Richard Osborn

**Richard Osborn** is a California-based acoustic guitarist who emerged as a quiet force in the American Primitive guitar movement before taking a decades-long hiatus from recording. Originally active in the 1970s Bay Area music scene, Osborn shelved his career due to health challenges, only to reemerge in the 2010s with renewed creativity. His comeback album *Endless* (2017) on Tompkins Square Records reintroduced his fluid, meditative fingerstyle playing to new generations, blending rhythmic drive with lyrical introspection.

Often described as an "instrumental storyteller," Osborn’s later works like *Freehand* and *Giving Voice: Guitar Explorations* showcase his knack for weaving intricate, emotionally resonant narratives through steel-string guitar. A self-taught player influenced by blues and Eastern philosophies, he’s become a bridge between the John Fahey/Leo Kottke tradition and contemporary solo guitar explorers. When not recording, Osborn mentors younger artists, sharing wisdom from his unorthodox journey through music’s peaks and pauses.