Rich Eckhardt
is one of the most sought after guitarists in Nashville. His ability to cover multiple styles has put him on stage with singers ranging from Steven Tyler of Aerosmith to Shania Twain and Willie Nelson.

Shortly after moving to Music City in 1989 his first gig was on the stage of the world famous Grand Ol’ Opry. From there Rich began a steady run of touring and recording with artists including John Berry, Becky Hobbs, Rodney Atkins, Steve Azar, Eddy Raven, Mel McDaniel, Blake Shelton and Toby Keith.
While growing up in Prince Georges County Maryland, Eckhardt became a sponge for musical knowledge. “The DC area is a real melting pot for music. You can find anything from Bluegrass to Hip Hop” Eckhardt says. As a player he did a variety of styles well and worked in Top 40, Rock, Country and Jazz bands.

Rich first became interested in music listening to the radio as a young boy. He loved the sound of the guitar above all! “I really focused on the guitar. In 5th grade I was given a chance to pick a band instrument to start playing. The guitar was not on the long list of instruments so I didn’t choose one at all and instead asked my Mom for a guitar for Christmas that year. I immediately began taking lessons from my Elementary School music teacher. Lessons were free to any student who wanted to stay after at the end of the day”. Eckhardt explains. It wasn’t long before Rich started making music with friends and family. “My brothers and I started our first band together. Early on we played our own original instrumental music. That was when I first tried my hand at writing music for the guitar. We later expanded to include covers by bands like Bachman Turner Overdrive, Foghat and The Doobie Brothers.” Eckhardt started to take music even more seriously in High School focusing on bands that worked regularly. “I never restricted myself to any one style of music. I started to realize that I could make a buck or two playing on weekends with a Top 40 band. I enjoyed playing that as much as I did Rock”. That enabled Eckhardt to work more and expand his musical vocabulary”. In 1989 after many years playing different styles with various groups in the DC area, Rich made his move toward a professional music career by relocating to Nashville. After a year and a half of traveling across the country in a van, playing small clubs and hotel lounges he was asked to join Eddy Raven on tour. This was the start of a chain of artists that he would play for before landing his current position as lead guitarist for Country Superstar Toby Keith.

Today, Eckhardt is extremely busy, balancing his hectic touring schedule with studio sessions, and television appearances. He has performed in nearly every major concert venue in the world, played on multi-platinum and Grammy winning albums, entertained for three American presidents and has been seen on most of the industry’s staple television shows including the Tonight show and Superbowl XXXVIII.

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