Rick Cosgrove's facination with guitar music has never been limited to any one musical style. His belief that a true musician must draw from classical, jazz, rock, country or blues shines through during live performances. His influences cross a vast range from Neil Young and Johnny Cash to Earl Klugh and Chet Atkins. In 1992, Rick celebrated the nations industrial past with his "Steel Heritage" release. A collection of songs exploring the American immigrant life experience as he seeks opportunity working in the railroads, coal mines and steel mills during the 1800's.
Rick is the recipient of a Pennsylvania Rural Arts Foundation grant for this CD release and education program "AMERICAN DREAMS". His research materials used for writing the songs on "AMERICAN DREAMS" have been used in classroom study at the University of Notre Dame, Ed Mann School of Labor, Youngstown Ohio Steel Museum and Penn State University elderhostle program. The songs on "AMERICAN DREAMS" paint a broad portrait of the nations working class hero's including our industrial heritage (MAN OF STEEL), work place tragedy (DOWN IN THE HOLE), labor union's (BRETHEREN UNITE)and religious beliefs (PRAYERS). Rick recognizes the important family role with the lullabye (HOLD YOUR HAND) and a song about growing-up (OVER THE BRIDGE). While he has an impressive ability to pen a lyrical phrase, Rick Cosgrove also provides the listener with impressive instrumental performaces on the railroad song (WESTBOUND EXPRESS)and title cut(AMERICAN DREAMS), to complete his portrait of the American working class landscape.
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