Richard Kitson is a Barnsley based folk/blues singer/songwriter and guitarist rapidly gaining popularity in folk clubs and acoustic venues in his native South Yorkshire and beyond. After an apprenticeship in short lived post-punk band Strawberry Jack in 1999 he went on to form various three-piece blues/rock bands before settling on a solo acoustic musical path at the end of 2009.
Since 2004 Kitson (28) began playing solo acoustic gigs at the well respected Boardwalk and Grapes venues in Sheffield gradually honing his guitar and vocal skills over the progressing years. Live reviews from music publications and venues hailed him as a fantastic talent showcasing an inventive finger picking style akin to his acoustic guitar heroes Bert Jansch, Davy Graham, Rory Gallagher and Big Bill Broonzy. Like many impressionable young guitarists Kitson got hooked on Dylan at the age of 15. After seeking out the music of the early blues and folk artists who influenced Dylan, Kitson became entranced by the old delta and country blues of the 20's and 30's, and began to employ a fingerstyle technique in his guitar playing. Most recently Kitson's British folk influences have opened him up to traditional British folk song.
He now blends his blues and folk influences with his own natural approach to music and the release of his debut album Home and Dry will be a testament to Kitson's many years honing his craft as a song-writer. Although employing the talents of friends and folk contemporaries Katriona Gilmore (of folk duo Gilmore and Roberts), Marjorie Paterson (of folk duo Fyrish) and folk singer/guitarist Gerry McNeice for the recording of his album, Kitson maintains an intimate solo acoustic approach on stage.