Bor… Read Full Bio ↴Richie Kotzen is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter.
Born in Reading, Pennsylvania on February 3, 1970, Richie Kotzen was soon taken by music and first began playing piano at the age of five. At the age of seven he was inspired by New York City band KISS to learn the electric guitar. Relentlessly developing chops and his own unique voice on the guitar, Kotzen was eventually discovered by Shrapnel Records' Mike Varney, and he recorded his first album by the age of 18. During that same year, he also graced the cover of several publications including Guitar World Magazine. He created the video Rock Chops for REH video in 1989, highlighting many of his formative techniques, including using wide-intervals and fluid sweeping.
In 1993, Kotzen made his big break when he joined the rock band Poison at age 20, co-writing and performing on the album Native Tongue. This album produced two top twenty singles which Richie wrote, Stand and Until You Suffer Some. Kotzen was subsequently fired from the band when it was discovered that he had been romantically involved with Deanna Eve, the ex-fiance of Poison drummer Rikki Rockett. Kotzen and Eve later married and divorced. In 1999 Kotzen replaced Paul Gilbert as guitarist in the mainstream rock band Mr. Big. Kotzen maintained the band's enormous success, performing on the Mr. Big record Get Over It, which sold more than 1,975,000 copies in its first two weeks in Japan, eventually reaching platinum status. Kotzen also contributed guitars to Mr. Big's subsequent release Actual Size. The record included the Kotzen song Shine, which debuted at number one on Japanese radio charts. Following the disbanding of Mr. Big, Kotzen released the solo album Change, in 2003. The title track, and the song Get A Life were featured in TV commercials throughout Japan.
In mid 2002 Kotzen established a recording Studio/Production company in Los Angeles, California. He has since been producing acclaimed solo albums and collaborating with various figures in rock, jazz, and fusion. He now has formed a band called Forty Deuce which recently released a new album entitled Nothing to Lose.
Richie has a unique style, which he has described as a mix of rock, jazz fusion, and soul music. Of his albums, he claims he is most proud of Vertu. Kotzen utilizes a heavy amount of legato playing into his solos.
Richie is now living in Los Angeles, California. Besides playing the guitar, his hobbies include exercise and sports, especially basketball. Richie has said that if he had'nt become a professional musician, he would have liked to play professional basketball.
In 2008, Kotzen released his first official live album, "Live In São Paulo", which featured Johnny Griparic on bass and Dan Potruch on Drums.
Discography
* (1989) Richie Kotzen
* (1990) Fever Dream
* (1991) Electric Joy
* (1991) Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey (Soundtrack)
* (1993) Native Tongue (Poison)
* (1994) Mother Head's Family Reunion
* (1995) Inner Galactic Fusion Experience
* (1995) Tilt (with Greg Howe)
* (1996) Wave of Emotion
* (1996) Times Gonna Tell (EP)
* (1997) Kotzen/Howe Project (with Greg Howe)
* (1997) Something to Say
* (1998) What Is
* (1999) Break It All Down
* (1999) BiPolar Blues
* (1999) Vertu (project with Stanley Clarke and Lenny White)
* (1999) Get Over It (Mr. Big)
* (2000) Deep Cuts (Mr. Big)
* (2001) Actual Size (Mr. Big)
* (2001) Slow
* (2002) In Japan (Mr. Big)
* (2003) Change
* (2003) Acoustic Cuts
* (2004) Get Up
* (2004) The Best of Richie Kotzen
* (2005) Nothing to Lose (Forty-Deuce)
* (2006) ZxR Ai Senshi
* (2006) Into the Black
* (2007) ''Return Of The Mother Head's Family Reunion'' (Japan & Europe)
