Though born in British Columbia in 1958, Redd Volkaert has dusted off his weathered guitar case and moved around to cities including San Jose, Los Angeles, Nashville and Austin, picking up a variety of area-specific styles and genres as he went. Regarded as one of country’s top Telecaster pickers, he got his start as a child when his older brother offered him a hand-me-down guitar. The passion for music has remained in his heart since. A fan of clubs and coffeehouses off the beaten path, he has traveled around much of this country and abroad, brandishing his country-blues tunes and ’53 Telecaster where ever he stops.

Volkaert has played as a member of the Prairie Fire Band and briefly joined Don Cox and the Cowtown Band featuring steel guitarist Bobby Black, though he is best known as Roy Nichols’ successor as the lead guitarist in Merle Haggard’s backing band, the Strangers. Volkaert had his solo debut in 1998 with the Hightone release Telewacker. He has proudly played with artists such as Kenny Rogers, Dale Watson, Neko Case, Buck Owens, Dwight Yokum, Allison Krause, Tom Russell, Harry Dean Stanton, Dolly Parton, Wanda Jackson and Asleep @ the Wheel.