ROCKET RITCHOTTE
Rocket was born in Texas, but grew up in Massachusetts. His father, a well known country guitarist performed at the Grand Old Opry, and taught Rocket guitar at the age of eleven.
He's recorded and toured with some of the biggest names in the business such as, Cher, David Lee Roth, Lou Gramm, and was the lead guitarist in John Kay & Steppenwolf from 1985 to 1993.
In addition to his tours and appearances with the above mentioned artists, Rocket has also done session work and score writing for a number of TV shows, commercials, and movies. He also has made video appearances, including Gregg Bissonette's Instructional Guitar video.
"Salute", is Rocket's first solo album that also features former David Lee Roth band mates Gregg Bissonette, Ron Wikso, and Brett Tuggle, in addition to Michael Baird (drums), Vince DiCola (Piano & Hammond), Matt Bissonette (Bass) & Tom Lilly (Bass).
Jim: First off, I'd like to say "Salute", is an excellent CD. How did it come about?
Rocket: I had many instrumental demos that I had done in my home studio. I played them for a friend, Doug Parry, who owned a top of the line recording studio called Andora. He loved the songs so much he wanted to produce the CD. We decided to re-record all the songs, adding other musicians. I wanted to play all the styles that I love; rock, rhythm & blues, country, blues. We hired the best musicians and recorded in an excellent facility. That's how "Salute" came together.
Jim: A lot of veteran guitarists, Neal Schon, Mick Ralphs, Michael Monarch, and yourself (just to name a few), are releasing instrumentals CD's nowadays. How strong is the market for guitar oriented music, is it becoming more popular?
Rocket: Time will tell how my CD fares in the marketplace. I think that guitarists like hearing other guitarists (I know I do). It's not only inspirational, but there's a lot to learn hearing someone else's view on guitar. As for the market becoming more popular for instrumentals, I think many of the artists are simply playing what they want, showing their chops, instead of waiting for someone else to hire them. It's great to have the opportunity, after all these years, to be proactive in our field.
Jim: "One Minute Blues", is a great song. How do you go about writing an instrumental and giving it a title?
Rocket: "One Minute Blues", was written when I was asked to write a 60 second commercial spot in the style of Stevie Ray Vaughn. I set my metronome at 60 beats per minute and I wrote this piece. The title came easily. I usually title the song after it's written, letting the music dictate the title. "Lazy", felt just like that; slow and laid back. "Sorry", sounded like an apology. As for "It's A Boy", well my son had just been born. That one was easy!
Jim: "Salute", features various musical styles, Rock, Pop, Blues, and a bit of fast country pickin' on "Two Step Boogie", that would make Junior Brown proud. Who are some of your guitar heros?
Rocket: My favorite musicians are no surprise: Jimi Hendrix, Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Eric Johnson, Larry Carlton. There are others, lesser known, who blow me away. I still have lots to learn and there are plenty to learn from.
Jim: You've recorded and toured with a lot of big names in the music business, David Lee Roth, Lou Gramm, Cher, Rick Springfield, and Rickie Lee Jones. How did these gigs come about?
Rocket: Work usually comes from someone already in a band having recommended you. The next step is the audition. Sometimes you land it, sometimes you don't. So far I've been pretty lucky getting to tour with mega-talented artists.
Jim: Tell us a bit about Cher, Les Dudek, and Blackrose. How did you meet them and how did Blackrose come about?
Rocket: I was playing guitar with Cher when she was gigging at casinos and resorts in Vegas and Monaco. I had been touring with her for a couple of years when she decided to do a rock album. She needed a rock band and she kept me, Gary Ferguson on drums, and the musical director/keyboardist, Gary Scott. She wanted two guitars, so she had auditions and ended up hiring Les Dudek. Les had just completed a couple of solo records and had toured with Boz Scaggs, Steve Miller, and DFK (Dudek, Finnegan & Kruger). He came highly reccommended and I would eventually co-write a song with him for Steve Miller called "Blue Eyes". We recorded the album on Casablanca and opened tours with Hall & Oates. Cher didn't want to stand out from the band, so she took the band name 'Black Rose."
Jim: From 1985 to 1993 you were the guitarist in John Kay & Steppenwolf. But, you were a lot more than just the guitarist. You co-wrote a lot of songs with John Kay and Michael Wilk. How did the three of you go about writing together?
Rocket: Songs for the albums I did with John Kay usually started with ideas from either me or Michael Wilk. We'd play our ideas for John and he would choose what he liked. He would then work it until he came up with a song he wanted to do. John is very good at putting 2-3 different parts together. He could put a verse from one place with a chorus from another and connect it with a bridge and a great song was born. After that, we would demo the new version and he would write lyrics. He's a fantastic lyricist, as you all know. Michael used to compose while we were traveling on the tour bus. He came up with the lyric "We like, we love it, we want more of it". "Turn out the Lights" was a song I wrote with my childhood buddy, Richie Raposa and John. Whichever way a song developed was always a fun and creative process.
Jim: Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't you leave Steppenwolf in 1989, then rejoin the band in 1990?
Rocket: In 1989, I left John Kay and Steppenwolf to record and do a shed tour with David Lee Roth. I believe Les Dudek replaced me with Steppenwolf. Later, I had the opportunity to join the Wolf again, which I did for a couple of more years.
Jim: What were some of the highlights of your time with Steppenwolf? Any regrets in leaving the band?
Rocket: I loved touring with the Wolf. I saw so much of the world during those 10 years or so. My greatest memories were of Farm Aid. I had never seen so many people at a concert, it was truly awesome. Sometimes we played small clubs and that was a great time. The band always burned, spot on every night. After 200 shows a year, we were one of the tightest bands playing. John ended up moving to Nashville and wanted to relocate the band. Unfortunately, my roots were pretty deep in Los Angeles, so I had to part ways.
Jim: What's up next for you? Will you tour or play selected dates in support of "Salute", go back out on the road with Lou Gramm?
Rocket: At this time in my life, I am trying to promote my CD. I don't have any immediate plans to tour, but I do love playing live, so I'm keeping myself open to most offers. I just got a website together. It's www.RocketRitchotte.com. My bio is up and the CD is available to buy. I have plans to do a newsletter and maybe even lesson videos, but I'm very busy, so it's moving slowly.
Jim: Rocket, thank you so much for doing this interview. "Salute", is an excellent CD, I highly recommend it. Is there anything you'd like to say to your fans?
Rocket: Thanks for your support throughout the years. I appreciate it immensely.
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