Sunrise Rotary Club features Irish music virtuoso
The Sunrise Rotary Club of Hot Springs recently played host to Irish music virtuoso Ricko Donovan. He explained a little about his craft, shared some stories, and performed several traditional Irish tunes.
Donovan is an award-winning singer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, hammered dulcimer virtuoso, silent film composer, and a critically acclaimed novelist.
Growing up in New Jersey, he relocated to Baltimore and during the early 90s joined a most memorable and exciting era for the music scene. When the Baltimore music scene’s heyday began to fade, Donovan headed for Nashville, Tenn., embracing guitar, songwriting, and a new instrument: the hammered dulcimer.
In 1998, Donovan moved to Europe. Based in Madrid, Spain, he regularly spent summers in County Clare, Ireland, a hotbed for traditional Irish music. There he honed his skills on the hammered dulcimer, playing alongside such legendary Irish musicians as Christy Barry and Charlie Piggot of De Danaan and building a repertoire that landed him a three-year residency at the prestigious Gregan’s Castle Hotel in Ballyvaughn.
In 2005, Donovan returned to the U.S. to continue promoting his albums, touring regularly all across the country out of his old home in Nashville. In 2011, Donovan retired from regular music touring and two extraordinary novels were brought to life, “Sunnyville” and “The Broken Promised Land.” He is currently promoting both novels and working on a third book. In 2017, Donovan retired to Hot Springs, where he continues to perform his unique style of music locally and regionally.
Visit http://www.rickodonovan.com for more information.