Richie Arndt

„I wasn‘t born in some mysterious place, where all those blues singers have been born... but a big city can make everyone sing the Blues.“

(„Big city blues“ from the CD „Voodoo“/Richie Arndt & The Bluenatics, 2003)


No no, really, Richie Arndt was not born in New Orleans. Neither does he hail from Memphis, for that matter. Still, his great passion is for the Blues and American Roots music in general – the origins of today´s Rock, Pop and Jazz music. The East-Westfalian (which sounds like a contradiction in itself) guitarist, singer and songwriter has been a constant force within the German music scene for ages, which is hardly surprising when you consider his emotional kind of playing, his moving compositions and rousing concerts.

For three decades, Richie Arndt has been on the road in completely diverse line-ups and styles. Lots of opportunities for looking beyond one´s own spectrum, for learning how to grow and develop, and also for sensing when the right time comes to return to the very beginnings. Feeling once more how it all began when he was still a teenager. Even then, his heroes were called Rory Gallagher and Johnny Winter, while on the other hand, the great singer/songwriters like Van Morrison or Joni Mitchell made a lasting impression on the young artist. Following their trails, he discovered his deep love for “good, handmade music”, as he likes to call it. It meant aspiring for technical perfection as well as inspiration – and finding his own inimitable style in the process, actually: a style that gives his Blues its warm-hearted soul, while the rhythmic beat of his songs allows some Rock and Pop connections to raise their often rather attractive heads.

True to his relaxed and open take on life and tunes, the blues guitarist and singer has a way of moving back and forth on the highways as well as the byways of his chosen genre – realizing that their source and his great love are ultimately the same thing. In his songs, he plays with influences between Rock, Country and Pop – always full of ideas, and constantly curious about what´s going to lurk around the next turning. This is how an unmistakably hot stew gets cooked – affecting us in an intense and also exciting manner, without leaving a heavy aftertaste. Richie Arndt truly shows that there´s more to the Blues than a rainy night in Georgia, or Chicago for that matter, and he makes it easy to digest, without taking away its spicy impact. The “Bielefeld Bard” plays his Blues for the advanced, the sophisticated takers, far away from well worn clichés or tried and tested, boring classifications. Whether he turns up with his Blues rock trio “The Bluenatics”, as a duo with the internationally renowned US singer Kellie Rucker, or the great tribute concept “Rorymania” (2007), which featured guest musicians Alex Conti (Atlantis, Lake, Hamburg Blues Band), Gregor Hilden as well as Henrik Freischlader and resulted in two sold-out tours – Richie Arndt is as versatile as the sound spectrum of his instruments.

Especially when you consider that for his latest, sixth album TRAIN STORIES (Fuego, 2009), the guitarist and singer is conquering a new path once again. The double album presents 14 Folk, Rock and Pop songs – for instance by Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix and Rory Gallagher, but complemented by tracks of his own on the subject of “trains”, which Bielefeld´s honorary hobo recorded with some good mates. On top of that, Richie Arndt gives ample proof of his talents as an author and storyteller: on the accompanying audio book, he relates tales of leaving and arriving, about the desire for distant shores and for that special kind of freedom that is soaked in yearning. Sensitively, and with a subtle feeling for heartfelt moments, the graduated music tutor takes his audience on a journey through the history of Blues and Jazz, re-creating fates and fears, hopes and dreams accordingly.

Richie Arndt knows about both sides of that strange animal they call the music business. After serving successfully as a mercenary soldier of Top 40 troupes for ten long years, as well as wearing the hat of guest and studio musician for hire, one thing became crystal clear to him: It is the creative process that he craves with all his love. In 1994, he started his trio “Richie Arndt and the Bluenatics” – and since 2002, his line-up with Jens-Ulrich Handreka (bass) and Frank Boestfleisch (drums) is carved in stone. Five successful albums, appearances at festivals in front of more than 15.000 fans, countless club gigs and tours behind all his different projects – across Germany, Russia and Ireland to name but a few – constitute the impressive assets with regard to one of the most versatile guitarists now working in Germany.

His pleasant, memorable voice and his equally sophisticated and unobtrusive, low key guitar style make it ever so easy for his audience to fall for his music. Whether he is working acoustically or switching on the electric power: seemingly mundane, everyday routines mutate into something extraordinary in Richie Arndt´s songs – related with sensitivity, charm and wit. His stage craft, honed in the endless hard slog around the Top 40 dives, and his educational skills, combined with musical mastery make the man from Bielefeld a leading personality in German Blues, a million miles away from all the well worn clichés.