Rick Announces the 2010 Rambler Tour Lineup:

Rick Norcross, Vocals, Rhythm Guitar
Taryn Noelle, Vocalist
Juliet McVicker, Vocalist
Charlie MacFadyen, Piano, Accordion
Doug Reid, Fiddle
Buck Maynard, Vocals, Lead Guitar
Dave Rowell, Vocals, Bass Guitar
Brett Hoffman, Drums

As their most recent Rick & The Ramblers Western Swing Band CD, “I Rode The Ti – Songs From The Heart of Vermont,” so accurately demonstrates, a Rick & The Ramblers Western Swing Band performance is a high energy, entertaining and danceable trip back to a Vermont of a simpler, more musical day. A time of live radio, touring musical revues and family values. A Rambler show is fraught with Vermont-grown original music, classic western swing chestnuts and top-notch musicianship. Each of the Ramblers is an excellent musician in his or her own right. Together Rick & The Ramblers deliver an exceptional musical experience, loaded with laughs, musical memories, surprises and sweet harmonies.

Rick & The Ramblers travel the region in an attention-grabbing 1957 Flxible Starliner tour bus in the style of early western swing legends like Bob Wills & The Texas Playboys (See the Bus page). The Starliner appeared in a Jennifer Love Hewitt ABC-TV bio-pic about the life of Audrey Hepburn and in an MTV pilot called “Live Through This.” Former Burlington Mayor Peter Clavelle commandeered the bus and Rick for a tour of the entire State of Vermont during his 2004 gubernatorial campaign, visiting over 60 towns in all 14 counties in just one week. The whirlwind tour included a trip over Lincoln Gap in the Starliner which gave the old timers at the Lincoln General Store quite a start.

Rick & The Ramblers 2010 Tour of Vermont is sponsored by the Vermont Department of Forests & Parks (for the 11th year), their good friends at 98.9WOKO, who have sponsored Rick & The Ramblers Western Swing Band for 22 consecutive years supported by an aggressive promotional campaign on Vermont’s number one Arbitron-rated radio station, the 100,000-watt powerhouse, 98.9WOKO! Rick & The Ramblers welcomes a brand new sponsor aboard the tour bus, Woodchuck Draft Cider located in Middlebury, Vermont. Good People and a Terrific Vermont-made Cider with Great Taste!

See Our "I Rode The Ti" Recording Session Gallery

See The "I Rode The Ti" CD 16 Page Booklet Photo Gallery

See our Photo Archives

Rick Norcross, Vocals, Rhythm Guitar
Rick Norcross
See Rick's Photo Gallery
 

From East Hardwick, Vermont, Rick celebrates 46 years in the music biz by fronting the band of his dreams, the Ramblers. He spent 17 years performing as a solo singer/songwriter, toured England for 10 years, working the southeast out of Tampa before returning home to play Vermont summers and Florida winters for 25 years. For the past 25 years, he has resided in a former railway express depot at the foot of Battery Street on Burlington's historic waterfront, inspired by breathtaking sunsets over Lake Champlain. Rick writes songs and spins tales of a Vermont gone but not forgotten.

He is secretary/treasurer of the Vermont Musicians Association, Local 351, American Federation of Musicians, vice president for Vermont of the New England Conference of Musicians, is listed in the International Who's Who in Popular Music and is honored to stand on stage with this talented and wonderful band of Ramblers.
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Taryn Noelle, Vocalist

Vocalist Taryn Noelle is the Ramblers' Sweetheart of the Rodeo. Taryn joined the Ramblers three years ago to bring her sultry voice, her commanding stage presence and her audience-melting smile to our stages. She is featured on three songs on the "I Rode The Ti" CD, "Swing of the Range," "Never Be Anyone Else" and "Right or Wrong" and is gaining a growing legion of fans who love to hear her sing Patsy Cline tunes.

"Luminous, Evocative, Poignant and Soulful" are words spoken about this talented young singer, actress, dancer and choreographer. Originally from Toronto, Taryn has studied dance, theatre and voice with acclaimed New York and Vermont vocal teacher Bill Reed and at the renowned Circle in the Square Theatre School in New York City. After years of playing leading roles in American Musical Theatre, she returned to Vermont to focus on her love of singing, playing on her considerable talent as a jazz and cabaret vocalist. She was showered with rave reviews for her recent lead performance in "Cabaret" at the University of Vermont's Royal Tyler Theater and in addition to her busy schedule teaching dance, has been center stage for the past two years in the Vermont Arts Council's "Dancing With The Stars."

Taryn has recorded two of her own jazz CDs and, in addition to her starring position with the Ramblers, frequently performs with the very fab jazz vocal trio, The Blue Gardenias. Rambler Taryn Noelle is simply... Terrific.