* (2007) ''Go Faster'' (US only)
* (2008) ''Live In São Paulo''
* (2009) ''Peace Sign''
* (2011) ''24 Hours''
* (2013) ''The Winery Dogs'' (The Winery Dogs)
* (2014) ''Unleashed In Japan: The Second Show'' (The Winery Dogs) Released only In Japan (DVD/2CD)
* (2014) ''The Essential''
* (2015) ''Cannibals''
* (2015) ''Hot Streak'' (The Winery Dogs)
* (2017) ''Salting Earth''
Videography
* (1989) Rock Chops
* (1994) Mother Head's family Reunion (Videoclip from the Mother Head's family Reunion Album)
* (1996) Wave of Emotion (Videoclip from the Wave of Emotion Album)
* (2001) Don't Wanna Lie (Videoclip from the Slow Album)
* (2001) Shine (Videoclip from Mr. Big's Actual Size Album)
* (2002) ''Hi-Tech Rock Guitar''
* (2005) ''Live In South America''
* (2008) ''Chase It'' (Videoclip from the R.O.T.M.F.R. Album)
* (2008) ''Bootlegged in Brazil''
* (2014) ''Unleashed In Japan: The Second Show'' (The Winery Dogs) Released only In Japan (DVD/2CD)'
* (2015) ''Live''
Doin' What the Devil Says To Do
Richie Kotzen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It took all of my living years for me to see
The most of the things I've ever wanted
And most of the things I've ever owned,
keep me from knowing my soul
I feel I'm falling into a trial
I'm listening to a lot of people telling me what I could have
I don't wanna be lonely, I need a word
I don't wanna be hurt the way that I am
So I'm trying to talk to an angel
But I feel like I'm talking to myself
No matter how hard I try to live
Or how much I believe in you, I'll keep doing what the devil says to do
I'll keep doing what the devil says to do
I keep talking to myself and the conversation never seems to change
You're a liar, you're a fool and you think you're paying dues
saying that you´re hopeless, faithless, but that ain´t true
You're just living something I can´t find my way out of
And I'm trying to talk to an angel
But I feel like I'm talking to myself
No matter how hard I try to live
Or how much I believe in you
I keep doing what the devil says to do
I'll keep doing what the devil says to do
And I'm trying to talk to an angel
But I feel like I'm talking to myself
No matter how hard I try to live
Or how much I believe in you
I'll keep doing what the devil says to do
I'm just doing what the devil says to do
I'll keep doing what my heart tells me to do
And I listen to my heart
And I listen to my soul
I'll keep doing what the devil says to do
In the song "Doin' What the Devil Says To Do," Richie Kotzen talks about his struggle with temptation and his inner demons. He admits that for most of his life, he has been pursuing material possessions and things that he thought he wanted, but these things kept him from knowing himself on a deeper level. He acknowledges that he's falling into a pattern of behavior that is driven by substances and deceit. He tries to reach out to an angel for guidance, but he feels like he's talking to himself. He realizes that no matter how hard he tries to live a righteous life, he keeps doing what the devil says to do because it's the easy way out.
The song talks about the struggle between good and evil, and how it's not always clear which one is which. Kotzen realizes that he's been living a life that's fueled by his ego and his desires, and it keeps him from connecting with his soul. He's searching for a way out, but he's not sure if he can escape the grip of temptation.
The song also highlights how addiction can take hold of a person and make them believe they're making their own choices, but in reality, they're guided by their addiction. Kotzen explores how much control we have over our own lives and what it takes to free ourselves from our own demons.
