined Mick Jagger, Charlie Watts, and Bill Wyman from the Rolling Stones to record Jamming with Edward!. Cooder also played slide guitar for the 1970 movie soundtrack Performance. He also worked with Lowell George from Little Feat, playing slide guitar on the song "Willin'".

Music in the 1970s

In the 1970s, Cooder released many albums with Warner Bros. Records. These albums showed off his amazing guitar skills. He explored older music styles and gave them his own modern twist. For example, on his album Into the Purple Valley, he used unique instruments and arrangements for blues, gospel, and country songs. He even changed the speed of the cowboy song "Billy the Kid."

His 1979 album Bop Till You Drop was special because it was the first popular music album recorded using new digital technology. This album gave him his biggest hit, a cover of Elvis Presley's song "Little Sister". Cooder also played slide guitar on Van Morrison's 1979 album Into the Music. He also played guitar on Judy Collins' 1970 concert tour.

Film Music in the 1980s

Cooder has worked as a studio musician, playing on many other artists' albums. He has also created music for many movies. One famous movie he scored was Wim Wenders' Paris, Texas (1984). Cooder based the main song "Paris, Texas" on a blues song called "Dark Was the Night (Cold Was the Ground)". Musician Dave Grohl has said Cooder's music for Paris, Texas is one of his favorite albums.

Cooder's other movie music includes The Long Riders (1980), Southern Comfort (1981), and Streets of Fire (1984). He also helped with the guitar parts in the 1986 film Crossroads, which was about blues legend Robert Johnson. In 1988, Cooder produced an album for his backup singers Bobby King and Terry Evans. He played slide guitar on every song.

World Music in the 1990s

In the early 1990s, Cooder worked on two "world music" albums. These albums mixed traditional American music with music from India and Africa. For A Meeting by the River (1993), he teamed up with Indian classical musician V.M. Bhatt. His son, Joachim Cooder, also played percussion on this album.

In 1993, he worked with Malian musician Ali Farka Toure to record the album Talking Timbuktu. Both of these albums won a Grammy Award for 'Best World Music Album'. Cooder also worked with Tuvan throat singers for the music in the 1993 film Geronimo: An American Legend.

In the late 1990s, Cooder helped bring traditional Cuban music to a wider audience. He produced the Buena Vista Social Club (1997) album. This album became a global hit and helped restart the careers of some of Cuba's greatest musicians. Wim Wenders made a documentary film about these musicians, also called Buena Vista Social Club (1999). This film was nominated for an Academy Award.

Albums in the 2000s

Cooder's 2005 album Chávez Ravine was a tribute to a Latino neighborhood in Los Angeles that no longer exists. The album tells stories using real and imagined characters from the past. Cooder mixed different music styles from Los Angeles, like Latin pop and jazz, to bring the history of Chávez Ravine to life.

His next album, My Name Is Buddy (2007), tells the story of a cat named Buddy who travels the world with his friends. The album is like a story about working-class people in the early 1900s. My Name Is Buddy came with a booklet that had a story and drawing for each song.

Cooder also produced and played on an album for Mavis Staples called We'll Never Turn Back (2007). This album focused on Gospel songs from the civil rights movement. Cooder's album I, Flathead was released in 2008. It is about the drag racing culture of the early 1960s in southern California.

In 2009, Cooder performed in The People Speak, a documentary film. It used performances of letters and speeches from everyday Americans. Cooder played with Bob Dylan and Van Dyke Parks on the film, performing songs by Woody Guthrie.

Music in the 2010s

Cooder playing the electric bouzouki in August 2015

In June 2010, Cooder released the song "Quicksand." It tells the story of Mexicans trying to move to Arizona through the desert. Cooder's album Pull Up Some Dust and Sit Down, released in 2011, has songs with strong messages.

In 2011, he published a collection of short stories called Los Angeles Stories. The book is about people living in Los Angeles in the 1940s and 1950s. Many of the stories have a Hispanic theme and are about Latinos living in the city.

In 2012, Cooder released Election Special. This album was created to support the Democratic Party and President Barack Obama in the 2012 election.

On September 10, 2013, Cooder released Live in San Francisco. This album features his band, Corridos Famosos, including his son Joachim Cooder on drums. It was recorded during two live shows in San Francisco in 2011.

In 2015, Cooder toured with Ricky Skaggs and Sharon White, performing their "Music for The Good People" show. In 2018, Cooder released his first solo album in six years, The Prodigal Son. His son, Joachim, opened the shows and played drums on the tour. In 2019, he toured with Rosanne Cash in a tribute to Johnny Cash.

Music in the 2020s

On April 22, 2022, Cooder and Taj Mahal released an album together called Get on Board: The Songs of Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee.

Awards and Honors

• 1988 Grammy Award (Best Recording for Children) – Pecos Bill
• 1993 Grammy Award (Best World Music Album) – A Meeting by the River (with Pt. Vishwa Mohan Bhatt)
• 1994 Grammy Award (Best World Music Album) – Talking Timbuktu with Ali Farka Toure
• 1997 Grammy Award (Best Tropical Latin Performance) – Buena Vista Social Club
• 2003 Grammy Award (Best Pop Instrumental Album) – Mambo Sinuendo (with Manuel Galbán)
• 2003 Grammy Award (Best Traditional Tropical Latin Album) – for producing Buenos Hermanos by Ibrahim Ferrer
• 2000 – Honorary doctorate from Queen's University, Canada
• 2001 – Honorary doctorate from the California Institute of the Arts
• 2017 – BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards – Lifetime Achievement Award
• 2018 – Montreal International Jazz Festival – Spirit Award

Ry Cooder's Albums

Solo Albums

Compilation Albums

• Why Don't You Try Me Tonight (1986)
• River Rescue – The Very Best of Ry Cooder (1994)
• Music by Ry Cooder (1995) (two-disc set of film music)
• The Ry Cooder Anthology: The UFO Has Landed (2008)

Singles (Individual Songs)

• "He'll Have to Go" / "The Bourgeouis Blues" (1977)
• "Little Sister" / "Down In Hollywood" (1979)
• "Crazy 'Bout an Automobile (Every Woman I Know)" (Live) (1981)
• "Gypsy Woman"/ "Alimony" (1982)
• "Get Rhythm"/ "Get Your Lies Straight" / "Down in Hollywood" (1988)
• "Come Down" / "Get Rhythm" / "Little Sister" (1994)
• "Quicksand" (2010)

Collaborations (Albums with Other Artists)