With four decades in country music under his belt and a membership in the Ohio Country Music Hall of Fame, it’s safe to say Richard Lynch has become somewhat of an Ohio “institution” in the genre. He certainly maintains some real country street cred: “I’m a farmer. I’m a builder. I do a lot of things to make a living,” he says. “But the music is my passion.” His Keepin’ It Country Farm even combines it with working farm life, resulting in a unique southeastern Ohio attraction for country music lovers, featuring monthly appearances by Grand Ole Opry members and a residency of sorts for the Richard Lynch Band.
Pursuing his passion since about age 15, Richard paid his dues in the honky tonks, and over the last 12 years or so has unleashed his creativity, crafting a large repertoire of original songs. “There is nothing more enjoyable for me,” he says, “than to take that idea that I got at the kitchen table and get into the studio and see it come to life with these session players in Nashville. That’s really rewarding for me.”
But Richard’s latest album (his eighth full-length studio effort) is a collection of other people’s songs, cleverly titled Pulling Up the Covers, featuring 14 of Richard’s favorites, lovingly interpreted. “I’ve always wanted to do a cover album. It’s something that we’ve just wanted to do forever,” he says. He realized, however, that the timing in terms of his career was important. “I’m glad we didn’t do it earlier, because you need to get a little bit of experience and have a little bit of life under your belt before you can really dive into an album…I wanted to show respect for all these artists that I’ve grown up listening to.”
Richard’s track list is not a “typical” one. He explains: “I wanted to pay tribute to some of my earliest references, and just show how much the original artists, people like Mel Tillis and Johnny Rodriguez…[and] Ronnie Milsap, were some of my big, big influences as a youngster. And I wanted to touch on some of those songs that you don’t necessarily hear any more.”