Singer-Songwriter Rick Recht to perform community concerts in Tidewater
Thursday, November 29–Sunday, December 2
A popular Jewish rock star, Rick Recht is also an educator and leadership motivator. During his visit to Tidewater’s Jewish community, Recht will bring his unique brand of high-energy, interactive Jewish rock music to multiple audiences at varied venues.
Recht’s music career started in the secular rock and roll world. After graduating from University of Southern California and the Music Institute, he toured in a rock band, sharing a stage with national acts such as The Guess Who, Chris Rock, America, Supertramp, and others. After several years, for family reasons, Recht moved back to his hometown of St. Louis. There, he began to explore his Jewish roots through music, debuting with his Jewish album, TOV in 1999. His shift to Jewish music marked the birth of a unique blend of pop, radio-friendly music with Hebrew, Jewish text, and social responsibility.
When he was in his late 20s, he had an epiphany, says Recht. “I was no longer a musician, I was now a Jewish educator, and music was my vehicle.”
In Tidewater, Recht will perform and entertain, and his music will be liked, but that won’t be all. People will feel different. “The purpose of music and the purpose of me was to bring people together and educate them and help them feel measurably different than when they walked in, so they would feel empowered as leaders and feel a greater connection to each other and their community,” he says.
“Vision has always supercharged me. In the Jewish world I am more of an entrepreneur than a musician,” says Recht. “After a few years of studying and learning how I want to be in the Jewish world, it became clear to me that I wanted to have an impact further than me traveling to cities to play music – not that I would ever not do that, but to step back and have more of an impact.”
In fact, Recht has had a tremendous impact in two specific areas: leadership and mass communication. He created Songleader Boot Camp (SLBC), a leadership training program, which has trained hundreds of Jewish musicians, rabbis, cantors, and educators to lead and empower others. He also created Jewish Rock Radio (JRR), which utilizes the power of music to attract, inspire, entertain, and educate Jewish youth while providing information about a variety of meaningful engagement opportunities. In addition to streaming Jewish music 24/7, JRR brings people together across America with live streaming concerts which connect and educate and build community. He has even created an American Idol type of competition called “Jewish Star” where people get to vote and select the next Jewish music star.
Several opportunities are available to experience Recht when he is in Tidewater. (See box for details.)
Recht will impact community members of all ages and interests. He says he is excited about visiting and engaging with Tidewater’s Jewish community. “I am super passionate about leadership, creating opportunities for shared leadership, and helping to shine a spotlight on different segments of the Jewish population and paint them into the picture. I want to role model ways for them to be involved in Jewish life. Dialogue is always on my mind —it’s almost awkward to be by myself on stage now,” he says.
“Almost” is the key word there, because on stage, Recht is anything but awkward. He is warm, engaging, inspiring, and fun, and everyone who attends one of his performances, leaves feeling uplifted.
Recht is the top-touring Jewish artist today, performing more than 125 concerts each year across the nation. Recht’s powerful performances have earned him a strong, loyal national fan base and he has become an icon for Jewish youth, elevating the medium of Jewish music as a powerful and effective tool for developing Jewish pride and identity.
Barb Gelb