Radoslav Lorković (born September 3, 1958) is a Croatian born and classically trained
folk
Folk or Folks may refer to:
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and
blues musician, known in particular for his flair on the piano and accordion. He has six solo studio recordings, three live albums and has recorded and performed with numerous artists including
Odetta
Odetta Holmes (December 31, 1930 – December 2, 2008), known as Odetta, was an American singer, actress, guitarist, lyricist, and a civil rights activist, often referred to as "The Voice of the Civil Rights Movement". Her musical repertoire co ...
,
Asleep at the Wheel,
Jimmy LaFave
Jimmy LaFave (July 12, 1955 – May 21, 2017) was an American singer-songwriter and folk musician. After moving to Stillwater, Oklahoma, LaFave became a supporter of Woody Guthrie. He later became an Advisory Board member and regular performer ...
,
Shawn Mullins
Shawn Mullins (born March 8, 1968) is an American singer-songwriter who specializes in folk rock, instrumental rock, adult alternative, and Americana music. His 1998 single "Lullaby", hit number one on the Adult Top 40 and was nominated for a Gr ...
,
Greg Brown,
Richard Shindell
Richard Shindell (born August 3, 1960) is an American folk singer, songwriter, producer, and musician. Shindell grew up in Port Washington, New York, and now lives in Buenos Aires, Argentina, with his wife, Lila Caimari, a university profess ...
,
Ellis Paul
Ellis Paul (born Paul Plissey; January 14, 1965) is an American singer-songwriter and folk musician. Born in Presque Isle, Aroostook County, Maine, Paul is a key figure in what has become known as the Boston school of songwriting, a literate, ...
,
Susan Werner,
Ronny Cox
Daniel Ronald Cox (born July 23, 1938) is an American actor, singer and songwriter. His best-known roles include Drew Ballinger in ''Deliverance'' (1972), George Apple in '' Apple's Way'' (1974–75), Ozark Bule in '' Bound for Glory'' (1976), C ...
, Dave Moore,
Andy White,
Bo Ramsey
Bo Ramsey (born Robert Franklin Ramsey, 1951 in Burlington, Iowa, United States) is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and recording producer.
Career
He made his debut in Williamsburg, Iowa in 1973, fronted the Mother Blues Band, and ro ...
, and
Ramsay Midwood. His year career as a touring musician has taken him around the world, where he has performed from castles in Italy to
Carnegie Hall.
Growing up
Lorković was born into a musical family and grew up listening to classical music. Antonija, his maternal grandmother, sang
Croatian,
Slovenian
Slovene or Slovenian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Slovenia, a country in Central Europe
* Slovene language, a South Slavic language mainly spoken in Slovenia
* Slovenes
The Slovenes, also known as Slovenians ( sl, Sloven ...
, and
Czech
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* Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe
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Places
* Czech, ...
folk songs to him from the time of his birth.
[Staff report]
Radoslav Lorkovic returns to Winter Wind.
''Norman Transcript'', January 28, 2011. He inherited his piano passion from his paternal grandmother,
Melita Lorković, at one time the premier pianist of
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...
. His great-grandfather was one of the great conductors of Eastern Europe. His mother, Tatjana Lorković, remembers her son as a toddler who, when listening to
Modest Mussorgky's ''
Pictures at an Exhibition
''Pictures at an Exhibition'', french: Tableaux d'une exposition, link=no is a suite of ten piano pieces, plus a recurring, varied Promenade theme, composed by Russian composer Modest Mussorgsky in 1874. The piece is Mussorgsky's most famous pia ...
'', would begin to sing.
At age one he was reported to be singing back on pitch. By age three he was putting on floor shows for his grandfather and friends who would respond by showering him with coins yelling "pivaj Radoslav pivaj!" After this blend of central European musical influences, Lorković's family moved to London when he was five, to
Minnesota
Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...
when he was six, and three years later to
Iowa
Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to th ...
, where he lived for the next many years.
[Rose, Billy]
Radoslav Lorkovic interview.
''Independent Midwest Music'', August 15, 2009. Retrieved September 23, 2012.
