Biography

Rick Lang
Look To The Light
Rural Rhythm Christian RHYC - 2004
Release date: April 28, 2010

Contact: Rick Lang
rick@ricklangmusic.com
Tel. 603-944-2934
www.ricklangmusic.com

Publicity: Shari Lacy, GoodStuff PR
shari@goodstuffpr.com
www.goodstuffpr.com


The Songs

1. Thirst & Hunger 3:43
...feat Russell Moore
2. Beautiful Hall 3:07
…feat Jeff Parker
3. Look To The light 3:36
….feat John Miller
4. Angel At Your Side 3:54
…feat Barry Scott
5. I’ve Been Redeemed 3:18
…feat Junior Sisk
6. Bad News For The Devil 3:04
…feat John Miller
7. His Loving Care 2:26
…feat Junior Sisk/John Miller
8. He’ll Lead You Up 3:43
…feat Jeff Parker
9. How Far Will I Fall 3:42
…feat Russell Moore/ Dale Ann Bradley
10. I Long To See His Face 3:19
…feat John Miller
11. The Good Samaritan 3:16
…feat Jeff Parker
12. Momma’s Prayer Beads 3:13
….feat John Miller
13. He Understands 2:10
….feat Barry Scott/Dale Ann Bradley
14. Sailing On 2:47
…feat Russell Moore/Dale Ann Bradley



The Peformers

Russell Moore – lead vocals
Dale Ann Bradley – harmony vocals
Junior Sisk – lead vocals
Jeff Parker – lead vocals
Barry Scott – lead vocals
John Miller – guitar, lead & harmony vocals
Jesse Brock – mandolin, bass & harmony vocals
Roger Williams - dobro
Pete Soukas - bass
Ron Stewart – banjo & fiddle
Mike Cleveland - fiddle
Dale Perry – bass vocals
Wyatt Rice – guitar
Ronnie Rice – bass
Eric Seay – bowed bass

Arranged and produced by Jesse Brock & John Miller

*All songs written by Rick Lang except: "Bad News For The Devil" written by Pete Goble & Rick Lang; "Beautiful Hall" written by Ted DeMille & Rick Lang; "Thirst & Hunger" written by Rick Lang & Justin Carbone.

Look to the Light Liner Notes

In 1992, when the Lonesome River Band’s Carrying the Tradition album exploded onto the bluegrass scene with traditional songs pounded over the fences, one of the newer songs—and my favorite—on that album was a bluesy gospel song called “Listen to the Word of God.” I wore out my copy and was intimately familiar with the song by the time my band showed up in Boston for a gig one snowy winter day. After the show, an unassuming guy with silver hair, a shy grin, and a less-than-confident look came up and introduced himself. After a few minutes, it emerged that this guy had written “Listen to the Word of God,” whereupon in my eyes he grew to ten feet tall and made of marble. “Now that’s a great song!” I think I said, or words to that effect. And a friendship was begun.
Since then, Rick has attained a solid place as one of the best songwriters in bluegrass and gospel. In addition to LRB, he’s had songs recorded by IIIrd Tyme Out, Front Range, Southern Rail, and many other artists.
Rick gets it. He has the intuition to recognize a great line or idea, the inspiration to see how it would work, and the perspiration to follow it through into a complete song. And though Rick has a great sense of humor, he has irony deficiency, which makes his songs honest and unselfconscious—something rare today.
He and his wife, Wendy, live in Kingston, New Hampshire, and for the past 24 years have owned and operated a lumber company called Highland Hardwoods. They supply quality kiln-dried hardwoods to the New England woodworking trade. I don’t know how good a carpenter Rick is, but his approach to writing songs is like a master woodworker. He has the touch and the patience to make the lyrics and melody dovetail so that you can’t imagine it any other way: solid, purpose-driven songs that become a part of your life.
This is foremost a gospel album and the songs and the performances praise His name. It is Rick’s clearest and fullest expression of the Christian life and the songwriting life, which in Rick are one and the same. Typical of Rick, he turned to the very best musicians in bluegrass. The project started as a demo tape, but a chance meeting with mandolin virtuoso Jesse Brock and Virginia multi-instrumentalist John Miller led to them co-producing and bringing in a Who’s Who of singers and players.
The four lead vocalists: Russell Moore, Jeff Parker, Junior Sisk, and Barry Scott each bring their own gorgeous tone and phrasing to the songs, and the harmony tracks of IBMA Female Vocalist of the Year, Dale Ann Bradley, add an angelic voice to the choruses. I won’t list everyone here, but look through the credits and you’ll see the very best musicians playing bluegrass music today. And the recording is produced, engineered, and mixed beautifully. Rick is quick to give credit to Jesse and John for turning it into a world-class project in every way.
Although you won’t hear Rick’s singing (a decision Rick made himself—and typical of his humility), you will hear his voice in the lyrics, the melodies, and the message—a voice of passion and compassion, pointing us toward a greater love. Rick has been through storms in his life, through challenges and doubt, and these songs are the stories of that journey, which has led to Christ.
If we all had one word tattooed on our forehead that expressed our essence, I think Rick’s word would be “Thankful.” He lives that word in his appreciation of others, of songs, of music and musicians, of his family, and of his life in Christ. This album will make us all thankful.
—Chris Stuart







