Ry Cooder is a national treasure

AllMusic bio: Ry Cooder 

 

"Whether serving as a session musician, solo artist, or soundtrack composer, Ry Cooder's chameleon-like fretted instrument virtuosity, songwriting, and choice of material encompass an incredibly eclectic range of North American musical styles, including rock & roll, blues, reggae, Tex-Mex, Hawaiian, Dixieland jazz, country, folk, R&B, gospel, and vaudeville. In addition to his American music bona fides, Cooder is an unofficial American cultural ambassador: He was partially responsible for bringing together the Cuban musicians known globally as the Buena Vista Social Club, recording with Ali Farka Toure, Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, and Manuel Galban, to name a few. During the '80s and '90s, he was a celebrated film composer, scoring works such as Walter Hill's The Long Riders, Wim Wenders' Paris, Texas and The End of Violence, and Tony Richardson's The Border. Since 1989, he has won six Grammy Awards and been nominated for many more in genres ranging from children's music and folk, to Latin (pop and traditional), Americana, and world music. Among his most notable albums in the 21st century are the conceptual Chavez Ravine, about an L.A. neighborhood bulldozed to make way for bringing the Dodgers baseball team to Los Angeles, and San Patricio with the Chieftains, about a band of immigrant Irish soldiers who deserted the American Army during the Mexican-American War to fight for the other side...."

 

--That's Ry playing with Jim Keltner, John Hiatt, and Nick Lowe back in 1987.

—And here he is, a teenager in 1967, playing with Captain Beefheart. Very cool indeed.