Earl Ricker lives in the greater Phoenix area. He has the pleasure and privilege of working with some very talented singers, musicians, and producers.
In his youth, Earl studied under William Edward Weber, a classical pianist and composer from Upper Michigan.
In 2009 Earl released two CD’s. The first was named God, and it contains contemporary Christian songs. The second CD was named Country and it contains songs written in the Country Genre. Many of the songs featured on this website are from the God and Country projects.
Earl has had the opportunity to work with the great Bill Whittington of Franklin Tennessee. Bill Whittington is an engineer and producer, who has worked with Amy Grant, Vanessa Williams, Faith Hill, Jessica Simpson, Michael Bolton, James Ingram, Whitney Houston, Luther Vandross and Michael W. Smith, among others. He is the co-owner of “The Givens House”, a recording studio located in Franklin, Tennessee.
Earl has also worked with Blair Masters. Blair is a very gifted session pianist who lives in Nashville. Blair has been a keyboard player and arranger for the past 20 years. He has played on records by Newsboys, Steven Curtis Chapman and Mercy Me. In addition, Blair has also toured as a keyboard player with artists such as Garth Brooks and Casting Crowns.
Drums on many of Earl’s songs are played by Chet McCracken. Chet is a former member and contributing songwriter of the legendary Doobie Brothers. He is amongst the most respected drummers in his field. As a member of the Doobies, Chet’s song “South Bay Strut” was nominated for a Grammy (“One Step Closer” CD). Chet has been involved with numerous musical projects featuring many of the music industry’s great musicians; Stevie Nicks, Rita Coolidge, Hank Williams, Jr., Tommy Tutone, Joe Walsh, Michael McDonald, Tyler Hilton, Tom Sheehan, Pat Boone and so many more.
You can learn more about Chet McCracken at http://www.chetmccracken.com/index.html
Jim Gray of Franklin Tennessee has worked with Earl on string arrangements for several of his songs. Jim is a freelance arranger, conductor, orchestrator, and producer.
Since 1990, Jim has worked with an impressive array of artists and groups including: New York Metropolitan Opera star Jeffrey Wells; R and B legends Patti LaBelle and Jonathan Butler; Gospel sensation Israel Houghton; Bluegrass legend Ricky Skaggs; and the Nashville Symphony Orchestra. He has conducted recording orchestras around the world – Indianapolis, Seattle, Los Angeles, Budapest, Prague, Czech Republic, and Beijing, China. He is the producer of the Day of Music at the Schermerhorn Music Center a free-to-the public annual event that draws thousands to see and hear a potpourri of music cultures and styles; including a free performance by the Nashville Symphony Orchestra.
You can learn more about Jim Gray at http://recordingmusicians.com/arrangers_info.php?uid=46
Jerry Kippola of Upper Michigan plays steel guitar and other stringed instruments on Earl’s songs. You can learn more about Jerry at http://www.myspace.com/jerrykippolamusic
