Keeping that Traditional Bluegrass Sound Alive…
RICK OLDFIELD & COMPANY is one of the best new bluegrass bands to hit the scene in a long time and hails from Central Kentucky. This band has a sincere love and passion for that old time traditional sound that blends soulful harmony vocals with top-notch instrumentation and they do their best to play it in the style of the bluegrass forefathers.
Like Ralph, Rick’s ability to hit the right notes and chords make him a singer of new trailblazing proportions. Rick Oldfield grew up listening to “Old Style Mountain” music as he calls it, and around the age of 10, he found himself singing along with recordings of the Stanley Brothers and other bluegrass greats. Although the instruments he heard were played very well, Rick fell in love with the tight harmonies and soulful duets. He continued singing and in the early 1990’s began singing professionally. While a member of the Larry Fuller band, Rick found himself opening on occasion for the legendary Ralph Stanley. In 1997, Rick joined Ralph on stage in a duet paying homage to the all time great Stanley Brothers—a dream come true for Rick. After that momentous occasion, Rick never looked back, and has since performed with bluegrass greats Don Rigsby, Kenneth Davis, Ralph II, Danny Davis, James Price, Ferrell Stowe and Kathy Chiavola, among others.
In 2005, Rick formed Rick Oldfield & Co. and remains true to his mountain roots and strives to make his own mark in bluegrass music. Rick draws on the musical genius of the legendary Joe Isaacs to set the stage for a bluegrass experience like no other. Joe’s unique voice lends timber and distinction to the band’s traditional bluegrass sound that truly is a bluegrass enthusiast’s dream. Joining them on stage is well-known fiddler and session musician Steve Day, who also tours with Continental Divide; bluegrass veteran John Rigsby on mandolin and vocals, who has been a guest on countless albums with the great Ralph Stanley, Jeanie Stanley, James Alan Shelton, Jim Lauderdale and Ralph II; and rounding out the group is Donnie Tribble on bass, former member of “The Bluegrass Four” and “Kentucky Reign”; and brother Billy Tribble on banjo, who contributes as a songwriter on the band’s latest album “Weary Blues,” and has been hailed as “the hottest traditional banjo picker in the country.”
Rick Oldfield & Co. has performed at various arts centers including the University of GA-Athens, the Walhalla Civic Auditorium, the McKelvey Center, Kentucky on Stage, the Performing Arts Exchange, Richmond Arts Council, Renfro Valley’s Barn Stage, and countless bluegrass festivals around the nation.