Radoslav Lorkovic

Drawing from a multitude of influences ranging from elegant classical and jazz styles to the rawest, most basic blues, country, and soul, Radoslav Lorkovic has taken on an unusually broad musical spectrum and refined it into his distinctive piano style. His tenure on the R&B and folk circuits has culminated in five crictically acclaimed solo recordings and numerous appearances on the recordings of and performances with artists including Odetta, Jimmy LaFave, Robbon of Highway Woody Guthrie Tribute, Greg Brown, Richard Shindell, Ellis Paul, Ronny Cox, Dave Moore, Andy White, and Bo Ramsey. His thirty year touring career has led him from the taverns of the upper Mississippi River to the castles of Italy, The Canary Islands, The Yup'ik villages of Alaska, The Kennedy Center and Carnegie Hall. Born in Zagreb, Croatia in 1958, Lorkovic's initial exposure to music can be attributed to two grandmothers. Antonija, his maternal grandmother, sang him Croatian, Slovenian, and Czech folk songs since birth. 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!" During this time, classical music played in the home constantly due to the influence of his paternal grandmother Melita Lorkovic, an internationally renown classical pianist. After this blend of central European musical influences Radoslav moved to the United States at age six. He had a foothold on a classical music career when at age fourteen he was sidetracked by a blues scale that a friend had taught him.

After several years and countless hours of expounding on this spark, Lorkovic began touring at age 20 with Bo Ramsey and the Sliders. Lorkovic entered the band having mastered the styles of boogie-woogie greats such as Albert Ammons, Pete Johnson, Freddie Slack, etc. Ramsey's influence drove Lorkovic deeper to the core of the blues. The music of Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters. and Little Walter shifted Lorkovic's focus to the basics as he began to draw from the styles of Otis Spann and Pinetop Perkins. Several years later Lorkovic and Ramsey joined forces with Greg Brown adding musical authenticity to his deep Iowa roots. At this time, Lorkovic was simultaneously brushing up on his classical heritage and looking south to the polyrhythmic sounds of Porefessor Longhair and James Booker. He had picked up Tex-Mex and Zydeco accordion as well. In 1990, he made his solo recording debut. Six CDs later, Lorkovic currently tours the world regularly appearing at prestigious events such as the Woody Guthrie Folk Festival, WOMAD, Winnipeg, Calgary, Companion, eTown, as well as a litany of Italian castles and villas.