“Ry Cooder once said there is really no better tool for the guitar than your right hand. There are so many ways you can approach it”: Eric Bibb on why happiness is a good acoustic guitar – and what makes the electric a different species

Ry Cooder
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Who is this?
Ryland Peter Cooder (born March 15, 1947) is an American musician, songwriter, film score composer, record producer, and writer. He is a multi-instrumentalist but is best known for his slide guitar work, his interest in traditional music, and his collaborations with traditional musicians from many countries. Cooder's solo work draws upon many genres. He has played with John Lee Hooker, Captain Beefheart, Taj Mahal, Gordon Lightfoot, Ali Farka Touré, Eric Clapton, the Rolling Stones, Van Morrison
What happened recently
A knife, an eyeball and the childhood accident that shaped Ry Cooder: “Hallelujah! Thank God!”
“He goes, ‘I play a little. I'm a hillbilly.’ Whips out his flatpick, man, and wailed on it.” How a devastating childhood accident and chance encounters with legends helped Ry Cooder become one of guitar’s most influential stylists
Taj Mahal and Ry Cooder Reunite After a Half-Century for New Album, 'GET ON BOARD,' Out Now on Nonesuch
Album Review: Taj Mahal & Ry Cooder, 'Get on Board: The Songs of Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee'