Rick Lee

Rick Lee's signature composition, "Natick," drew its impetus from seventeenth-century conflicts involving Native Americans. Composed in 1984 and initially captured by Solomon's Seal—the folk and chamber ensemble he directed alongside his then-spouse Lorraine—the piece conveys a poignant narrative of loss. Lee later revisited the track as the centerpiece of his 1995 solo release, shifting from the original's fiddle, whistle, dulcimer, and banjo configuration to a contemporary arrangement supported by bass, drums, banjo, guitar, and dual vocalists.

Born in New York and raised in Texas, Lee emerged from a household steeped in music. His grandmother served as a church organist and pianist, his mother also played piano, and his earliest recollections involve resting beneath the instrument while the two performed duets. His grandfather, known for a gentle tenor voice, had once counted Uncle Dave Macon among his acquaintances.

Lee's initial songbook consisted largely of traditional ballads. Although he and his former wife occasionally appeared together in folk coffeehouses—she on dulcimer—music remained an avocation at that stage. After relocating to the Boston region in 1963, he hosted a folk program on public radio station WGBH-FM and served as a producer at television station WGBH.

The couple began treating their music as a profession in 1970. Their debut recording, Living in the Trees, appeared in 1975, followed by the duo albums Contrasts and Leeway for Dulcimer. Adding whistle player Sarah Bauhan and fiddler Jane Orzechowski, they issued Greengate and The Old Road under the Solomon's Seal name.

Lee took up piano and electronic keyboards in 1969. Following his separation, he spent several years alongside guitarist Holly Gettings. Beyond their duo work, the pair joined old-time mandolin and guitar specialist Andy May for collaborations, while Lee, Gettings, and fiddler Joel Glassman presented programs of gypsy fiddle melodies and traditional Brazilian material. From 1994 onward, Lee has sustained his partnership with Andy May, formed a trio featuring guitarist Dave Howard and multi-instrumentalist Bill Walach on mandolin and bass, and made periodic appearances with Bob Zentz; he also issued There's Talk About a Fence in 1999.