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| Rick Vito | |
|---|---|
| Name | Rick Vito |
| Caption | Rick Vito performing |
| Background | solo_singer |
| Birth name | Richard Dean Vito |
| Birth date | 1951-10-13 |
| Birth place | Taft, California, United States |
| Genres | Blues rock, rock, Americana |
| Occupations | Musician, songwriter, singer |
| Instruments | Guitar, vocals |
| Years active | 1970s–present |
| Labels | Modern, Double Trouble, Warner Bros. |
| Associated acts | Fleetwood Mac, Mick Fleetwood, Christine McVie, Stevie Nicks, Peter Green (musician), Bob Welch, John Mayall, Bonnie Raitt, Etta James |
Rick Vito Rick Vito is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter noted for his blues-rock style and tenure with Fleetwood Mac. He joined that band during a transitional period and later established a solo career emphasizing slide guitar and American roots music. Vito has worked as a session musician with a wide array of artists across rock, blues, and pop.
Richard Dean Vito was born in Taft, California, and raised in the San Joaquin Valley region near Bakersfield, California and Los Angeles. He began playing guitar in adolescence, inspired by recordings from artists such as Muddy Waters, Elmore James, B.B. King, Robert Johnson, and Howlin' Wolf. Vito attended local schools in California and immersed himself in West Coast music scenes, following performances by touring acts at venues in San Francisco and Hollywood. His early exposure included radio broadcasts featuring Buddy Guy, Eric Clapton, and Jimi Hendrix, shaping his technical development and stylistic interests.
Vito launched his professional career in the 1970s, working as a sideman and session guitarist for regional bands and studio projects in Los Angeles and Nashville. He performed and recorded with blues and rock figures including John Mayall, Billy Burnette, and Bob Seger, contributing slide work and rhythm guitar. Vito built a reputation through collaborations with artists such as Bo Diddley, Etta James, Bonnie Raitt, Tom Petty, and Mick Fleetwood, moving between studio dates and touring lineups. His session résumé expanded to include work for producers associated with Warner Bros. Records, Capitol Records, and independent labels, connecting him with musicians like Neil Young, Jackson Browne, and Don Henley.
In 1987 Vito joined Fleetwood Mac as guitarist during a lineup that included Mick Fleetwood, Christine McVie, and Stevie Nicks. His appointment followed departures by earlier guitarists and coincided with work from former members such as Peter Green (musician) and Bob Welch. Vito contributed to Fleetwood Mac's live performances and recordings on tours supporting the band’s post-1980s releases, performing slide and lead parts on setlists featuring material by Lindsey Buckingham, Christine McVie, and Stevie Nicks. During this period he shared stages with guest performers connected to Live Aid-era musicians and participated in televised concerts and festival appearances alongside acts like Guns N' Roses, U2, and The Rolling Stones. Vito remained with Fleetwood Mac through 1991, appearing on live albums and archival releases that captured the band’s evolving sound amid tours across North America and Europe.
After leaving Fleetwood Mac, Vito focused on solo records and touring as a bandleader, releasing albums showcasing blues, roots, and slide guitar work. He recorded with contemporaries including Billy Burnette, Mick Fleetwood, Johnny Cash, and Boz Scaggs, and joined benefit concerts and collaborative projects featuring Bob Dylan-era musicians and American roots artists. Vito’s solo discography includes studio and live recordings that found audiences on independent labels and blues circuits, and he frequently performed at festivals alongside Buddy Guy, Eric Clapton, B.B. King, and The Doobie Brothers. He also contributed guitar to tribute albums and sessions honoring figures like Stevie Ray Vaughan and John Lee Hooker.
Vito’s guitar style blends Delta and Chicago blues traditions with rock, folk, and Americana. He employs open tunings, slide technique, and fingerstyle approaches influenced by Elmore James, Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, Little Walter, and Freddie King. His tone and phrasing reflect inspirations from Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Jeff Beck, and Duane Allman, while his songwriting recalls storytellers such as Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, and Jackson Browne. Vito’s live arrangements often reinterpret classic blues standards and Fleetwood Mac repertoire, integrating improvisation familiar to audiences of Allman Brothers Band-style jam traditions and Grateful Dead-adjacent fanbases.
Vito has balanced touring with family life and community involvement, residing in California and maintaining connections to music education and charity initiatives. He has participated in benefit concerts for causes supported by artists including Bob Geldof, Eric Clapton, and Bono and contributed to fundraising events for historic preservation and music scholarship programs associated with institutions such as The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame programming and regional arts councils. Vito’s advocacy has included support for veteran-focused charities and disaster relief efforts that have enlisted performers like Bruce Springsteen, John Mellencamp, and Stevie Nicks.
Notable entries in Vito’s catalog include solo studio albums, live releases, and guest appearances on projects by major artists and tribute compilations. His recordings appear alongside work by Fleetwood Mac on live albums and compilations, and his session credits include tracks with John Mayall, Bonnie Raitt, Etta James, Tom Petty, Neil Young, and Johnny Cash. Vito’s solo albums highlight slide-oriented tracks, original compositions, and reinterpretations of blues standards often performed at venues and festivals connected to Montreux Jazz Festival, Newport Folk Festival, and North American blues circuits. Select discography: - Studio and live solo albums on independent labels and Warner Bros. Records-affiliated releases. - Guest guitarist credits on albums by Bob Seger, Mick Fleetwood, Billy Burnette, Bo Diddley, and Etta James. - Appearances on tribute compilations honoring Stevie Ray Vaughan and John Lee Hooker.
Category:American guitarists Category:Blues rock musicians Category:Fleetwood Mac members