Line by Line Meaning
I find it hard, to believe
It's difficult for me to understand
It took all of my living years for me to see
It took my entire life for me to realize
The most of the things I've ever wanted
The things I desired the most
And most of the things I've ever owned,
The possessions I've had the most of
keep me from knowing my soul
prevent me from understanding myself
I feel I'm falling into a trial
I sense that I'm in a difficult situation
I'm listening to a lot of people telling me what I could have
I'm hearing many voices that suggest what I could achieve
And you know, it's sound so good, when your head is full of substances and deceive
It all sounds appealing when you're under the influence of drugs and lies
I don't wanna be lonely, I need a word
I don't want to be alone, I need guidance
So I'm trying to talk to an angel
Therefore, I'm attempting to reach out to a higher being
But I feel like I'm talking to myself
Yet, it feels like I'm speaking to no one
No matter how hard I try to live
Despite my efforts to live better
Or how much I believe in you, I'll keep doing what the devil says to do
Even if I believe in a higher power, I'll still follow the devil's tempting guidance
I keep talking to myself and the conversation never seems to change
I keep having the same inner dialogue with myself, with no improvement
You're a liar, you're a fool and you think you're paying dues
I tell myself I'm foolish and dishonest and that I'm suffering the consequences
saying that you're hopeless, faithless, but that ain't true
Describing myself as lacking hope and belief, although that's not the case
You're just living something I can't find my way out of
I'm stuck in something I can't escape
I'll keep doing what my heart tells me to do
I'll follow my instincts
And I listen to my heart
I pay attention to my feelings
And I listen to my soul
I pay attention to my inner self
I'll keep doing what the devil says to do
Regardless, I'll still follow the devil's temptations
Contributed by Callie I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@omarsantiagocruz7792
I find it hard, to believe
It took all of my living years for me to see
The most of the things I've ever wanted
And most of the things I've ever owned,
keep me from knowing my soul
I feel I'm falling into a trial
I'm listening to a lot of people telling me what I could have
And you know, it´s sound so good, when your head is full of substances and deceive
I don't wanna be lonely, I need a word
I don't wanna be hurt the way that I am
So I'm trying to talk to an angel
But I feel like I'm talking to myself
No matter how hard I try to live
Or how much I believe in you, I'll keep doing what the devil says to do
I'll keep doing what the devil says to do
I keep talking to myself and the conversation never seems to change
You're a liar, you're a fool and you think you're paying dues
saying that you´re hopeless, faithless, but that ain´t true
You're just living something I can´t find my way out of
And I'm trying to talk to an angel
But I feel like I'm talking to myself
No matter how hard I try to live
Or how much I believe in you
I keep doing what the devil says to do
I'll keep doing what the devil says to do
And I'm trying to talk to an angel
But I feel like I'm talking to myself
No matter how hard I try to live
Or how much I believe in you
I'll keep doing what the devil says to do
I'm just doing what the devil says to do
I'll keep doing what my heart tells me to do
And I listen to my heart
And I listen to my soul
I'll keep doing what the devil says to do
@HoodRatKing90
Richie's voice live is a perfect mix of rock blues and soul
@user-yz1kw2zs8x
Chris Cornell second version
@kevindouglas8768
I listen to this once every day. It's good for the soul.
@sonoramorin6515
What rock have I been living under...that voice, that guitar work, just fantastic!
@1569ksgiants
i felt the same when I first saw him recently. What a large rock it was.
@richiekotzen1051
Thanks for the great love and support you show me as a special fan of mine, I hope you won't stop listening to music, and thanks for your sincere
Compliment and love towards my music 🙏
@stevetrivago
Don’t feel bad…. You’re not alone.. I discovered him through my brother back in 2016… I’ve seen him with this band twice. Once in Bethlehem Pennsylvania at the Arts Quest Center. Very private venue… He had his parents and other family members there… Probably 300 people at most.. incredible concert… unfortunately it was the evening before Cornell died… ironically my brother had said, along with many how Richie and Chris Cornell sounded similar… I also saw him in New Hope Pa. Another small venue… another incredible live show…. I also saw him with the Winery dogs.. Great concert of course with 3 of the best in the business, but I enjoy his other 3 piece band and music more so. You gotta see him live… What you hear here is what you’ll witness… Do It
@stevetrivago
@@richiekotzen1051 you’re an imposter… Richie is too busy spooning his wife and writing new songs to interact on YouTube lol
@StopandScare-
Thanks so much for posting this live version of Richie's Classic!! He is so talented and one of the greatest guitarists ever!
@MoniqueCampos
I agree! =)