shubb

cafe
Eveyrone comes to Rick's


• A couple of friends have asked for an example of me playing in a more traditional bluegrass style. I reached pretty far back in time for these three tunes with Vern and Ray:

Lonesome Road Blues | Prisoner's Song | Train 45

• Prints of my Carousel Ballroom posters are now available. A glimpse of my early career as a graphic artist.

• A video interview of me talking about the beginning of Shubb Capos. Taped in June 2010 as part of NAMM's oral history project.

• For an article about me from the January 1996 issue of Bluegrass Unlimited, written by Sandy Rothman, CLICK HERE.

• I've played the same instrument for almost all the years I've been playing. My banjo...

• My old friend George Jansen is a writer, and recently had his second novel published. It's about amateur baseball in 1900. I read it, and loved it. More...

think different

• I was featured in Business 2.0 magazine. This was just a one-page piece, which is essentially accurate, but kind of truncates the development of Shubb Capos just a bit for the sake of brevity. You can see it or download it here (pdf)The same article has run in FORTUNE magazine, as well.

 

torabora-china

Here I am with Saga's Tora Bora Boys
at the Music China show, Shanghai. Oct. 19, 2006

 

millionth martin
Me at the 2005 NAMM show, with the two millionth Shubb capo on the neck of the millionth Martin guitar.

 

bob
Me and Bob Wilson, 1998 during the recording of our CD
Bodega Sessions

 

lookouts
John Pearse and me in Amsterdam,
circa 1990

rhythm brothers
at the NAMM show with the Rhythm Brothers
Paul Shelasky, Charlie Warren, Doug Mattocks, yours truly, Raul Reynoso
circa 1989

 

vern and ray
Rick Shubb, Vern Williams, Ray Park
circa 1971

 

smokey grass boys
David Grisman, Rick Shubb, Herb Pedersen
circa 1967

 

snootful
Ebenezer Flu, Miss Crapidula Crookshank,
Honest Willie Cheatham, Dr. Avery P. Snootfull
circa 1976

 

spiderman
me circa 1964

 

 

 

 

previous articles from Rick's Cafe:
The Michael Richards thing
The Rudeness Epidemic
• Do You Play Requests?

 

In memory of Chip Dunbar...

I am proud to have been granted a lifetime membership in the California Bluegrass Association.
more...


droom

Some of you may be familiar with my work years ago as a graphic artist. I did posters, some work in comic books, and various other illustrations, including work for the Carousel Ballroom and the Grateful Dead.carousel poster

Three of my posters were reproduced in the book "the Art of Rock," the definitive reference work on rock poster art.

All four Carousel posters are now available: digitally restored, and printed on high quality photo paper with archival ink. Check them out here...

One of my best known posters was Humbead's Revised Map of the World (with List of Population). Humbead was Earl Crabb, who collaborated on the project with me. I believe that he still has copies of this poster, if you want to check his website.

Here are more samples of my early art. Click on the thumbnails for larger images.

fiddlers
click image for PDF

 

Smokey Grass Boys poster 1
poster circa 1966
click image for PDF

 

brain fantasy
click image for PDF

 

nazgul
drawing, circa 1965
click for PDF

 

 



 


I did this festival poster in 1974. (click for PDF, 877kb)
Besides the poster, I played in the festival, too. It was somewhat of a boondoggle, but fun anyway.

Rick

golden state bluegrass festival