Kevin T. Richards Bio / Overview
Kevin T. Richards is recognized by the Ohio Arts Council as a master artist in the Country blues guitar styles. Kevin is multi-instrumentalist and vocalist specializing in pre-war acoustic blues, ragtime, and traditional jazz. He plays an array of instruments and is recognized for his expertise in playing the guitar, and plays the fiddle, banjo, and mandolin. He has entertained audiences across the United States for over forty years.
Kevin is the founder of the American Roots quintet, “Bent String”, with a focus on early jazz, acoustic blues, roots country and original songs.
www.bentstringmusic.com
Kevin is the founder of “SpYder Stompers”, a prewar country blues string band quartet that was included in the Ohio Arts Council’s Ohio Artists on Tour directory.
www.spyderstompers.com
Kevin is also is the lead guitarist for the Gypsy jazz band, Hot Djang!, specializing in the music of Django Reinhardt.
He also plays Freddie Green-style guitar with the Night Owls, an 11-piece orchestra and with George Foley and his Rhythm with both groups focusing on the works of Fats Waller, Duke Ellington and early 20th century jazz.
Early Career
Kevin began his formal training at Cleveland State University, where he studied classical music, music theory, composition, and harmony. He studied under various teachers, including Jazz guitar with John Stebel and Lee Bush, Country guitar with Denny Earnest, Rock guitar with Bill Jeric (from the James Gang), and Ragtime and Piedmont guitar with Andy Hazen.
While attending college, he was offered a job as a music salesman and a teaching job. He worked as a music instructor teaching various guitar styles at the Dick Lurie Guitar Studios in Cleveland Heights from 1976 – 1986, Dick Lurie Studios was the local hub for guitar players, teachers and provided many public guitar concerts
Kevin learned from blues master Robert Lockwood Jr and Robert had a big impact on Kevin. Robert performed on Monday nights at the Flipside bar in Cleveland Heights. Robert was the stepson of Robert Johnson. Kevin studied Robert’s six and twelve string tunes and focused on the 1941 recordings, including the blues tracks, Little Boy Blue, Black Spider Blues and Take a Little Walk with Me.
As a guitar student of Kevin’s, I have witnessed first-hand his virtuosity in styles of playing and his ability to provide just the right advice for the struggling student. When my son was in high school, Kevin taught my son to play guitar and that has been a gift that my family continues to treasure.
Finally, let me say that it is hard to imagine anyone easier to work with than Kevin. In short, I am a fan.
Finally, let me say that it is hard to imagine anyone easier to work with than Kevin. In short, I am a fan.
Paul Lauritzen
Board Chair,
Roots of American Music
Board Chair,
Roots of American Music
Working Musician & Performances
He has performed at the National Folk Fest, two times at MerleFest in Wilkeboro, North Carolina, and at the Brooklyn Folk Festival in 2014 in Brooklyn New York.
Recognized for his strengths in traditional art form, the Augusta Heritage Week in Elkins, West Virginia hired him to be on staff for their Blues week in 2004 and again for Swing and Blues week in 2006.
He has performed many times at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, including four times at its American Master Series; and at Rock Hall conferences focusing on Woody Guthrie, Robert Johnson, Lead Belly, and Jimmie Rodgers.
He has also performed at the Robert Ebert Film Festival. Recent performances include the Lake Erie Folk Festival 2023, The Hessler Street Fair 2024, the Wood Choppers Ball, the Kent State Blues Festival 2024, and the Kent America Festival in 2025.
As a performer, he has shared the stage with Grammy Award winner and Blues Hall of Fame member John Hammond, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee Jorma Kaukonen, National Heritage Fellowship recipient Howard Armstrong, and Blues Hall of Fame member Robert Lockwood Jr.
Kevin's Music
He has released four CDs: The First String Band (1995), One Night at the Spider (1997), SpYder Stompers I’ll Be Rested When the Roll is Called (2014), and SpYder Stompers Shore Acre Sessions, all of which feature pre-war acoustic blues and ragtime, as well as traditional string band music.
Kevin has competed at the national fingerstyle guitar championship at the Walnut Valley Festival in Winfield Kansas.
He was a First-Place winner in the Burton, Ohio guitar competition at the Raccoon County Music Festival, and was the recipient of the Northern Ohio Live community music award for his community planning for the 2000 Folk Alliance Conference.
He has competed on the stage three times at the Appalachian String Band Festival in Clifftop, West Virginia
I've studied guitar with Kevin off and on for over 30 years. I've studied with other amazing guitarists as well. But Kevin's breadth and depth of knowledge and musical repertoire is unparalleled in my opinion. If you want to take your guitar playing to the next level, you couldn't find a better mentor.
Bicknell Robbins
Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City, Utah
Teaching & Educational Programs
Kevin has taught guitar and mandolin for more than four decades in the Cleveland area and has provided teaching and mentorship for two generations of students. He is actively sought out as a teacher for his master roots skills and mastery of guitar styles and maintains a private teaching studio.
As an administrator, Kevin founded the Fairmount School of Music in 1988 to bring private music instruction to the community. Today the music school has partnered with Musicologie Cleveland Heights.
As a Clinician, he has conducted workshops on a recurring basis at MerleFest, the Augusta Heritage Festival, the Lake Erie Folk Festival, and the Kent State Folk Festival; and has also conducted workshops at the National Folk Festival and Great Lakes Folk Festival. He has participated in the Old-Time Fiddlers’ Convention and many other music-related events.
Kevin was hired by the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1997 to create an outreach and education program. Here, he helped with the creation and oversight of Blues in the School program until 2000, which was showcased in a documentary called Keeping the Music Alive. He has served as a teacher and/or teaching artist for other organizations in the area including Roots of American Music and Fairmount School of Music and created and oversaw the Roots of Rock program at Ruffing Montessori School.
Talent is something special and, often, illusory to those without it. Even more special and rare is finding a talented person who effectively can impart some of this talent to others. Kevin Richards is this sort of teacher: gifted, accessible, knowledgeable, and generous.
Michael Weil
Former Development Director,
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
Former Development Director,
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
Founder,
Roots of American Music
In 1999, he founded Roots of American Music (ROAM), as a 501C/Non-Profit, with a vision to preserve, present and educate through American Roots Music. ROAM provides outreach to the community bringing roots music programming and education to diverse audiences Kevin launched the education programs Stop the Hate and Youth Sing-Out in partnership with the Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage. Other programs include Blues is the Backbone for grades K – 3 and the Buckeye Bicentennial.He served as ROAM’s CEO and Artistic Director for 22 years.
In addition to the many educational programs he has produced, Kevin produced and directed "First Voice, Ohio" a documentary shown statewide on PBS and was selected for showing in the Cleveland International Film Festival.
This is a documentary produced by Kevin for WVIZ-TV/PBS in Cleveland, Ohio.
PLEASE NOTE:
Clicking on the link/thumbnail above will open a new web page and take you directly to the WVIZ/PBS Website.
PLEASE NOTE:
Clicking on the link/thumbnail above will open a new web page and take you directly to the WVIZ/PBS Website.
Over 20 years ago, Kevin secured funding for the first Roots of American Music program developed for the Cleveland Metropoitan School District. Not only is Kevin a top notch musician, he also has strong organizational skills and the ability to motivate groups of artists to collaborate on programs.
Jack Dialesandro
Classroom Artist since ROAM's Beginning
Classroom Artist since ROAM's Beginning