Richard Easley

Richard Easley has played classical guitar for over twenty years, while living in the land of Doc Watson and Clarence Ashley, with Bob Dylan in the tapedeck.  His second record, Friend of the People, blends guitar riffs from the blues and baroque, gypsies and jug bands with a warm, immediate voice (or set of voices) that delivers a unique but universal, authentic and inspiring perspective on life in modern day America.

On the record, Richard covers two traditional tunes, "Don't Let Your Deal Go Down" and "Ragged and Dirty", in very untraditional ways: the first a tour through the mind of a streetside prophet, long ago relegated to shouting warnings from the curb, still clinging to his confidence; the second a plaintive cry for comfort from the world that prophet told us all about.  The other fourteen songs are Richard's own: a set of character sketches, contemplations, soft cooings and hearty laughs - minimal and evocative.