Rick Dakotah’s Bio
Music has always been what I have been in to. Not from a Performers/Artists view, but from the creative side. When I was five or so I was surrounded by Artists and Performers of all sorts. It totally had me hooked. I played air guitar and beat on boxes for drums, and completely envisioned myself doing something along that line.. Around then I was introduced to, and had a bit part in a theater production, (South Pacific) but acting wasn't my real drive. I wanted to be the one who wrote the stuff for them, either as lines/plays etc. or the music score. My sister was subjected to many of my creations. She was an eager student/ actress/ singer/ stagehand/ etc.etc.
Music was not a part of my upbringing as far as learning an instrument. Listening was though! I was saturated with Classical music. Everyone in my family played Classical music, from French Horns, to Harps, to Pianos, to Recorders, to singing it. If that wasn't enough we all did Ballet. (Wearing tights and a skimpy shirt were also a part of my get up later. In school I was a gymnastics freak) fortunately though for me I discovered other forms of excitement. In the haze and fury of my life, I caught flashes of real music going on. The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, The Who, The Doors, The RollingStones, and countless other people doing what I wanted to do.
Then I found myself in England. My world changed from then on. I was engulfed in the whole music scene from all over Europe. I had my ears glued to my radio. And with it, under my pillow at Boarding schools, I would take in the world of music as I slept. I listened to everything under the sun. Even Classical music! But mostly jazz and Pop. What I wanted to hear was heavy guitar stuff but it was not on the radio. It was a kind of music people didn't put on the air to much. But it was available underground and that's where I began to dig it up. On my off times from school I'd rummage thru my brothers record collections. What fun! Then it happened! One of my brothers had begun to play the electric guitar as I discovered one day. I tinkered with it without permission and next thing I knew I had to have one. I finally acquired one, although I was not encouraged to pursue this violation of the family code!!! One day while crossing a village street that went through my boarding school. A friend and I saw coming up the road a van with tons of stuff written all over it. It was A Major Artist and band going to a festival nearby. I was on crutches at that time and proceeded to cross the road and pretended to have a very hard time. The band was “The Who”. They didn't stop and pick me up and take me with them (sigh) but it was cool and it changed my life. Anyway, Life again took hold and I returned to the States. Travel is a thing I like to do, and so at age 17, I took off towards Maine to build a cabin in the woods. It didn't go that way and I found myself wondering what else to do. I was hitching and this elderly woman said "go west young man". Well I did just that. I hitched half way across the country, and then I decided it would be cooler to ride the freight trains. I did this for another year stopping and surviving in most major cities and mountains and woods, without any money. People are generous and I was willing to work if need be. I learned a lot about myself and the USA. But music was still pestering me from inside.
One day many years later the music bug bit me again. I grabbed my guitar and started to play. I just played whatever came into my head. I would put my fingers on the guitar or piano, and feel around till I liked what I heard. I was playing songs! I did this for years. It was amusing. I was never bored and never heard an old song again.
I began to record my creations on tape machines, which people were saying I should do at the time. It started like that and soon I had tapes and tapes of stuff. It was still just a lark to me. My recordings got better as my equipment got better. It really took off when I received a Multi-track. I could do full songs then! But I would have to learn how to play the other instruments to do it. No problem...I just let my fingers do the talking again.
I began publishing my music online and got the attention of a “Star maker” out of Los Angeles and he wanted to hear what I had. I began as “SunSpirit” but felt I couldn’t live up to that name and soon went with “Rick Dakotah”, which is a part of my real name before being adopted. I had about a hundred songs then and sent them to him in whatever fashion I could, which was mini disc at the time. I had many more songs but they were taken out of my car one day. I lost about two hundred! Anyway I waited for things to happen and one day I was elected to ASCAP membership. I then spent a ton of time copyrighting my music and meanwhile writing many more songs. My catalog is around 400 today with many still in the works. I tried not to do what has been happening, that being not finishing songs, but that is what has occurred so I have many to work on. I find trying to go back in time doesn’t work for me as I want to create new material all of the time.
So it all brings me here!
I do music and artwork. I was elected to ASCAP Membership in 1998. I had to be a business as I was publishing my own works worldwide so they licensed it “Dakotah Studios”. I have nineteen albums and a handful of Singles out in the world. When I was starting all of this I said I would do at least 20 albums. I’m always busy doing something. I wake at around 4:00am everyday jump in a kayak, go for a 5 mile burn or so, and return to my computer for promotion and fan emails etc. My day then is decided by the way I feel. I either do music or Artwork. In between I do computer work or gardening. So my days are long and full. But everything I do is fun, fun, fun. It all makes for this....I'm just where I've always wanted to be. Living in a one horse town on a pond, in the mountains, doing what I do. Of course my dreams of living in an English Castle are still there! Anyone for tea? Jolly good show, and all that rubbish. lol.

	Tribal A Native type drum song...		Alternative Worldbeat
	Spiritual Awakening A hauntingly beautiful song...		Keyboard Instrumental
	Pretending To Be Loved A song from a girl who was abused at school by everyone and her resolve.		Alternative Pop Rock
	The Clouds		Pop Rock
	The Person I've Become A love song		Eclectic Indie Pop
	Dreaming Of Flying An instrumental that tries to convey the thought of flying...		Classical, Instrumental, Film Music

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Rick Dakotah	7/28/2017 6:43:51 AM I haven't been to this site in a long time, but am here to update my site and check out others.
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