Like many musicians of his generation, Ricky Byrd’s relationship with music shifted the moment he watched The Beatles perform on The Ed Sullivan Show.

“There was a lot of music in my house,” Byrd recalled. “My parents were divorced at that point, so we were living with my grandparents, and there was always music playing—but it was Sinatra and stuff like that, which I did love. We would always watch Ed Sullivan. I saw The Beatles, and of course, I fell in love with it.”

From that moment on, Byrd went on to carve out his own place in rock ’n’ roll history. He spent over ten years as the guitarist for Joan Jett and the Blackhearts and performed alongside some of the genre’s most influential figures, including Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr of The Beatles, Bruce Springsteen, Joe Walsh, Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes, Ian Hunter, Lesley West, and countless others. Yet, stepping out on his own proved to be a much harder challenge that demanded patience, humility, and a willingness to start over.

“It took me years to figure out what I sounded like coming out of the Blackhearts as a solo artist,” he admitted. 

Since launching his solo career, Byrd has released five albums, each reflecting a deeper understanding of himself as a musician and a storyteller. His newest album, NYC Made, released on Steven Van Zandt’s Wicked Cool Records, is a continuation of the music Byrd grew up on, focusing on guitar riffs and classic ’70s rock ‘n’ roll. 

“I’m really glad I got to this point where I am passing the torch and carrying [rock ‘n’ roll] on, that kind of music I grew up with when I was 13, 14 years old. I grew up as a teenager in the ’70s. I am a sponge for all that stuff I grew up listening to, and I like to take people back to that time,” Byrd explained.

But this sound did not evolve overnight. Byrd had a few false band starts before his debut album, Lifer. “[The bands] sounded like bad Rolling Stones’ stuff,” he joked. For Lifer, Byrd admits it was a mix of everything he grew up on, and this helped to shape his current sound.

For his next two albums, Byrd considers them recovery albums: Clean Getaway and Sobering Times, released in 2017 and 2021, respectively, as he has been sober for 38 years. Byrd has been pairing recovery with music since 2012, when he performed at Richie Supa’s “Bikers Bash” event in Hollywood, Florida, a benefit for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Broward County. There, Byrd had his first opportunity to connect with fans, also in recovery, and realize that the two could go hand-in-hand.

“I was standing by the side of the stage, and people started coming over to me and saying, ‘Man, I grew up on your music with Joan and all the other stuff you have done, and it is so cool you are doing music in recovery,’ and a lightbulb went on over my head,” he said. “I realized this might be something; I might be able to help people with music that talks about addiction and recovery.”

Since then, Byrd has been performing for individuals in recovery treatment facilities. “I called up places in Jersey and asked if I could come with my guitar and play for the people in treatment, and that’s how it all started,” he explained. “I love doing it.”

Byrd continued, “I know I am doing the right thing because you can see it in their faces when I am performing in front of them. I still get messages on social media from people I played to seven years ago saying, ‘Man, I’m still clean and sober, and I still listen to your records, and they help keep me clean.’ What more can you ask for as a songwriter and a person in recovery?”

For Byrd, the answer lived in the work itself, through persistence and performance. He turned to acoustic shows, sharpening not only his sound but his connection to an audience.

“I went out and played acoustic, and I got really good at it,” he said. “I played all over Europe a bit, all over the country, a lot in the city, down on Bleecker Street. That’s when I started to find out who I was as a solo artist. I also learned how to get in front of a crowd and talk to them.”

This crowd connection and passion for storytelling is exactly what Byrd will bring to RiverJAM Music’s latest Songs & Stories event held on Jan. 7, 2026. Joining the stage with Reagan Richards, Gordon Brown, and James Maddock, these artists will each have the opportunity to perform four songs throughout the night and share stories related to their songwriting processes and musical histories. 

“I do like to talk,” Byrd said, laughing. “It goes back to what I said about all my learning of the craft of playing in front of people. Being a solo artist taught me how to converse between songs, which is very important.”

Byrd’s setlist for the event will consist of “Transistant Radio Childhood” and “Anna Lee” from NYC Made, as well as two recovery songs—a set built on conversation, tradition, and truth.

“I play straight-up rock ‘n’ roll, and that excites me because a lot of people in my demographic have responded to it positively. Not a lot of people play that kind of music these days,” he concluded. “I get to carry on the tradition of that kind of rock ‘n’ roll; it takes people back to my time.”

Image taken from Wikipedia | Interviewed on December 26, 2025