Album Notes

Walt Richards began performing while still in high school, having taken up guitar at age 15. Within a year he had added banjo - soon becoming one of southern California’s best known players - with multiple wins at the Topanga Banjo and Fiddle contest. He went on to tour nationally with various folk music groups in the 1960’s and to win an Emmy for musical arranging.

All along, Walt has taught and continues to teach bluegrass and frailing banjo, finger-style and flat-picking guitar, mandolin and autoharp to students who come from all over the southwest.

In addition to his instrumental talents and teaching skills, Walt's rich voice, harmonizing and arranging abilities have made him an extremely versatile performer. His active vocal repertoire includes 100s of folk songs, with a current emphasis on cowboy and train songs, which he performs with the group, Trails & Rails.

Walt is also a folklorist, with a wealth of information about the instruments and about the music produced on them. He has also been featured on teaching and demonstration videos and has performed in live theater with The Old Globe in San Diego.

Walt’s experiences as leader, composer, historian, multi-instrumentalist, lead singer and studio musician add to his groups’ diverse music choices and arrangements.

As he wrote, for the liner notes of this album:

"Music has been my life: playing; arranging; teaching. Certain melodies capture my attention and I have to learn them. Songs that I couldn't vocalize, I would try to arrange instrumentally - letting the guitar, or mandolin, or banjo - do the singing.

I love the tunes chosen for this CD. They provide memories, they inspire, they feed my soul. I hope that some of them may do the same for you." Walt