Since October 2008 Richard plays again with the 29 Strings. He sometime plays with Holland and Slovak band of WaterFlow and Fragment to.
He played with Valerie Smith and the Liberty Pike (USA) on their European tour in 2006. His beginnings are related to the band of 29 Strings (1998-20020 but you could see him playing also with the groups of the Veget Band (1999 - 2000) and The Earthquake (2001). During the past years he played with the Czech and Slovak band Fragment (2002-2005).

Richard was born in 1978 in Bratislava, but his home is in Pezinok. He happened to come into contact with bluegrass music in a scout troop where he also learns to play the guitar. Richard got a guitar, his first instrument, at the age of 13 as a Christmas present from his father. When he was 15, he got fascinated by banjo and he spent his first earnings for purchasing this instrument.

Richard’s beginnings were influenced by banjo players Palo Ochaba and Jano Bratinka. Later he together with Peter Balaz started to musically experiment and study American recordings. Among these ideals were Flatt & Scruggs, J.D.Crowe, later on Alison Krauss and Union Station, Blue Highway, Bela Fleck, Jim Mills, Tom Adams, Doyle Lawson, Quicksilver a many others.

Since 1998 Richard has been organizing bluegrass nights called “Bluegrass Session” in Pezinok. In 1999 he co-founded the Slovak Bluegrass Association (SkBMA) and from 2000 until 2005 he was its president. In 2001 Richard founded his own agency Velvet Music which helps bluegrass bands release their recordings. Till now the agency has helped in realization of 15 projects.

On the basis of the SkBMA inquiry Richard received the prize for the best banjo player in 1999 and 2000 and the band of 29 Strings, in which he played, was proclaimed to be the best bluegrass band in the same years. In 2004 the Fragment band receives “European Group #1” at the EWOB Festival in Holland.

In 2001 and 2002 Richard recorded and produced CDs of 29 Strings, The Earthquake and a sample CD of eight Slovak bands called “Over In The Gloryland” for the SkBMA. In 2003, Richard recorded a CD “Meant To Be” and in 2005 a CD “The Way to Your Heart”, both with the Fragment band. In June 2004 he released his first solo album called New Gallop under the brand of the Velvet Music and 2008 he finished second solo album called Rainy Day.

© 2009 Rapkac (All Rights Reserved. No Unauthorized Duplication of Any Content Allowed)