Richard Ray Farrell

Richard Ray Farrell (born 1956) is an American electric blues musician, singer and songwriter. Farrell has released ten albums in his own name to date, and has toured widely over a career that started in the mid-1970s.

Life and career Farrell was born in Niagara Falls, New York, but left home after his graduation, backpacking his way across Europe. He found 'work' as a busker on the Paris Métro.

In 1978, he briefly fronted a Spanish blues-rock band in Spain, and lived with a gypsy family for six months. After becoming a father in 1985, he relocated to Stuttgart, Germany, and played with a local blues band. In 1987, Richard opened for Joe Cocker at the Backnang Open Air Festival. Two years later he led his own Richard Ray Farrell Band, and started touring across Europe. Through connections he toured with Lazy Lester, Big Jack Johnson, Big Boy Henry, Louisiana Red, Frank Frost and R. L. Burnside between 1990 and 1993, during which time Farrell released his debut album, Live in Germany (1992). In 1993, he formed an outfit known as Street Talk, but the members lived across the Northern Hemisphere, making commitment impossible. Farrell returned to both solo acoustic performances and playing with his electric blues trio. In 1995, Farrell and Jimmy Carl Black formed the Farrell and Black Band, who recorded two albums for Stormy Monday Records, Cataract Jump (1996) and Black Limousine (1999). Camino de Sanlucar (2009) was recorded in Seville, Spain. In 2013, Farrell issued At Cambayá Club, a live album with Farrell providing guitar, harmonica and vocals throughout. Shoe Shoppin’ Woman (Blue Beet, 2014) is his most recent offering, and contained cover versions of Elmore James' "Wild About You", and Snooks Eaglin's "If I Could".

Farrell's favorite statement is "The blues will never die because it's not a fad, it's more a way of life."