Ricky Nye   

Besides leading two groups, RICKY NYE & THE RED HOTS (winners of BEST BLUES BAND in the Cincinnati Enquirer's 2001 CAMMY awards) and his trio THE SWINGIN' MUDBUGS (the band behind Ricky's 1998 release "Piano Is Fun!" and 2003's "Quick 'N' Dirty"), Ricky performs in solo settings (winning BEST SOLO ACT in the 2001 & 2002 CAMMY Awards, along with BEST BLUES/R&B  INSTRUMENTALIST in 2002 CAMMYS, and BEST BLUES/R&B ARTIST in the 2000, 2001, 2004 & 2005 CEA Awards held by CityBeat Magazine), and in duet settings with upright bassist Nick Lloyd and with vocalists extraordinaire Bekah Williams & Dottie Warner. Since 1996, Ricky has been a regular performer on the Arches Boogie Stage at the Queen City Blues Fest, which put him in association and friendships with some of the finest blues and boogie pianists from around the world, such as Julien Brunetaud (Paris); Fabrice Eulry (Paris); Renaud Patigny (Brussels); Michael Pewny (Vienna); Martijn Schok (Netherlands); Silvan Zingg (Switzerland); and Jean-Paul Amouroux (Paris), who have all hosted Ricky for their international boogie woogie festivals and touring dates. Since 1999, Ricky has been the producer of the annual BLUES & BOOGIE PIANO SUMMIT, from which CDs have been released from the years 2000-2005.