Today we’d like to introduce you to Dick Earl Ericksen.
Hi Dick, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
My name is Dick Earl Ericksen, and I’m a musician. I was born in a little town called Moroni, Utah. My dad played the harmonica and when I was about one year old he gave me my first harp. When I was older, he brought home a cassette tape that he had found at the landfill, he said, “Check this out, you might like it.” I read the name, Muddy Waters, popped it in the cassette player, and “Mannish Boy” started playing. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.
It was just like a light bulb came on. I just instantly identified with it and have loved it ever since. Many years later a friend of mine, Tas Cru, a nationally-acclaimed Blues artist and recipient of a “Keepin’ the Blues Alive” award, called me up and asked if I would like to meet him in Memphis to play on Beale Street at the Rum Boogie Cafe for the International Blues Challenge. I couldn’t say no to that opportunity!
Living where we live, there are not a lot of guys that play the blues. The great thing about the IBC is every year bands from all over the world come to Memphis. It really is a Blues lover’s Mecca. I remember my first time in Memphis, walking from bar to bar, listening, in one door and out the next.
Nonstop, all the way up Beale and back down the other side. The music never stopped. It blended from one band into the next, from one style into the next. It was amazing. So I also like to think of going to Memphis as getting my blues batteries recharged. You show up in Memphis and suddenly there are thousands of other people there who love the Blues as much as you do, and you get to hang out with them for a week.
After that first visit to Memphis in 2013 I have returned every year for the IBC, sometimes as a judge, and as often as I can for the Blues Music Awards or other gigs in the city. I also began touring full-time with Tas Cru and have spent many years on the road and in the studio with him as his harmonica player. Back home in Utah, I have my own band, “Dick Earl’s Electric Witness,” with my son Isaac on bass, my daughter Mari on drums, and Thomas Anderson playing guitar.
My children have joined me on stage since they were teens, trained by experiences as kids backstage, in-studio, on the road, and in our school of rock. Alice, my wife, produced the band’s debut album, is a frequent Electric Witness guest performer and our youngest daughter Zoe sings on the LP, as well.
Our family band’s self-titled debut album can be streamed on all major online platforms. I have recorded with numerous studio artists, appeared as an on-stage and pit musician at Tuacahn Amphitheater, and was featured as the subject of the documentary “Into the Fire” at Doc Utah. The 2020 film explores the history and lures of the Blues, directed by my son Isaac Ericksen.
The Dixie State University student film follows my band to the International Blues Challenge to chronicle the experience and interview various Blues musicians from around the world. Filled with live performance clips, artist musings, and historical context, the doc has been featured in film festivals and won several awards, including best picture and best director. The band and I offer a unique theater screening with a live show to universities, blues societies, and film associations. “Into the Fire” will soon be streaming on Amazon.
Most recently, Electric Witness competed in the 2023 International Blues Challenge in Memphis, where we finished 3rd overall! We were honored to represent The Las Vegas Blues Society in this prestigious event hosted annually by The Blues Foundation and look forward to doing our part to keep the Blues alive.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
In 2008, I lost the ability to play music. After years of searching for the cause of multiple health problems, I was finally diagnosed with Chiari Malformation and received Posterior Fossa Decompression surgery to relieve symptoms and slow the progress of this condition. My most severe symptoms include Atrial Fibrillation which required cardioverts to stop, neuropathy and numbness in my hands and feet, and cognitive problems just to name a few.
The worst thing, though, was losing my ability to play harmonica and sing because of the pressure headaches and temporary loss of hearing it would cause. I remember very clearly the night that I knew I had to stop playing. I had lost my music. I decided that if I was able to return to performing after my surgery, I would make music my life. I didn’t want to lose it again without knowing that I had really given music my full energy.
I have been teaching, performing, writing, and touring since my recovery. It has not been easy. I still have minor symptoms of Chiari on a daily basis, and being a professional musician has its own set of issues. But because I made the choice to follow this path I have also seen many blessings. Chiari was the catalyst that put me on my current musical journey, and Chiari is the same thing that could take it all away again. I won’t call it a blessing, but I am grateful for the wake-up call it provided.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
The music I create is a conglomeration of life experiences, and I draw my inspiration from those sources. The defeats, the victories, the heartaches, and the joy that life can bring. I have songs about interactions with strangers and family members, lessons learned the hard way, hope unfulfilled, and chasing dreams. What I hope is that by sharing my music, others will have their life brightened and their load lightened.
One of the greatest things that any artist can hear is how their work has helped someone else. Once I was playing a gig and the crowd was small. Many of them visited with each other and paid little attention to the band. I had noticed one man sitting by himself in the corner and didn’t think too much of it. At the end of our show, he came up to me and said how much he appreciated my harmonica playing.
I said thank you and I noticed tears in his eyes. He then shared that this was the first time he had been out in months since his girlfriend had passed away. She was a harmonica player and hearing me play that night reminded him of her, which helped him feel some joy remembering her that way. I gave him a hug, and he thanked me again and then left. I will be forever grateful that he shared his story with me that night.
How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
I am always looking for opportunities to work with like-minded musicians. I have been called on to work in the studio with others on their recordings and helped organize festivals and similar events. Part of our band’s vision for outreach is a virtual series in which we feature guest artists playing with Electric Witness. So we hope to get that off the ground soon and would love to collaborate with artists interested in being featured.
One of the best ways to support any musician is to attend their shows and buy their merch and music. Also subscribing to their channels, following them on social media, and sharing their content are great ways to promote artists. Dick Earl’s Electric Witness will take all the digital love we can get! We are constantly booking gigs across the country, whether it’s playing at a festival, a small venue, or a house party! Reach out to us and let us know how we can help with your next event.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/electric.witness/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/electricwitness
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOOGNTGRxKKqNlKiuOShl_Q
- Other: https://electricwitness.hearnow.com
Image Credits
Marilyn Stringer
