Ry Cooder has had several fascinating musical careers. As a young guitarist he was a sought-after session player from the mid-1960’s and appeared on records by The Monkees, Captain Beefheart, Little Feat, Randy Newman and the Rolling Stones, who – according to rumour – he almost joined. As a solo performer he made a string of acclaimed and eclectic albums between 1970-87 with strong roots in blues, folk, Tex-Mex and other vernacular American styles. At the same time, he worked as a film composer, scoring more than a dozen films, including Wim Wenders’ classic Paris, Texas (1984). In the 1990s he embarked on a series of Grammy-winning world music collaborations with V.M.Bhatt, Ali Farka Touré and, of course, the Buena Vista Social Club™ and Ibrahim Ferrer.
He continues to work as a prolific musician and producer and released his latest critically acclaimed album ‘The Prodigal Son’ in 2018.