Biography

Rick Hager was born January 11, 1960 in Cleveland, Ohio. He grew up in the Cleveland area where he first started his music career in country music. He now resides in southern Ohio in a little town called Cambridge. As a musician, Rick is a singer with a country heart and a guitar being his first instrument of choice and loves playing piano as a part of his show. “The scene in Cleveland then was a true variety mixed with blues, rock and country,” he recalls. “I was a big fan of the country group Alabama as they kept my attention with their great harmonies”.  During his seven year tour in the U.S. Army, he was stationed in Germany for his last three years where he had a local band and played on the club system and had fans all over Germany.

It was the winter of 2007, he thought this was going to be the year he (set his sites) to finish his first full album. Rick built his own studio and recorded all the tracks and played every instrument on the CD except for the steel guitar. After pressing a thousand copies of his CD that he sold at all his gigs, he felt that it was time for him to take the next step and began his adventure to Nashville in May of 2008. Rick’s songs from his first CD are on the billboard charts of unsigned artist out of Ashland, Ohio on radio station WNCO FM 101.3.  He is currently working with Carol Meenen (senior advisor for newly diagnosed patients with Parkinson’s disease) to sing two songs that she wrote to help raise funds in hopes to find a cure.

Rick moved the bar up each time promoting his album “It’s A Shakin’ Thang”.                                                             Wondering which song off his album was going to be the one that helps him get his first big break; he never lost focus and kept his sights set on the challenge of success to stardom. Rick is also B.M.I affiliated.  He knew that if he was put in the right place at the right time, he’d perform and give the audience what they come to see and make his mark that would follow him the rest of his life. Still not at the top, he felt to be very blessed and was thankful for his God given talent with the small steps he was taking and setting the bar low enough to achieve all of his goals working toward the top. He had steady gigs that he played mostly every weekend at clubs such as Moose and Eagles along with other small town honky-tonks.

It wasn’t until he met Shirley and Mike Caron (M & S Public--Relations Midwest--Talent Promoters for Emerald Records). They liked Rick and his music from the first time they met. They started working with Rick and helped him with recognition in Nashville introducing him to a much larger audience. With their help, Rick started playing all around the United States where he became well known for his “live and kickin’” performance.

Rick’s current plans is to make his mark in Nashville with his first original album “It’s A Shakin’ Thang”.  Rick plays at church and with his strong religious background, he is now currently working on his second album which is an all original gospel CD titled “Testimony From God”.