Rick Webster

Rick Webster has dedicated his entire life to the guitar. From an awestruck child, to a diligent student, to an award- winning songwriter, his journey has been incredible – captured over three successful albums as the literal soundtrack to his life. On his fourth offering, Long Story Short, Rick delivers some of his finest songs to date, intertwining his rich guitar playing with the alluring voice of Sophie Foster. Produced by Matt Gio and Dan Carrol at Rada Studios, Long Story Short is a definitive new chapter in Rick's illustrious career, led by the upbeat and playful first single Lost In Lucerne.

Hard work has paid off for Rick, who has received a flattering array of awards and nominations for his efforts. At the top of an impressive resume is his Grand Prize in the John Lennon Songwriting Awards – a rare and enviable feat. Rick has found further recognition overseas, winning a trove of US and UK songwriting competitions, as well as earning runner-up in Dallas' coveted MASC Awards. Back at home, Rick has received four WAM nominations (including Best Jazz Artist and Best Jazz composition) and wrote and performed an album's worth of jazz for ABC National Radio.

Long Story Short is proof that tone is in the fingers. Rick's fluid, graceful style creates a hybrid that has the emotional depth of blues, with the nimble dexterity of jazz. Bonding this alloy are simple, powerful pop/rock hooks that Rick's songwriting is acclaimed for, fuelling the exceptional call-and-response interplay between his guitar and Sophie Foster's vocals. But the greatest accomplishment of Long Story Short is not its music, but its spirit. Persevering after a near-fatal car accident in 2015, Rick spent months recovering, unsure if he was ever going to be able to play guitar again.

The light that saved him from this bleak future was music. Taking the songs in his mind and writing them down on paper, Rick began working on Long Story Short while his broken body healed. The next few years were arduous, but by the end of it all Rick was back to playing at a high level, and was armed with his most potent songs to date. Enlisting a band of top-tier musicians, he set about recording Long Story Short as soon as he was able. Finally realised after so much pain and uncertainty, Long Story Short is not merely a collection of songs, nor a sum of its parts... it is the summit of Rick's truly amazing journey back from adversity.