| Randy was born and raised in Houston, Texas. His father was a honky-tonk musician, picking and grinning every chance he had. Randy began playing the guitar around 13 years old and played for himself, friends and family until 1992. Circumstances finally allowed him to pursue his great love of music, and he began playing at clubs, restaurants and bars in the Houston area. He moved to Sarasota in 1998 and continued playing every chance he could. He kept a pretty busy schedule for a couple of years and then took a semi-break. Since 2001 he has confined his playing mostly to the Old Packinghouse Cafe(OPC), where he has held Tuesday nights for going on six years. That plus a few private parties and some fill in work for other local musicians has been his extent of playing. Things are changing. He is ready to get back into the grind and play a more extensive schedule. Randy plays a unique style of guitar and sings with a voice full of character. He has incorporated the influences of his father, Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, and other classic country musicians of the 40's, 50's, and 60's, with the music of his own youth; Neil Young, Cat Stevens, John Prine, and others to form his own style. His set list covers a huge range of music best described as classic rock, blues, and country. Randy makes available a song list at each performance and allows the crowd to dictate the direction of the show. This assures great participation and enjoyment for the audience. Randy plays as a solo artist or with backup from local musicians such as Richard Lepps on fiddle, Steve Scott on harmonica, Andy Karpay on mandolin, or (when he's in town) Deano. Lately, since adding Andy Karpay to the line-up with Richard at the Old Packinghouse Cafe, he has acquired the moniker "Randy Tracy's Trio of Doom. This is thanks(??) to his good buddy 'Acoustic Pete' who decided on this possiby dubious honor without permission or advance notice. So if your ready for a show, drop him a line and get him booked for your next shindig. Check out the song clips, recorded live at the OPC, and the song list. |