Ric Steel (born 2 December 1952) is a Tennessee-based singer, guitarist, author, and patent holding inventor.

Early life

Born to traveling musicians, Ric hails from Jackson, Mississippi. At age 10, he began singing professionally as the lead in an operatic performance by

Gian Carlo Menotti Gian Carlo Menotti (, ; July 7, 1911 – February 1, 2007) was an Italian-American composer, libretto, librettist, director, and playwright who is primarily known for his output of 25 operas. Although he often referred to himself as an American ...

called "Amahl and the Night Visitors." At 11 years of age he moved with his family to

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

, and performed at the New York World's Fair for two years. After that, he went to Belmont College, and it was there in Nashville where he got to perform his music, write for

The Oak Ridge Boys The Oak Ridge Boys are an American vocal quartet. The classic and most well-known lineup of the group, which performed together for over 40 years, consisted of William Lee Golden (baritone), Duane Allen (lead), Richard Sterban (bass), and Joe ...

, and perform with some of the greatest Nashville stars. Those artists associated with Ric are listed in his biographical information. His most recent major cut as a writer was by

Lee Greenwood Melvin Lee Greenwood (born October 27, 1942) is an American country music singer. Active since 1962, he won a Grammy Awards, Grammy Award and he has charted 33 singles on the Hot Country Songs with seven singles reaching the number one. He has ...

on the "Wounded Heart" album. The song was called "Who’s that knocking on my heart?“ and "God Bless The USA" was featured on the same disc. Over his lifetime, Ric has spent 40 years as an accredited, Bmi writer and award winner. Some of his awards include a gold medal from the country of

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

as the best country singer, and an honorable mention in the

John Lennon Songwriting Contest John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second Ep ...

. His song, "Love, Work & Money" was also nominated for a

Grammy The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...

to the New York, Grammy committee but never made it to the Grammy awards televised show as it did not have enough votes country wide to attain that honor. According to Nashville publishers, Ric is still writing every day and touring the world nine months a year as a featured artist. Ric has also written a book called ''How

Diabetes Diabetes mellitus, commonly known as diabetes, is a group of common endocrine diseases characterized by sustained high blood sugar levels. Diabetes is due to either the pancreas not producing enough of the hormone insulin, or the cells of th ...

Saved My Life'' and it is available on Amazon.

Musical career

Steel has had two Billboard charted singles, including "The Radio Song" at #57 and "Whose Baby Are You" at #59.

References

1952 births American country guitarists American male guitarists American country singer-songwriters American male singer-songwriters Living people Singer-songwriters from Mississippi Singers from Nashville, Tennessee Musicians from Jackson, Mississippi Luther Rice University alumni Singer-songwriters from Tennessee Guitarists from Mississippi Guitarists from Tennessee 20th-century American guitarists Country musicians from Tennessee Country musicians from Mississippi 20th-century American male musicians {{US-guitarist-stub