I consider myself at heart a folksinger, though this term has gone out of fashion. I say this because I have been committed to having my music follow my life, rather than the other way around. Writing songs and playing music comes naturally to me. It’s something I started doing instinctively when I was twelve years old. It’s my natural way of interpreting the world, and understanding the things that happen to me in life.
I am fortunate to have had my music blessed by the many folks who attend my shows, and by a number of people I admire in “the music business;” like the late Columbia records producer John Hammond Senior, Ritchie Havens, Stephen Davis of Rolling Stone Magazine, Susan Stamberg of National Public Radio, and my long-time friend Peter Coyote.
Over the past ten years I’ve made a deliberate effort to put some of my best tunes into CDs. Working with gifted producers and musicians in small studios in Quincy and Chelmsford Mass, I’ve made eight records, all of which you can download from my website (http://www.ronisraelmusic.com). My music also is available on CD Baby and Spotify
My CD’s include “Beauty of the World,” a collection of personal blues, ballads and love songs; “Songs for a Developing World,” that describe work I’ve done in developing countries; “Songs for Children of All Ages and Stages,” a collection of tunes I wrote for my three kids; “Rock Buddha Rock,” a rock opera based on the life of the Buddha; a Folksinger’s Guide to Cancer, based on my experience being successfully treated for lymphoma, and “Wisdom Songs” that reflect lessons learned from this life we all lead.
My last 2 CDs —Tribal War and Homeless in America during the 2016 contain blues, protest and social justice songs that seek to bear witness to what has happened in my country since the 2016 election. I’ve been motivated by the divisive path that the new administration seems to be taking. Everyone is responding in his or her own way. My way is the art of the protest song, an American tradition that goes back to the birth of our country. I believe we are living in a time when artists and musicians need to revive this tradition, become more engaged in the world, and use their craft to help reverse the course we are on. That’s what I am trying to do. I hope my work will encourage more artists and musicians to do the same.