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''
Tobacco Road
Richie Kotzen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
My mama died and my daddy got drunk
They left me here to die or grow
In the middle of tobacco road
I grew up in a rusty shack
All I owe I'll wear on my back
Oh good lord knows how i loathe
And it's hard,
But it's only way I've ever known I could live
I despise you cos 'your filthy
I love you cause your home tobacco road
I'm gonna leave and get a job
With the help and the grace from god
I'm gonna save all my money and get rich one day
And bring it back to tobacco road
And it's hard baby
But it's only way I've ever known i could live
I despise you cos you're filthy
I love you cause your home tobacco road
Bring all dynamite and I'll bring old crane
I'm gonna blow it up and tear it down and start it all over again
I will build me a town so then I could be proud
I think I'll keep the name tobacco road
Oh but it's hard
There's a only way i've ever known I could live baby
I despise you cos 'your filthy
I love you cause your home tobacco road, yeah
The lyrics of Tobacco Road by Richie Kotzen tell the story of a man who was born in a dump, abandoned by his parents in Tobacco Road. He grew up in a rusty shack and bears all that he owes on his back. As he contemplates his life, he expresses his disgust for the place he calls home, but he acknowledges that it's the only way he's ever known how to live. This recognition brings forth a mixture of emotions in him, and though he despises the filth around him, he also loves the place he calls home.
The man then decides to leave Tobacco Road and get a job, with the intention of saving up and getting rich. He vows to come back to Tobacco Road with his wealth and build himself a town, erasing the filth and creating a beautiful place that he could be proud of. He reaffirms his love for Tobacco Road while recognizing that it's hard to live there.
The song speaks to the struggle of living in poverty and the emotional attachment people often develop with where they come from, even when it's a place of pain and difficulty. The lyrics also convey a deep desire to rise above the challenges of life and leave behind something beautiful.
Line by Line Meaning
I was born in a dump
My birthplace was a horrible and unlivable place
My mama died and my daddy got drunk
After my mother's death, my father became an alcoholic
They left me here to die or grow
My parents left me in this place either to die or survive and grow up
In the middle of tobacco road
This terrible place, where tobacco is grown, is where I've grown up
I grew up in a rusty shack
I've lived most of my life in a dilapidated shack
All I owe I'll wear on my back
I've got nothing to take with me except the clothes on my back
Oh good lord knows how i loathe
I hate this place with every fiber of my being
This place I called tobacco road, hoah!
This place, that others call tobacco road, I call home, although I can't stand it
And it's hard,
Life is tough here
But it's only way I've ever known I could live
But this is the only way of life I've ever experienced
I despise you cos 'your filthy
I hate everything about this place because it's filthy and polluted
I love you cause your home tobacco road
But I still love this place because it's my home, tobacco road
I'm gonna leave and get a job
I plan on moving to find work
With the help and the grace from god
I hope God will help me find a better life
I'm gonna save all my money and get rich one day
I'm going to work hard and save money to become wealthy someday
And bring it back to tobacco road
Then I'll come back to my hometown and use my wealth to make it better
Bring all dynamite and I'll bring old crane
I want to demolish the old buildings using explosives and a crane
I'm gonna blow it up and tear it down and start it all over again
I'm going to destroy the old buildings and start a new town from scratch
I will build me a town so then I could be proud
I'll build a new town that I can be proud of
I think I'll keep the name tobacco road
But I'll keep the name tobacco road as a reminder of where I came from
Oh but it's hard
It'll be very difficult to start a new life elsewhere
There's a only way i've ever known I could live baby
This is the only way of life I've ever experienced
I despise you cos 'your filthy
Although I hate everything about tobacco road because it's filthy and polluted
I love you cause your home tobacco road, yeah
I still love this place because it's my home, tobacco road
Contributed by Mateo J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.