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Rick Hunter
By Chris Jay 07/15/2010
Local legend
He’s a throwback to a different era of rock and roll, but remains completely relevant despite the changing times. If there was a hall of fame for local music, he’d be a front-runner for the first inductee. You may not know him personally, but you surely know his name. He is just a man, but around these parts he’s a man who borders on myth.
Rick Hunter is the undeniable definition of a local legend.
Unsheathing the axe man
Born and raised in the suburbs of Massachusetts, Hunter, despite having the size and build of an athlete, was seduced early on by lady rock and roll, and he’s yet to end the affair. Coming of age in the ’70s, and raised on a steady diet of guitar rock from Grand Funk Railroad to Van Halen, Hunter was a mainstay on the New England club circuit in original, cover and even tribute bands throughout the 1980s, including his ahead-of-it’s-time “Roc-Coustic,” a one-man sing-along rock cover show. But in 1988, for reasons having nothing to do with rock and roll, he landed in Ventura County, and the area’s music scene has been grateful ever since.
Musician’s musician
To really comprehend Hunter’s impact on the local scene, take into account that his own Rick Hunter Band has been active in one form or another since he moved here. His rehearsal space, affectionately known as Rockin’ Rick’s, has housed some of the area’s most successful bands. Who knows if No Motiv or 8Stops7 would have gone on to national success if hadn’t been for the cheap rent Hunter offered. If that’s not enough, perhaps “the record” seals the deal.
Although there’s no official verification, legend has it that Rick Hunter holds the record for number of performances played at the Ventura Theater: 55!
Serenity in tribute
For someone so dedicated, passionate and talented, Hunter still remains more of a local institution than a national one. That, however, in a fitting twist of fate, is changing with the growing popularity of tribute bands. Hunter seems to have found a new musical lease on life as one of the foremost tribute guitar players in the country. He currently is in four active tribute bands: Hour of Trower, a tribute to Robin Trower; One More From the Road, a tribute to Lynyrd Skynyrd; Burnin’ Sky, a tribute to Bad Company; and Holy Diver, a tribute to Dio. It’s the Dio tribute that is currently big business due to the recent passing of Ronnie James Dio. With fellow local rocker Joe Retta’s spot-on vocal delivery and Hunter’s note-for-note perfect solos, Holy Diver is blowing up on the tribute circuit. At the public memorial for Dio this year, Hunter, along with Retta, was asked to perform, an honor by anyone’s definition, which put the band on the radar of Dio fans worldwide.
Chops till they’re chopped
Although Hunter is busier than ever, with eight to 10 shows every month, he doesn’t get caught up in musical trends or fashions, even when they are benefiting him. He knows too well what it was like in the ’90s to be playing melodic, guitar virtuoso rock when grunge and punk pushed technical ability to the wayside.
“I don’t worry about those things. I just keep playing and performing. It’s my passion. It’s what I do. I don’t plan on stopping until my fingers get chopped off or I’m just too old to physically do it,” laughs Hunter. “Until either of those things happen, I plan to keep on rocking.”
Rick Hunter performs with the Rick Hunter Band at Season Ticket in Thousand Oaks on July 16, and Headliner’s in Thousand Oaks on July 17. For a complete list of Rick’s various tribute and cover bands, visit www.myspace.com/rickhunter50.
chris@armyoffreshmen.com
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