Biography
Who is Ry Cooder?
Early life and education
Ryland Peter Cooder was born in Los Angeles, California, on March 15, 1947, to parents Emma and Bill Cooder. His mother's family had emigrated from Parma, Italy. He grew up in Santa Monica, California, and attended Santa Monica High School, where he graduated in 1964. During the 1960s, he briefly attended Reed College in Portland, Oregon.
Ry Cooder began playing the guitar at the age of three. When he was four years old, he suffered an accident involving a knife in his left eye and has worn a glass eye ever since.
Early music career and collaborations
Ry Cooder started his professional music path by performing with various groups. He was part of a pickup trio that included Bill Monroe and Doc Watson, where he played the banjo. He later applied banjo tunings and the three-finger roll to the guitar. He also worked with Taj Mahal and Ed Cassidy in the Rising Sons before joining Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band, playing on their album Safe as Milk.
Throughout the late sixties and seventies, Ry Cooder built a reputation as a skilled session musician. He contributed slide guitar and mandolin parts to recordings by major acts, including the Rolling Stones on their albums Let It Bleed and Sticky Fingers. He also recorded with artists such as Gordon Lightfoot, Randy Newman, and Van Morrison.
Solo albums and film scores
Ry Cooder released a series of solo albums through Warner Bros. Records and Reprise Records that explored traditional American genres like blues, folk, and gospel. His 1979 album Bop Till You Drop was the first popular music record released that was recorded digitally. It featured his hit cover version of Elvis Presley's song Little Sister.
As a composer, Ry Cooder wrote music for several film soundtracks, including Wim Wenders projects like Paris, Texas. He also produced the 1997 album Buena Vista Social Club, which featured traditional Cuban musicians and became a worldwide success, later inspiring a documentary film directed by Wim Wenders.
Birthday and age
Ry Cooder was born on March 15, 1947, which makes Ry 79 years old today. That birthday falls under the Pisces sign. Ry shares the date with 63 other famous people.
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