Ridge Runner Records was a

record label "Big Three" music labels A record label or record company is a brand or trademark of Sound recording and reproduction, music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a Music publisher, ...

based in

Fort Worth, Texas Fort Worth is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Tarrant County, Texas, Tarrant County, covering nearly into Denton County, Texas, Denton, Johnson County, Texas, Johnson, Parker County, Texas, Parker, and Wise County, Te ...

, specializing in acoustic music from Texas and Oklahoma. Ridge Runner was one of the first labels to release and market bluegrass music in the southwestern U.S.

History

While operating Warehouse Music in Fort Worth in the mid-1970s, selling guitars and musical equipment, Slim Richey began making records on his Ridge Runner label. One of the first goals of Ridge Runner was to record and release albums by the banjo player

Alan Munde Alan Munde (pronounced "mun-dee") (born November 4, 1946) is an American five-string banjo player and bluegrass musician. He was inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame in 2024. Biography Born in Norman, Oklahoma, Munde lear ...

, but the label branched out to other bluegrass and country musicians and groups. Ridger Runner released ''Jazz Grass'' which featured bluegrass musicians playing jazz standards. The album had Richey and Sumter Bruton on guitar, Dan Huckabee on Dobro,

Richard Greene Richard Marius Joseph Greene (25 August 1918 – 1 June 1985) was a noted English film and television actor. A matinée idol who appeared in more than 40 films, he was perhaps best known for the lead role in the long-running British TV series ...

Ricky Skaggs Rickie Lee Skaggs (born July 18, 1954), known professionally as Ricky Skaggs, is an American neotraditional country and bluegrass singer, musician, producer, and composer. He primarily plays mandolin; however, he also plays fiddle, guitar, ma ...

and

Sam Bush Charles Samuel Bush (born April 13, 1952) is an American mandolinist who is considered an originator of progressive bluegrass music. In 2020, he was inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame as a member of New Grass Revival. ...

on fiddle,

Joe Carr Joseph Benedict Carr (22 February 1922 – 3 June 2004) was an Irish amateur golfer. Early life Carr was born in Inchicore, a suburb of Dublin, Ireland, to George and Margaret Mary "Missie" Waters (the fifth of seven children). At 10 days ol ...

and Kerby Stewart on mandolin and Bill Keith, Gerald Jones and

on banjo. Other significant albums released by Ridge Runner include: * ''Pre-Sequel'' by

Alison Brown Alison Brown (born August 7, 1962) is an American banjo player, guitarist, composer, and producer. She has won and has been nominated for several Grammy awards and is often compared to another banjo prodigy, Béla Fleck, for her unique style of ...

and

Stuart Duncan Stuart Ian Duncan (born April 14, 1964) is an American bluegrass musician who plays the fiddle, mandolin, guitar, and banjo. Life Duncan was born in Quantico, Virginia, and raised in Santa Paula, California, where he played in the school ...

was recorded when Alison had just graduated from high school. * ''With A Little Help From My Friends'' by

Marty Stuart John Marty Stuart (born September 30, 1958) is an American country music, country and bluegrass music singer, songwriter, and musician. Active since 1968, Stuart initially toured with Lester Flatt, and then in Johnny Cash's road band before be ...

was his first solo album, released in 1978 when he was 19 years old. Ridge Runner also published Richey's bluegrass songbooks and music instruction videos. Ridge Runner and its sister label Flying High Records were under the umbrella of Richey Records.

Artists

Here is a partial list of artists who have released recordings on the Ridge Runner label: * David Ferguson * Richard Bailey * Kenny Baker * Bob Black *

* Bob Clark * Country Gazette * Country Store * Fred Geiger * Dan Huckabee * Bill Knopf * Muleskinner *

* Slim Richey * Roanoke * Eddie Shelton * Barry Solomon * Wayne Stewart * Stone Mountain Boys *

* Tennessee Gentlemen * Buck White & The Down Home Folks *

Roland White Roland Joseph White (né LeBlanc; April 23, 1938 – April 1, 2022) was an American bluegrass music artist, performing principally on the mandolin. He was inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame in 2017. Biography White wa ...

* Howard Yearwood

References

{{Authority control American independent record labels

History

Artists

See also

References