Linda Ricketts is a
vocalist who began performing at age 15 with a classical vocal ensemble,
and has been involved in the performing arts ever since. Born and raised in the Midwest, Linda co-founded a Caribbean Dance & Folklore Company in
Indianapolis, Indiana "The Fruit of the Root." After
moving to the Bay Area in the mid 1980’s, Linda worked closely with
local jazz artists to create The ‘Oakland Bay Area Jazz Preservation
Society’, a non profit organization dedicated to preserving jazz music
by offering
programs in the public schools
of Oakland and San
Francisco, and in after school music programs for children in the
Greater Bay Area. In 1988 she founded an
Oakland based performing arts group, ‘The Gospel Theatre Ensemble.’
Linda is an
experienced studio artist. She has recorded at Skywalker Ranch with the
Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir (OIGC) on Linda Rondstadt’s Grammy
winning Cry Like a Rainstorm, soloed on OIGC’s debut
recording, and has provided background vocals on several studio
projects. She is a frequent soloist at special events and at jazz and
dinner spots here in the San Francisco Bay Area. Linda frequently
appears on various venues in cities across the country stylizing
ballads, blues, spirituals and jazz in a fashion uniquely suited for the
deep resonance of her contralto voice.
Known to many as
Ricketti Rick, Linda has shared the stage with such local and
nationally acclaimed artists as, Pharaoh Sanders, Ricardo Scales,
William Bell, Ed Kelley, John Turk, Rhonda Benin, Robert Stewart, Willis
Kirk, The Neville Brothers, Jackie Hairston and many others. She was
recently featured at the Throckmorton Theatre in northern California
with The Friends of The Negro Spirituals.
Linda regularly sings
with the Allen Temple Baptist Church Choirs in Oakland, and has
performed in a variety of venues in the U.S., France, Japan, Mexico, and
Africa. A professional speaker and Education & Training consultant, Dr.
Linda Ricketts delivers music that fuels the spirit and feeds the soul.