Rick Recht
Rick Recht is a top touring artist in Jewish music, playing over 150 concerts a year in the United States and abroad. Recht is recognized for his appeal to youth and family audiences not only as an exceptional musician, singer/songwriter, and entertainer, but as a role model for involvement in Jewish life. He has become an icon for Jewish youth in the United States, elevating the medium of Jewish music as a powerful and effective tool for developing Jewish pride and identity among the masses.
"We're lucky because our fan base ranges in age from little kids to adults which allows us to do all kinds of different concerts," said Recht. "We have the opportunity to constantly change things up and do what it takes to inspire Jewish youth and adults and make them feel connected to each other and their Jewish heritage. The teen rock concerts are sweaty, loud and exciting. The little kids concerts give us a chance to be goofy, but really educational at the same time. The family concerts are a little bit of everything and the Shabbat Alive! services have their own unique, powerfully spiritual feeling. Only in the Jewish world could we experience this wonderful variety of creativity, spirituality, and interaction."
In addition to his four top-selling Jewish albums and recently released secular album What Feels So Right, Recht has just released two new recordings, Shabbat Alive! LIVE and Tear Down The Walls, plus a film also titled Shabbat Alive! LIVE.
The Shabbat Alive! LIVE film captures Recht's nationally renowned Shabbat Alive! contemporary service with over 1,000 enthusiastic congregants and dozens of youth and adult participant leaders. The accompanying Shabbat Alive! LIVE CD is a collection of the musical works from the film and includes songs by Rick Recht, Debbie Friedman, Julie Silver, Craig Taubman, and more.
Recht's new Jewish rock album, Tear Down The Walls, is a well-crafted, high-energy example of what his fans have come to love. The songs deal with the challenges and necessities of dismantling racism. This album is part of an initiative developed and launched by Rick Recht with support from the Anti-Defamation League to educate teens and families about racism, discrimination, and prejudice and ways to create a safer and more welcoming environment for all people.
Highlights over the last four years include performances at the NFTY National Convention, BBYO International Convention, URJ Biennial, USY International Convention, CAJE, Hillel Leaders Assembly, NAA Conference, BBYO International Staff Conference, and URJ National Preschool Director's Conference. Recht has become a regular headliner at major national Jewish Festivals in Los Angeles, Houston, Chicago, Kansas City, and England. Over the last 4 summers, Recht has launched unprecedented tours playing over 70 Jewish day and overnight camps from coast to coast including Ramah, URJ, BBYO, JCC and private camps garnering a feverish following among the national Jewish youth movements unseen in previous years.
"The stage is definitely our home," says Recht. "The energy and voices of the audiences, whether they're little kids, teens or adults, is indescribable. That's the magic of Jewish music - the interaction, the singing, the dancing, and the powerful community connection. For me, it's a dream come true to create and share in this extraordinary environment on a daily basis."
Recht's electrifying live performances fueled by Dennis Stringfield on drums and Logan on bass guitar have captured the hearts of a generation of fans discovering the inspiration of contemporary Jewish music. Recht is known for regularly featuring local musicians, choirs, and vocal soloists on stage with the band during his concerts and religious services.
Born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, Recht developed a strong Jewish identity attending Traditional Congregation, a conservative synagogue, and later, in high school, joined NFTY, where he was deeply influenced by Jewish music. After graduating USC (Los Angeles, CA) and Music Institute (Hollywood, CA), Recht hit the road touring nationwide from LA to New York playing at clubs, colleges, and amphitheaters. After releasing 2 critically acclaimed secular albums, Good Thing and Reality, Recht returned to his Jewish roots with his debut Jewish album, Tov, in the Summer of 1999. Recht’s shift to Jewish music marks the birth of a unique blend of pop, radio-friendly music with Hebrew, Jewish text, and social responsibility. Recht's songwriting combined with his trademark high-energy live show has drawn comparisons to acts such as Dave Matthews Band, Indigo Girls, Craig Taubman, and David Broza. His contributions to Jewish music have been chronicled by the major media outlets in the United States and internationally. He is the Artist in Residence at United Hebrew Congregation in St. Louis, Missouri and enjoys spending time with his wife, Elisa, 4-year-old son, Kobi, and one year old son, Tal.
The current Rick Recht band includes Rick Recht as a lead singer and guitar player, Logan Detering on the bass guitar and backing vocals, and Dennis Stringfield on the drums and backing vocals.
Rick Recht has started a new record label entitled Jewish Rock Records. The first artist signed to it is Sheldon Low. The St. Louis Live Agency manages Rick and his projects.
It is important to note that his music is very hippy, sometimes mistaken for Christian rock (although lacking the religiousness), often using lyrics taken from 1960's songs and trying to weave them into Jewish songs. The message he sends has is rather progressive instead of traditional. The mixing of secular music with Jewish music often confuses kids in terms of what is the "Jewish" view on things and what is the secular view on things. Rick tends to focus alot of what makes humankind the same, instead of sending out a message to Jews that we are special and different. His message of Jewish heritage is arguably shallow because he sings songs like "The World Stands on Three Thing", yet neglects to teach people exactly what those three things are. It would be interesting to see him sing more about Jewish related topics that are infused with Jewish values, not simply American values.
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