Rick Patterson has recently released his debut CD “Hick It Up”, much to the excitement of his already sizeable host of fans. With the CD expected to be a success, the innovative sound that he has made his own is certain to gain interest all across the world. The development of his unique style is the result of a lifetime of musical influence. Growing up in a talented musical family meant that Rick was always surrounded by different forms of music. His father played the piano in many different bands throughout his lifetime and his mother performed solo with popular artist such at Mickey Gilley and Jerry Lee Lewis. In the early 1970’s the family developed their own band called The Singing Patterson Family. Rick’s parents exposed him to a wealth of music as a child, all of which influenced his development. Rick began singing at around the age of 5 and his first foray into learning an instrument himself came when he started playing the drums and performing in the family band when he was 7 years old. He continued playing the drums for the next 7 years before finally picking up a guitar at the age of 14, a decision which he never looked back from. Rick was born in Orange, Texas on January 17, 1969. He and his family moved to Greenville, Texas when he was 2 years old. Having been introduced to music at such an early age, Rick began writing his own songs when he was 21 years old. At the age of 23, he had formed his own heavy metal band named Fallout. At the time, it was only a three-piece band with Rick taking on as the lead guitarist. Realizing that making music was his main goal, he began to showcase his talent in various venues across the Dallas Metroplex area. After 2 ½ years with Fallout, Rick left the band and joined a band with a unique style of their own called Primal Groove. In 1998, Rick left the band Primal Groove to care for his 1 1/2 year old special needs son. "I needed to focus on taking care of my son and I could not maintain the balance between the two. My concentration needed to be on him and not the music." For the next five years Rick devoted the majority of his time providing the necessary care needed for his son. Rick was able to begin concentrating on his dream and continue on his journey in the music industry in 2003. After having rededicated his life in 1999, he was offered an opportunity to become the lead guitarist and vocalist for the house band at Living Stones Church in Cash, Texas. In 2011, as his confidence grew and his style started to develop into the Country music of today, he began to expand his journey even further. On March 28, 2013, Rick was inspired to write the current single "Don't Cry For Me". When asked what encouraged him to write the song, he says, "I found myself reminiscing about my parents and a melody popped in my head. It was later that day when the two collided and I sat down at my desk and wrote the first verse". By the end of the day, Rick had written the entire song and within three days performed it for the very first time in front of an audience of over 1,000. It was then he realized that his newly developed style was about to emerge into the unique sound of today.