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Rick Vito | |
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 Rick Vito in concert withMick Fleetwood, 2020 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Richard Vito |
| Born | (1949-10-13)October 13, 1949 (age 75) Darby,Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Genres | Blues,Swing,Roots rock,World |
| Occupation(s) | Musician,songwriter |
| Instrument(s) | Guitar,vocals,bass,keyboards |
| Years active | 1969 – present |
Richard Francis Vito (born October 13, 1949) is an Americanguitarist andsinger. He was part ofFleetwood Mac between 1987 and 1991. Vito took over as lead guitarist afterLindsey Buckingham left the group.[2] He is best known for his blues and slide guitar style, whose influences includeElmore James,Robert Nighthawk,B.B. King,Alvino Rey,Les Paul,George Harrison, andKeith Richards.
Vito began his professional career in 1971 upon moving to Los Angeles and subsequently joining Delaney & Bonnie & Friends, also working with Todd Rundgren and Derek & The Dominoes’ Bobby Whitlock. Vito has been a featured player onBob Seger'salbums since 1986. He played theslide guitarsolo on the Bob Seger song (and Chevy truck TV commercial), "Like a Rock". He was a long-standing member ofBonnie Raitt's touring band in the 1980s and 1990s. Vito also recorded and/ or performed withJohn Mayall,Jackson Browne,Little Richard,Roger McGuinn,Roy Orbison,Dobie Gray,John Fogerty,Stevie Nicks,Albert Collins,Dolly Parton,Maria Muldaur,Bob Seger, and many others. Vito has had ten solo CD releases and tours often in Europe and the US with his own band. He produced rockabilly singer Rosie Flores' CD,Speed of Sound. His CD/DVD production collaboration with Mick Fleetwood,Blue Again!, received a Grammy nomination in 2010. Vito is also the recipient of the W.C. Handy Blues Award.Mojo on My Side was released in Europe in 2014, and worldwide in 2015 on Delta Groove Records with two new tracks. His CDSoulshaker was released on 5 April 2019; his latest and 11th solo CD,Cadillac Man, was released March 22, 2024.[3]
Vito performed with the Mick Fleetwood Blues Band atByron Bay Bluesfest over Easter 2016.[4] He also participated in an all-star tribute to Fleetwood Mac founder Peter Green at the London Palladium in February 2020. Billed as "Mick Fleetwood & Friends," the show highlighted Vito's guitar and vocals alongside of Billy Gibbons, Pete Townshend, David Gilmour, Jonny Lang, John Mayall, Christine McVie, Bill Wyman, Jeremy Spencer and more.
In 1987,Lindsey Buckingham left Fleetwood Mac before the band began theirShake the Cage Tour.[5]Mick Fleetwood then asked Rick Vito to join the group as the lead guitarist. Vito andBilly Burnette officially joined Fleetwood Mac in September 1987.[6] He first appeared on the band's 1988Greatest Hits album, which featured Vito's playing on "As Long as You Follow" and "No Questions Asked", which were recorded specifically for the compilation.[7] He then worked with the band on theirBehind the Mask album, which was released in 1990.[8] Vito quit Fleetwood Mac in November 1991 to begin working on a solo career.[9] Despite his departure from the group, Vito joined his former bandmatesChristine McVie, Mick Fleetwood, Burnette, andJohn McVie to play the pre-game show ofSuper Bowl XXVII in January 1993.[10]
Vito later joined theMick Fleetwood Blues Band in 2008 and recorded a live album,Blue Again!, which was nominated for aGrammy Award for Best Blues Album in 2010. Vito split from the Mick Fleetwood Blues Band in 2017,[11] although he did perform with Fleetwood in 2020 for a performance honoring the music ofPeter Green, a founding member of Fleetwood Mac.[12]
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