Richard Gilewitz

“At turns mesmerizing, playful, humorous and wistful, Gilewitz is a master of moods when he speaks to audiences through his guitar. He's always at the service of his inner voice, which has a sneaky way of connecting directly to the listener's heart.” -- Creative Loafing Magazine

"I actually wanted to be a drummer.” Richard will tell you. “Five minutes after my folks heard that news, they bought me a guitar.” Luckily for the rest of us, Richard quickly found a teacher, discovered John Fahey and Leo Kottke (to whom he mailed his broken thumbnail), and most importantly, his father loved the music. Richard’s innate musical gift was quickly apparent, demonstrated by his composition of a song so lyrical and inspiring only four years after picking up that first guitar that his hero Kottke recorded the final portion as “Echoing Gilewitz” on A Shout Toward Noon (and kept the thumbnail!).

Richard is a fingerstyle master; he follows Joni Mitchell in a ranking of best fingerstyle guitarists…ever. If she could only hear his rendition of Both Sides Now! What truly sets him apart is the breadth of his musical choices and inspirations (Bach to Led Zeppelin anyone?) and the emotional tone he elicits from every piece, regardless of the clip at which a tune is played. He was once told that every note is an individual in a society of notes and must be treated as such, giving unmatched depth and nuance to his musicianship. A CD reviewer noted that “Richard’s tunes breathe and have space; you can take a nap between notes” …in the best possible way. Having learned from his long-time teacher David Walbert that musicians don’t usually know how to use silence in music, Richard prefers to let a tune sit like a dream in the listener’s hands. Imagine accomplishing that kind of gentle airiness when chasing notes like runaway horses in Jack Fig!

Of course it isn’t just the music. When was the last time you wondered if flies have necks? Or heard a story (and then a song) about the smallest penguins in the world vomiting en masse under the floorboards above which Richard was performing? Even Near Death Experiences are given the Gilewitz treatment after a friend envisioned becoming a robot in the next life; thus was born Richard’s tune Mr. Sputnik. Richard entertains as only Richard can, with a unique combination of spellbinding fingerstyle mastery and hilarious commentary on life, the universe, and everything in between.

Growing up in Cherry Hill, New Jersey and Huntsville, Alabama, Richard embraced such diverse artists as The Beatles, Andres Segovia, Kraftwerk, Leo Kottke, J.S. Bach, Arlo Guthrie, John Fahey, and Flatt & Scruggs and soaked up a wealth of inspiration at Renfro Valley festivals, “The Dr. Demento Radio Show,” “Don Kirshner's Rock Concert,” and Wolfman Jack’s “The Midnight Special.” Strongly influenced by this musical mishmash, Richard is now recognized as a true thought leader in adapting many styles to the acoustic guitar. Martial arts was a concomitant passion; Richard earned his Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do as a high school senior and now watches UFC fights religiously from his couch with a big bowl of popcorn…butter, no salt.

Richard began honing his skills as a composer and performer a million years ago in the late ‘70s at the University of Alabama, playing the local coffeehouse circuit in an inexcusable pinwheel cap and Birkenstock knock-offs while serving as the university’s lead martial arts instructor and pursuing degrees in Computer Science, Mathematics, and Music. Following graduation, Richard placed his musical calling to the side and joined the world of flight simulation design, telemetry, satellite systems, ill-fitting suits, and ugly neckties. By some confusion in the Universal Order, he found himself as an Operations Supervisor under the umbrella of NASA at Goddard Space Flight Center.

The 1980’s found Richard in Florida still geeking it out in front of a computer screen while sneaking off to perform and record after hours. He released his first LP “Somewhere In Between” while being the Boss Man from 9 to 5. As a quirky dude, it was inevitable that the pull of performing won out over programming and audience adulation beat out aerospace anything. Thus was born a career that propelled him onto the international music scene and no looking back…well, maybe a little when the big bucks landed in the laps of the nerdy guys he had left back at the office. No worries though, Richard was always happy tossing down almonds and calling that a meal, spilling coffee on his shirt over endless bumpy road trips with Fahey and Kottke on endless 8-track repeat.

