Rickey Minor

Burbank, California -- 2010

Rickey Minor is the Emmy-nominated music director of American Idol. His distinguished resume also includes the Grammys and the Super Bowl, and he has collaborated with major recording artists including Whitney Houston, Christina Aguilera, Alicia Keys, Ray Charles, Beyonc� Knowles, and many more. He was mentored by none other than Quincy Jones.

We met on Valentine's weekend as Rickey Minor presided over auditions for the upcoming tour with pop singer Michael Bolton. From the moment we shook hands and said hello, I found him to be friendly, down to earth and fun! At the same time, his authority and expertise was unquestionable. This is a man you love to respect.

Georgia On My Mind was the first tune he asked me to play, and I blew my soulful little heart out! Rickey seemed very pleased, and the band was all smiles. Next I played on the title track of Michael Bolton's big hit recording, Soul Provider. That was all he needed to hear. He asked if I could fly back to Burbank again two days later to play for Bolton himself (why yes, of course!), and to start rehearsals with the band. Rickey insisted that I fill out the W-2 and employee papers for the tour right on the spot, declaring, "Michael's gonna hear two notes and absolutely love you!" He was right.

Hanging out with Rickey Minor and the guys in Michael Bolton's band during those two long afternoons was a pleasure. Later, I realized that perhaps the reason many high level musicians and music industry professionals are so sweet and fun is that they are living their dream. We all LOVE music and dedicate our lives to experiencing those magical musical moments.

One highlight that I'll never forget is Rickey Minor singing to me the spelling of his name to the tune of The Mickey Mouse Club theme song, "R-I-C... K-E-Y... M-I-N-O-R." Gotta love this guy!

For more about Rickey Minor, visit Wikipedia.