Ry Cooder • Interview, 2014
Special Programs
•
1h 2m
Ry Cooder offers insight on his wide-ranging musical influences and his extensive catalog of albums during this September 19, 2014, interview at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, held during the Americana Music Association conference.
After a sample of Cooder’s recording of “Goodnight, Irene” is played, the Grammy-winning singer-guitarist tells author Barry Mazor about discovering Norteño music and seeking out accordion player Flaco Jiménez to collaborate.
Cooder also shares memories of listening to a country station based in Santa Monica, California, as a boy, and pretending to be sick so he could stay home from school and play his guitar along with the songs he heard. When the station would go off the air at night, he says, he would strum to a Woody Guthrie record. He also credits Blind Boy Fuller with inspiring him musically as a young man.
As the conversation continues, Ry Cooder elaborates on an early musical collaboration with Taj Mahal called Rising Sons, reminisces about the legendary musicians he saw at a small folk club in West Hollywood, and shares his experiences as a studio musician, a film composer, and producer of the 1997 album “Buena Vista Social Club.”
The program concludes with Cooder speaking about his continued work, including projects with the Haden Triplets and Sam Outlaw.
FOR MORE
Explore the Museum’s public programming: https://countrymusichalloffame.org/plan-your-visit/exhibits-activities/public-programs/
FOLLOW THE MUSEUM
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/OfficialCMHOF/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/countrymusichof/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/countrymusichof
Up Next in Special Programs
-
Elizabeth Cook, Mary Gauthier, and Ab...
Elizabeth Cook, Mary Gauthier, and Abigail Washburn explore their musical roots and their approach to songwriting in this September 8, 2010, program at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, hosted by author Jewly Hight. The panelists—all of whom are featured in Hight’s 2011 book, “Right By H...
-
Preservation Through Production, Sedu...
During a panel discussion about letterpress printing, graphic artists and designers share their early experiences in the field, their involvement with the community, and their advice for aspiring printmakers.
The May 27, 2017, panel is led by Hatch Show Print’s Celene Aubry, with assistance from...
-
Producer Mark Bright • Music Masters,...
Producer Mark Bright gives insight into his working relationship with Carrie Underwood and explores achievements with BlackHawk, Rascal Flatts, Reba McEntire, and others on stage at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.
The program—held July 27, 2013, in conjunction with the “Carrie Underwo...