Richard is recognized worldwide as a spellbinding performer with a quirky take on everything around him. As the quintessential American in white socks and sneakers, Richard toured New Zealand 16 times, was featured on National TV and entertained the cast of Lord of the Rings at the famed Mussel Inn. He played Down Under eight times while never once encountering a spider, produced a live recording in Tasmania, is a repeat performer at Ireland’s Clonakilty International Guitar Festival, agreed to write monthly for UK Acoustic Magazine while attending the London Guitar Show, toured the European continent more times than he remembers, and entertained on the Orkney Islands which is not the end of the world although you can see it from there. Career highlights occurred on his own American soil, though, when Richard toured with his two greatest inspirations, John Fahey and Leo Kottke.

Richard’s output is impressive and crosses genres. He has released ten CDs and no two alike: solo and duet, live and full studio production, original compositions and covers. Industry leaders have flocked around him: in collaboration with Mel Bay Publications, Richard released Acoustic Fingerstyle Guitar Workshop; First Lessons: Fingerstyle Ukulele, “All Time Favorite Fingerstyle Guitar Tunes” and “Live at Charlotte's Web”. TrueFire has produced a large body of educational courses and interactive videos with Richard. He wrote regularly for Acoustic Magazine (UK), Ukulele Magazine (UK), and the L2P Network, and has been featured in Premier Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, and Fingerstyle Guitar trade rags. He runs Meet the Artist Clinics for some of the most prestigious names in the industry, including D’Addario, Shubb, L.R. Baggs, Breedlove, Peavey, and Audio-Technica.

Teaching is a craft as much as performing, and Richard has finetuned his freaky side to engage students around the globe. He is an invited master classes instructor at the acclaimed Interlochen Center for the Arts Acoustic Guitar Retreat, Elderly Instruments, and Sweetwater; leads groups of beginning and advanced players at his Gillacamp Guitar and Ukulele Workshops; brings communities together for lecture-style seminars and interactive clinics; and offers one-on-one instruction for the personal Gilla-experience in-person and online. The brave of heart and quick of finger take advantage of them all.

To the delight and astonishment of those who know him best, Richard is amazing with children and teaches privately and at his Avenues for Success educational programs for school-based youngsters who often wonder why he shaves just the top of his head or fear that they may use the wrong shampoo and end up like him. His students range from those so young they haven’t yet grown bones in their fingers to those so old he helps hold their finger bones down on the fretboard. And without exception, they love him for it.

Richard has never been one to settle for the boring or mundane, even when sharing the stage with famous normal folks like Stephen Housden of the Little River Band, The California Guitar Trio, John McCutcheon, John Renbourn, Mose Allison, Harry Anderson, John Fahey, Steve Morse, Richard Lewis, America, Kenny G., Warren Zevon, Louie Anderson, Norman Blake, Leo Kottke, The Indigo Girls, and John Hammond…even opening for Beatlemania and entertaining crowds at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta.

As one of the top fingerstyle guitarists of all time, Richard invariably captivates listeners and students with uniquely emotional interpretations of romping knucklebusters and contemplative tunes reimagined for steel strings. He credits his ability to pull the deepest breath out of a tune to having studied for decades with a classical guitarist, who was taught by a violinist who played alongside Albert Einstein. That is Richard in a nutshell…unusual, unique, surprising, and a
master of fingerstyle guitar.

Find Richard on his YouTube channel, Facebook, Instagram, and your favorite streaming service. His recordings are available for purchase at his concerts and Bandcamp.

“Ear-boggling!” -The Washington Post

”His performance style is very crisp and precise, allowing the personality of the music to shine through.” - Dirty Linen Magazine

“His quick wit and twisted sense of humor has made him an entertainer as well as a fine guitarist.” - Fingerstyle Guitar