Richie G and Ginger Martini Duo

So….first a little history. Sadly, I attempted violin as a young child and was brutally bad. My parents had some how had me listening to classical music at that time which probably explains the violin attempt. Then a miracle happened…First, the Beatles arrived so, bye bye classical & then my aunt who was buying a new piano (the wealthier end of the family) offered me her old one. I’m 8 1/2 so I was still agreeable to anything so I promised to take lessons and really work at it.
I lied…After a year and a half I quit…..until I discovered Elton John. That was it! I was determined to be a musician. In the late 70’s I joined a fairly succesful 50’s/60’s band called Slick. I played 6 nights a week and worked full time at a department store as a stock man (person in this politically correct universe). Exhaustion wasn’t considered. I went to gigs with a thermos of tea and lemon since I was always sick. This lasted until the early 80’s. I joined a band called Loose Change which (under my direction) played anything from the 1960’s- whatever was current. That lasted 12 years. Many years of putting my ears in harms way and breathing in way to much bar smoke told me it was time to quit. This was somewhere around 1993/94 (I don’t remember). The next time I played live was in 2004 at my local block party. That’s what I needed to get the itch to play again but, I was working in retail at Sam Ash Music and simply had no time to gig. In 2007 I was offered a better job which offered me a 9-5 existence. The economy turned sour and earning extra cash became a priority. And then it happened….I walked into a local Italian restaurant called Vera’s Trattoria to pick up a pizza and lo and behold (fancy words ehh?) a piano player was pumping out Jazz licks. Can you imagine? Live music! I decided to approach the owner to see if I could score a gig. He decided to try me the following week. I was hired as a permanent fixture on Saturday nights. Thus The Richie G Review was born. “A one man band Piano/vocals using backing tracks and a voice harmonizer to create a full band sound. My current song list represents over seventy artists including Elton John, Billy Joel , James Taylor, The Beatles and hits from the 1960’s thru today. Over 500 tunes and counting– Booking email onemanbandrichieg@gmail.com .” I played at Vera’s for 14 months and then a new owner took over. He decided that entertainment was unnecessary. I got to work recording a CD of covers and creating business cards. The hard work paid off! I’m a permanent Wednesday night fixture at the Woodcliff lake Hilton as well as sprinkling in various weekend gigs.
Ridgewood Street Fair 2013-2014

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Chapter 2- Ginger Martini was Born Right around St Patty’s Day of 2012, I was performing at the Elm Street Grill in Oakland NJ. I was approached by my soon to be partner Wendy Kelly. I was on the floor wiring up my equipment as she, asked me questions about what I do (kind of music, etc). I was excited believing that I was going to be hired for a private party. During the break, she handed me her card.It turned out she was interested in joining me. I wasn’t looking but, I agreed to see what she sounded like at my rehearsal space (haha my basement). Three songs later I was convinced. We sounded great together. A week later, we had 50 plus songs ready for prime time. She joined me at The Paris Inn in Wayne NJ. Ever since we perform around 50% of my gigs together and get an incredible response. Wendy started a seasoned veteran of the Broadway, Standard, and Country Genres. She has since dragged me into her country word as I dragged her into my pop/rock world. An amazing combination was born!