Artists: Biography Rick Monroe  

A native of Sarasota, Fla., Rick Monroe released his album, Legend's Diner, in 1997, with Shame following in 1999. Six years later, he returned with Against the Grain.

Monroe has an extensive touring history,

both domestically and internationally. In addition to his U.S. concerts, he has played in Russia, Bosnia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Hungary, Honduras, Ecuador, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Bahamas, Germany and England.

With an invitation from Pete Peterson, the U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam at the U.S./Vietnam Embassy, Monroe performed at the weeklong Fourth of July celebrations in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. He sang the U.S. national anthem to mark the five-year anniversary for the re-opening of diplomatic relations between the countries. It was the first time the anthem had been sung in Vietnam at a public event in 25 years.

Monroe followed that with a command performance for the former President of the Soviet Union Mikhail Gorbachev on the U.S.S. Sequoia presidential yacht in Washington, D.C. This performance led to a trip to Russia, where he performed for the children at several orphanages and was a featured performer on REN TV's Bulat Okudzhava Festival in Moscow. He has also played hundred of shows across the U.S., including support dates for the Marshall Tucker Band and others.