Learn more about Taryn by visiting her Web Site: www.tarynnoelle.com
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Charlie MacFadyen, Piano, Accordion

Charlie was educated at Oberlin College (math & music) and as the piano player for the Burlington rockabilly and swing band Buck & the Black Cats, making him the perfect choice as keyboard whiz and accordion player for Rick & The Ramblers. Originally from New York, Charlie has lived in Burlington since 1992 and by day is a high school math teacher at CVU in Hinesburg. Besides holding down the stage left position on the Ramblers' team, Charlie plays accordion with the jazz quartet Combo 37. His latest project is raising a piano trio at home with his two sons on bass and drums.

He prefers the old-fashioned swing, boogie and honky-tonk piano styles in the tradition of Moon Mullican and Al Stricklin which fits the sound of the Ramblers like a sequined glove. Charlie outdid himself creating the swinging arrangements on the new Ramblers CD project.
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Doug Reid, Fiddle, Mandolin

Rambler Doug Reid started violin lessons at fourteen when was listening to jazz/swing master Stephane Grappelli. Doug says he's excited to be at the stage in his career when he can devote himself to the fine points of this lyrical style. Classically trained, he spent many years as a touring side man in country & western bands out of Southern California, Austin, Texas and Atlanta, Georgia. He has opened for many major acts in country music. While living in Texas, he studied jazz and composition at North Texas State University and played with several of Bob Wills' Texas Playboys, including Joe Holley and Johnny Gimble.

Doug spent seven years as a feature performer at the Jim Stafford Show, in Branson, Missouri, where he was alternately comedy writer, arranger, Music Director, and head of Special Effects. Doug was with the Paris Swing Orchestra of New York for four years at the annual Bastille Day Celebration on 60th Street. He returned home to Vermont in 1999 and currently resides in Wheelock in the Northeast Kingdom.
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Buck Maynard, Lead Guitar, Vocals
Buck Maynard

Buck Maynard first picked up the guitar during his last year of high school, in Colchester, Vermont. After graduating in 1987, he went on to the University of Vermont, where his interest in music took a firm hold with a stint on UVM's radio station WRUV. His two hour show, The Mystery Train, opened his ears to many roots based styles and led to seven years as front-man and eventual lead guitarist in Vermont's Buck & The Black Cats along with Rambler keyboard wizard Charlie MacFadyen.

After playing Rockabilly and a little Western Swing in his first band, Buck played swing jazz guitar in Burlington's Combo 37. He now plays a mixture of Gypsy Swing, American Songbook classic, and French Chanson in Trio Gusto.

His love of many, different swing-based guitar styles makes him a welcome addition to the Ramblers, where he will surely fit in well, playing classic Western Swing and Country guitar with hints of Luther Perkins, Chet Atkins and Hillbilly Jazz whiz, Jimmy Bryant.
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Dave Rowell, Vocals, Bass Guitar

By day, an unassuming account executive with Morrisville country music station WLVB, a north country realtor and a spirited country auctioneer. By night and onstage... one wicked talented bass player and spot-on lead and harmony vocalist. Dave Rowell brings more than 18 years experience as a longtime member of one of Central Vermont and the Northeast Kingdom's favorite traditional country bands, the WDEV Radio Rangers. The WDEV Radio Rangers have performed on the air every Saturday morning at 10:30 on WDEV since 1986 and are a favorite at community events all over the region.

Dave and his family live in East Craftsbury where his musical roots run deep. His family founded the Craftsbury Chamber Players over 40 years ago and his sister Mary is Concertmaster at Radio City Music Hall in New York City and occasionally tours with Cheryl Crow. Dave brings a love of real country music to the table and knows more songs than an iPod Classic. He will be a featured vocalist on the 2009 tour of Rambler shows as well as holding down the bass position in the rhythm section.
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Brett Hoffman, Drums
Brett Hoffman
See Brett's Photo Gallery

 

A grateful denizen of the Northeast Kingdom, Brett has been a drummer since 1964, when he first picked up sticks to emulate his favorite timekeepers of the British Invasion.

Brett took a ride last summer on the Rambler tour bus, affectionately known as "The Pickle," as a sub drummer for a concert at Lake St. Catherine State Park in Poultney just below Rutland. It wasn't just the color of his drum kit (turquoise) or his jovial nature that immediately endeared him to the Ramblers, it was his rock-solid drum style and innate feel for the western swing genre that made him such a delight. Brett expressed an interest in playing with the Ramblers and when an opening appeared, he was immediately invited to ride The Pickle as a regular Rambler.

On hearing Hoagy Carmichael's famous song, "Moonlight In Vermont", Brett took the title as career advice, and so today you'll find him also making music (moonlighting from his teaching position) with the Slant Six Swing Band, the Dave Keller Band and now, Rick & The Ramblers Western Swing Band.
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