MP3 Earl J. Rivard - Troubadour Blue

A blind singer-songerwriter, Earl J. Rivard is revered as a soulful musician whose performances consistently touch and inspire.

12 MP3 Songs
ROCK: Acoustic, FOLK: Folk Pop



Details:
When you combine a rich, soulful voice and a heartfelt passion for delivering powerful performances, you get singer-songwriter, Earl J Rivard, known as âEarl Jâ by fans, family and friends. Earl Jâs latest album, âTroubadour Blue,â combines an inviting vulnerability and a soulful edge with a sound that acoustic and pure. Earl Jâs songs express universal themes of life, love and humanity. His presence is endearing. His performances are powerful and clean.

Although Earl J lost his eye sight as an infant, he didnât let that stand in the way of his love for song and music. His performances exude an inner intensity and passion thatâs nothing short of captivating. His fans consistently acknowledge his ability to connect powerfully and personally through his illustrative and emotive lyrics.

Earl Jâs connection to music and performance has existed since his earliest days. His first-ever memory comes from age two when falling asleep to Simon & Garfunkelâs âScarborough Fair.â Even at that young age, Earl J distinctly remembers the powerful emotion he experienced as he listened to the melancholy melody. Fast-forward just a few months. Sitting in a highchair at a café in New York, the young toddler stunned his parents as he sang along word-for-word, note-for-note to the Simon & Garfunkel tune that played through the restaurantâs speakers. âWowâ¦I canât wait to tell Art about this one,â explained their food server -- cousin to Mr. Garfunkel himself!

Throughout his life, Earl J continued to develop and share his natural gift for song and performance. As a boy, he devoted eight years to a local boyâs choir. He sat first-chair as lead of the trumpet section in middle school. In college, his voice was heard across campus as a lead singer with one of UC Berkeleyâs premier a cappella ensembles, âArtists in Resonance.â. He also sings gospel with the local church choir. This life-long exploration of music has contributed to creating the powerful and talented singer-songwriter he is today.

But there was a turning point in Earl Jâs life that made the most critical impact on his musical experience, which stems from the small provincial town of Tucuman, Argentina. When Earl J was 14, he and his family spent a year in Tucuman to discover his motherâs South American roots, a culture that would forever alter the way he experienced life, love and music. âThereâd be 12 kids or so that would get together for âGuitarriadasâ and just pass the guitar around for hours and hours,â he recalls. âItâs hard to over-emphasize how important this experience was. It was during these sessions that I really began to take shape as a musician and as a performer.â It was also this year that Earl J and his father scored an on-the-spot audition with a concert booker in Buenos Aires. As a result, the eager teen earned his first big break performing in front of over 10,000 people at the Nationâs annual âCoke Nâ Rockâ festival. To this day, Earl J continues to make regular trips back to what he considers his second home. His love and perpetual nostalgia for Argentina is perfectly captured in his heartbreaking song, âFlying Machine.â

Today, Earl J regularly performs his solo act throughout the Bay Area. Many also know him as the smooth bassist in another of the Bay Areaâs hottest new acts, âThe Highway Robbers.â

Earl Jâs philosophy about performance is simple. "Music can never be done half-assed,â he explains. âEven if you're playing at a dive bar on a wet Monday to the bartender and two drunk guys. That bartender and two drunk guys get everything you have to give, no matter what, every time." Itâs his respect for the power of music that drives him. âIâm perpetually amazed at how it affects other people. Iâve got the privilege and the joy to take this God-given gift and share it with others. The dreams of world domination have faded away a bit. Itâs not what itâs about. Itâs about loving music and having it touch people.â