Here's What's New...with Rick Lang Music

Rick Lang Wins IMEA Award for 2015 “Holiday Song Of The Year”

The IMEA annual awards show was held on Saturday October, 24th 2015, 7:00 PM at the Marietta Performing Arts Center, Marietta Georgia. The IMEA presented awards in various categories and several genres, honoring the very best in independent music & theatre. Award nominees as well as performers came from all across the US as well as abroad.

We are excited to share the wonderful news that Rick was honored with the award For Holiday Song Of The Year. The song "That's What I Love About Christmas", co-written with Stephen Mougin, was the title cut of Rick's new Christmas/Seasonal album of the same name, and released on RLM records Oct 7, 2014. Produced and engineered by Stephen Mougin (Dark Shadow Recording) the award-winning track features: Annie Sellick, lead vocals;Joe Davidian, piano; Todd Parks, bass; Chris Brown, drums.

"That's What I Love About Christmas" also received an IMEA award
nomination for 2015 Holiday Album Of The Year.

The IMEA (International Music & Entertainment Association) is a non-profit organization whose purpose is to honor and recognize the best in independent music, theatre and live entertainment, internationally.

Stay tuned...more to come!



Rick Lang Biography

A native of New Hampshire, award-winning songwriter Rick Lang has become well known in the Bluegrass community and beyond. His songs have been covered by some of the most renowned artists in Bluegrass
music, Southern Gospel and even the Jazz world. Over 70 song cuts to his credit, the number keeps growing each year. Although most of his songs are self-composed, Rick has collaborated with several other notable writers in the Bluegrass and Gospel music
field in recent years.

Rick has released four studio recordings of his own to date. Each have featured all original Rick Lang compositions.

Rick's first Christmas album "The Season Of My Heart" (2003), was voted one of the top twenty five albums of the year by the National Folk Radio survey.

"Look To The Light", an all Gospel CD released in 2010 on Rural Rhythm Christian (RRC) was nominated for a GMA (Gospel Music Association) Dove Award as well as an IBMA (International Bluegrass Music Association) Gospel Recorded Event Of The Year.

In 2012 Rick recorded and released the Christmas single "Little Did They Know" on the Rural Rhythm Records Label....featuring Jana Mougin on vocals.

Rick's 2nd Christmas/Seasonal album, "That's What I Love About Christmas" was released on Oct 7, 2014 on his own RLM Music label. Unlike his previous Holiday recording, this one has a heavy jazz influence, some of the songs having the feel of some of the classic
Christmas songs of the '30s and '40s.

The title cut, written by Rick and Stephen Mougin, was awarded 2015 Holiday Song Of The Year by the IMEA (International Music & Entertainment Association) at their annual awards show at the Marietta Performing Arts Center, Marietta GA Saturday Oct 24, 2015.

In addition to a busy songwriting schedule, Rick does some freelance writing for Bluegrass Unlimited Magazine, conducts songwriting workshops, one-on-one songwriting lessons, and still actively performs
on occasion. Rick is an alumni of the IBMA eadership Bluegrass program (class of 2012), and is currently a member of the IBMA Songwriter committee.

Rick and his wife Wendy have two daughters, three granddaughters, and currently reside in Kingston New Hampshire