Music career
Lorković started playing piano when he was seven. In high school, a friend who played piano introduced Lorković to the blues. That would be a turning point in Lorković's life. He says:
"When I heard John’s piano blues I was astounded. He showed me the scale and the left-hand bass pattern and that led to six hours a day of gleeful, voluntary practicing. Shortly thereafter I started learning music by ear. Then my buddy had a ticket to the Grateful Dead concert and, well, the rest is history."
[Roberts, Lee B]
, ''The Journal Times'', October 20, 2012. Retrieved October 21, 2012. After his friend, Phil, took him to the Grateful Dead show, they formed a band. Lorković says: "But my friend Phil who took me to the show and I bought instruments – a Gibson SG guitar and a Gibson amp – and learned all of Europe ’72. The guitar was for Phil, and I just used the little upright piano in my living room. We dropped a mic in it and jammed at my house, usually when my mom was out. This led to me being a musician."
[Stoller, Gary]
Radoslav Lorkovic: One of Folk's Most in-Demand Sidemen Recalls His Favorite Shows.
''No Depression'', June 7, 2015. During a gig at a venue in
Iowa City, Iowa
Iowa City, offically the City of Iowa City is a city in Johnson County, Iowa, United States. It is the home of the University of Iowa and county seat of Johnson County, at the center of the Iowa City Metropolitan Statistical Area. At the tim ...
called The Sanctuary, producer/musician Bo Ramsey heard him play and for three or four years while in college Lorković was a member of Ramsey's band The Third Street Sliders. Eventually he started playing piano for singer-songwriters
Greg Brown, who he had met in Iowa, and
Richard Shindell
Richard Shindell (born August 3, 1960) is an American folk singer, songwriter, producer, and musician. Shindell grew up in Port Washington, New York, and now lives in Buenos Aires, Argentina, with his wife, Lila Caimari, a university profess ...
, who he had met in Italy. Although Lorković has recorded several solo albums, according to ''No Depression'' he is best known for the "virtuoso musicianship and beauty he has put into many other artists’ music – both live and in the studio".
Lorković met Austinite
Jimmy LaFave
Jimmy LaFave (July 12, 1955 – May 21, 2017) was an American singer-songwriter and folk musician. After moving to Stillwater, Oklahoma, LaFave became a supporter of Woody Guthrie. He later became an Advisory Board member and regular performer ...
during the 1990s and in 2005, when he became a member of LaFave's band, he moved to Austin.
"He's like a mad genius," LaFave says. "If I know a crowd's not responding, I'll throw a Hail Mary to Rad. His showmanship adds so much flair to a live gig."
In 2014, Lorković and Scott Crago (drummer for
The Eagles
The Eagles are an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1971. With five number-one singles and six number-one albums, six Grammy Awards and five American Music Awards, the Eagles were one of the most successful musical acts of the 1970s ...
) played on LaFave's cover of Jackson Browne's "For Everyman" on Music Roads Records' ''Looking into You: A Tribute to Jackson Brown''.
Lorković's piano playing on LaFave's 2015 release ''The Night Tribe'', is said to be "straight from the Garth Hudson School of Excellence; and his tinkling of the ivories turns a very good album into a great one." Of LaFave, Lorković says: "Jimmy is a true rocker, and he brings that out in me."
Around that time, he also became a piano accompanist to the late blues great Odetta. "Odetta," he says, "stands alone. She is by far the best musician I have ever played with. She taught me so much about music, not so much in words, but in gestures, directions, stares, even smiles, and all with her sense of grace."
[Granberry, Michael]
Blues pianist tackles music with a fiery kind of cool.
''Dallas Morning News'', April 12, 2010.
At some point Lorković found the accordion. He said: "So I came from this world as a proper pianist and I landed on the accordion...and it became the perfect instrument for me because there was so much expression there. The piano’s amazing, too, but the accordion, I think it’s one of the most versatile instruments out there. It’s a lead instrument, it’s a wind instrument and...I pretend that I’m playing lead guitar on it."
[McDonnell, Brandy]
Interview: Croatian-born pianist/accordion player Radoslav Lorkovic follows gypsy life to Woody Guthrie Folk Festival.
''The Oklahoman'', July 12, 2013.
