DISCOGRAPHY 1996-2021 (12CD)
BIOGRAPHY
One critic observed of Holmstrom, "he delivers music with technical
savvy and traditional stylings, without sacrificing originality and pure
adventure".
Rick Holmstrom was born in Fairbanks, Alaska, United States, one of three
children and the only son of Larry and Diane Holmstrom. His paternal
grandfather, Francis O. Holmstrom, was a native of Everett, Washington who
moved to Fairbanks during the early part of the middle 20th century and
owned a jewelry store in downtown Fairbanks for many years. Holmstrom grew
up in Fairbanks, where his father worked as a broadcaster and broadcasting
executive, and also headed the Fairbanks office of the Governor of Alaska
under governor Jay Hammond.
After relocating to Southern California, and while attending college in
Redlands, California, Holmstrom joined a local blues group. Holmstrom
also went to blues concerts, where he played guitar with Smokey Wilson
and Junior Watson.
He joined William Clarke's backing band, and played both lead and rhythm
guitar for three years up to 1988. That same year, Holmstrom suffered a
significant tragedy in his family, as his father and one of his sisters
were killed in a whitewater rafting accident in Alaska's Wrangell -
St.Elias National Park. Later joining forces with Johnny Dyer, Holmstrom
played on his albums, Listen Up (1994) and Shake It! (1995).
He moved on to join Rod Piazza's backing group, the Mighty Flyers and,
in 1996, released his first solo album, Lookout! on Black Top Records.
It was an instrumental affair, about which one reviewer noted
"Holmstrom's inventive ideas are top-notch, making each track stand
mightily on its own".....