RICHIE STEARNS first discovered the pleasures of the old time banjo when he was 14. He’s traveled round the world, performing both traditional and his own original music, finding ways to collaborate with musicians from five continents (Africa/Asia/North America, Australia, Europe) as well as local musicians from diverse musical backgrounds (classical, jazz, country, R&B, and more). Over the past three decades, he’s written original music for film scores and dance ensembles as well his own bands (The Horse Flies, Evil City String Band, Ti Ti Chickapea, Donna the Buffalo, and the Renegades, among them) and collaborated with artists from a variety of disciplines to present public performances on stages through the U.S., Canada, and Europe, as well as on radio and television.

The list of musicians Richie’s recorded, toured, and performed with is long and diverse: among them, jazz guitarist BILL FRISELL, Malian bluesman VIEUX FARKA TOURE, North Indian Gypsy band MUSAFIR, Tibetan singer YUNGCHEN LLAMO, pop legend LINDA RONSTADT, country and bluegrass musicians (including PETER ROWAN, VASSAR CLEMENTS, TONY TRISCHKA, and JIM LAUDERDALE), Cajun groups (Michael Doucet & BEAUSOLEIL, REDSTICK RAMBLERS), Celtic bands (DE DANNAN, John Doyle of SOLAS) and Australia’s KASEY CHAMBERS as well as SAMITE of Uganda and South African Afro-pop star JOHNNY CLEGG.