Lorković tours internationally and often performs at festivals including the
Woody Guthrie Folk Festival
The Woody Guthrie Folk Festival is held annually in mid-July to commemorate the life and music of Woody Guthrie. The festival is held on the weekend closest to July 14 - the date of Guthrie's birth - in Guthrie's hometown of Okemah, Oklahoma. Da ...
, held annually in
Woody Guthrie
Woodrow Wilson Guthrie (; July 14, 1912 – October 3, 1967) was an American singer-songwriter, one of the most significant figures in American folk music. His work focused on themes of American socialism and anti-fascism. He has inspired ...
's hometown of
Okemah, Oklahoma
Okemah ( or ) is the largest city in and the county seat of Okfuskee County, Oklahoma, United States. It is the birthplace of folk music legend Woody Guthrie. Thlopthlocco Tribal Town, a federally recognized Muscogee Indian tribe, is headquartered ...
.
[Granberry, Michae]
Thousands descend on Oklahoma town to honor Woody Guthrie’s 100th birthday.
''Dallas Morning News'', July 15, 2012. Sometimes referred to as the "Croatian Sensation," Lorković is known to be the busiest musician during the festival,
[Webb, Jela]
Woody Guthrie Folk Festival, Okemah, Oklahoma, July 9–13.
''Maverick Magazine'', September 2008, Issue No. 74, p. 22-3. having first attended in 2005 as a member of Jimmy LaFave's band. A few years later he was on the festival schedule performing his own solo set as well as accompanying many others.
[Webb, Jela]
Woody Guthrie Folk Festival, Okemah, Oklahoma, July 14–18.
''Maverick Magazine'', October 2010, Issue No. 99, p. 20-1. Lorković's version of Woody Guthrie's "The Jolly Banker" – which he performs on accordion
– was described as being "dazzling".
Lorković has also performed on
Garrison Keillor's
Prairie Home Companion
Prairies are ecosystems considered part of the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome by ecologists, based on similar temperate climates, moderate rainfall, and a composition of grasses, herbs, and shrubs, rather than trees, as the ...
. For several years he has accompanied Ellis Paul at Paul's traditional New Year's Eve shows at
Club Passim in
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston ...
.
Lorković's earliest recording, ''Clear and Cold'' (1990) was digitally re-mastered and re-released in 2013. In her review of the album for ''The Oklahoman'', Brandy McDonnell said: "Although the Croatian-born singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist also is known for his skill on the accordion, ''Clear and Cold'' showcases his classical training and fleet-fingered prowess on piano..."
The Red Accordion
During a show in Italy in 1992, Lorković was given a red accordion as a gift. The accordion was his travel companion and the only accordion that he played for the next 20 years. The accordion case, covered in stickers representing Lorković's years of attending folk festivals around the world, was often a favorite subject of photographers. On March 10, 2012, the accordion and case were stolen after a performance at the Brady Theater in
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with ...
. Local news outlets spread the word about the theft in hopes the accordion and case would be returned, and Lorković issued a plea for their return via social media outlets. On Christmas Day 2012 a
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with ...
woman received the accordion as a gift. Upon inspection, she found Lorković's name and after doing some research, discovered that the accordion had been stolen earlier in the year. She was able to contact Lorković and within a few days the accordion was back in Lorković's possession.
Photography
Lorković's interest in photography began in high school when he unexpectedly became a yearbook photographer for his Iowa City High School class of 1975. He went on to study photography under John Schultze at the
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized into 12 col ...
.
Lorković's photographs taken on the road as he travels to his music performances can be found on his Facebook page.
[O’Shea, Tim]
Radoslav Lorkovic on His Music
, ''Talking With Tim'' (Pop culture interviews by Tim O'Shea), November 23, 2011. Retrieved October 21, 2012.
Discography
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lorkovic, Radoslav
1958 births
Living people
20th-century American male musicians
21st-century American male musicians
American folk musicians
American male singer-songwriters
21st-century accordionists
Male pianists
American organists
20th-century pianists
21st-century pianists
Croatian emigrants to the United States
20th-century Croatian male singers
21st-century Croatian male singers
Croatian accordionists
Croatian pianists
Croatian organists
Musicians from Zagreb
Singer-songwriters from Iowa