(1944 – 2004)
Rick Fielding was a musician who loved playing, teaching, and talking about music, whether on stage, in a classroom, or over a kitchen table. Growing up in Montreal in the 1960’s in a musical family, Rick was influenced by musicians like Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee, Leadbelly, Woody Guthrie, Rev. Gary Davis, Pete Seeger, Josh White, and The Weavers. After moving to Toronto in 1969, Rick quickly became a fixture on the Toronto folk festival and club scene, where he met and worked with musicians like Gordon Lightfoot, Ian and Silvia, Tom Paxton, Arlene Mantle, and dozens of others. He was a founding member of one Toronto’s first bluegrass groups, the infamous “Gangreen Boys,” with David Wilcox and Tony Quarrington. Rick toured extensively throughout Canada and the U.S. as a solo performer, establishing himself as a favourite at folk clubs and festivals. In addition, Rick was well-known on Toronto’s airwaves as the host of the folk show “Acoustic Workshop” on CIUT Radio in Toronto. With a repertoire spanning country, blues, bluegrass, traditional ballads, contemporary folk, and more, Rick was on guitar, banjo, dobro, mandolin, and autoharp. He could pick with the best of them, but he was also known as a sensitive interpreter whose tasteful arrangements let the songs shine through. To top it off, Rick was an award-winning songwriter who has had his songs sung by the Jura Ceilidh Band, Guy and Candy Carawan, and dozens of other artists.
