Ricky Cool has been fronting and playing harmonica in bands since the mid 1970’s. He is associated with some of the finest roots-based music to come out of the UK and is renowned as a highly entertaining performer who always works with great musicians.
Ricky’s name first came to prominence when he formed Ricky Cool and The Icebergs along with a bunch of musical friends. The band grew a large and devoted following in the Midlands, spreading further afield following a half-hour TV programme ‘This Is Ricky Cool and the Icebergs’.
This brought them to the attention of legendary rhythm ‘n’ blues producer Mike Vernon of Blue Horizon Records. The band recorded at his Chipping Norton studios. Further Television and radio appearances followed and the band started playing regularly in London, as well as throughout the UK. They also shared the bill with many famous bands including The Kinks, Dire Straits, Darts, The Specials and Steel Pulse.
Since then Ricky Cool has fronted and played with a number of bands
presenting American and Jamaican music in an authentic and entertaining way. He co-founded The Big Town Playboys, the band that nurtured the talent of Mike Sanchez. Ricky Cool and the Rialto’s became the nucleus of Robert Plant’s first Honeydrippers line up. He performed with Robert Plant at the Birmingham Heartbeat concert held at the N.E.C. Ricky has also toured with Billy Connolly as can be seen on the ‘Billy Connolly Bites Your Bum’
DVD. Ricky specialises Blues and Roots style harmonica. As well as performing
live with his current band Ricky Cool and the In Crowd and Cigar Box guitar maestro Chickenbone John, Ricky has a prominent profile on YouTube and TikTok through his harmonica videos.