Hi Everybody........ I'm writing this from America where I am with Jon, Trevor, Lou and Lee in readiness for our first show tonight when we will be reliving the year 1971 when we played the Whisky on Sunset Strip which was my very first show in America. Back then it was pay at the door and that's what we're doing tonight....no pre-booked tickets......and it's the same price....$2 !!! Should be great fun but hard work for the crew trying to fit all the equipment in there.

The remainder of August and for the first 10 days of September I will be on tour with ARW before flying home on the 11th to start working on the promotion for the Piano Odyssey album and also the upcoming tour dates.

I'm really looking forward to the UK shows and will be featuring some of the tracks from Piano Odyssey amongst other stuff although obviously this time around I won't have a string orchestra or choir with me, but I am hoping that next year I can perform the entire album live with strings and choir. Fingers crossed.

On a personal note, I had fun and games on arrival in LA as my suit case never arrived and that's always every traveller's worst nightmare so had to buy socks and underwear and washing stuff on my way to the hotel. British Airways were great though and after a few hours informed me that someone had picked up my case in error......bizarre as there is distinctive gorilla tape on it plus loads of tags but it's easily done I suppose......anyway, I now have enough washing stuff, underpants and socks to last until the end of the year!

The rest of September is going to be taken up with promotion for both the tour and the album as I have mentioned earlier, and the album has now been put back deliberately until October 14th as I am on the One Show that week. 

Classic FM have already previewed a track on the Cerys Matthews show and she said some really kind things too. I am led to understand that digital releases come before the hard CDs and vinyl, and we’ll add links to those as soon as we know them.

I will be sending a couple of reports over the next two weeks as to how things are going and any other news......... Rick's Letters from America seems an appropriate title .

Discussion are already well advanced as to 2019 as that is a very special anniversary year for me as both reaching the age of 70 and being a true professional musician for 50 years. (I always class my session in 1969 on Space Oddity as the moment I could class myself as being a pro musician).

I really want to make 2019 a year to remember for all the right reasons.

Finally, and I am sorry to end on a sad note, but many of you will know that I am a patron of Oldham Cats which is indeed where our Harry came from. Recently they were hit with a rare virus that killed all the kittens in the kitten sanctuary. It was a total freak event and has gutted all the wonderful people who work there saving cats and kittens. The upshot is they need to completely rebuild the kitten centre and make new pens and also pay heavy vet’s bills and so I am going to do a concert.....not a Piano Portraits concert, but it will be a piano based show with hopefully a guest or two.

Kilimanjaro are trying to set this up in Oldham for either the 18th of 19th of September....short notice I know, but help is need now so somehow we'll make it work. If, when we announce the date (it will be on the site shortly), you can come along and support them, then that would be fantastic.

That's it for now ......my Letter from America will come at the end of next week.

Bye for now ........Rick.

PS....and a huge thank you to Wayne for the new look site. Really tremendous.

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