Rick performs entertaining and enlightening music and history programs

Rick Pickren performs the very finest in music and history programs for Libraries, Seniors, Historical Societies, Schools, Museums and House Concerts.

Friday, March 13, 2026

2026 Performance Schedule

                                       2026 PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE

          To book a performance text/call (708) 366-6040 or richardpickren@gmail.com

Jan.    1      Alto Senior Living, Country & Western Classics, Wheaton, IL 2 pm
Jan     3      The Garlands, Pop Hits of the 60s, Barrington, IL 1:30
Jan     19    Discovery Village, Road Trip: A Sentimental Journey, Hoffman Estates, IL 1:00
Jan.    23    Oak Trace, Old Time Rock n Roll, Downers Grove, IL 7:30
Jan     28    Alto Senior Living, Road Trip: A Sentimental Journey, Wheaton, IL 2:30
Jan     29    Belmont Village, Road Trip: A Sentimental Journey, Carol Stream, IL 10:30 & 11:30
Jan     30    Clarendale, Road Trip: A Sentimental Journey, Addison, IL 2:30 pm

Feb     10   Victorian Village, Songs of Love & Romance, Homer Glen, IL 1 pm
Feb     12   Alden, Songs of Love & Romance, Huntley, IL 2 pm
Feb     13   Wauconda Senior Club, Songs of Love & Romance, Wauconda, IL 2 pm
Feb     13   Carriage Oaks, Songs of Love & Romancer, St. Charles, IL 5:30 pm
Feb     17   Tamarisk, Songs of Love & Romance, Deerfield, IL 1:30
Feb     18   Alto Senior Living, Songs of Love & Romance, Wheaton, IL 2:30 pm

March  7    Oak Trace, Songs of Ireland, Downers Gove, IL 1:30 pm
March  9    Encore, Songs of Ireland, Crystal Lake, IL 1:30
March 10   Wayne Township Hall, Songs of Ireland, West Chicago, IL 1 pm
March 11   The Mather, Songs of Ireland, Evanston, IL 2 & 4:30 pm
March 12   Brookdale, Songs of Ireland, Glen Ellyn, IL 2:30 pm
March 13   Heritage Woods, Songs of Ireland,  Rockford, IL 2 pm 
March 16   Park Place, Songs of Ireland, Elmhurst, IL 11am
March 16   Grand Victorian, Songs of Ireland, Sycamore, IL 2 pm
March 17   Brookdale, Songs of Ireland, Oak Park, IL noon
March 17   Heritage Woods, Songs of Ireland, Batavia, IL 2:30 pm
March 17   Hearthwood, Songs of Ireland, Bartlett, IL 4:15 pm
March 17   Chestnut Square, Songs of Ireland, Glenview, IL 7 pm
March 18   Pleasant View, Songs of Ireland, Ottawa, IL 2:30 pm
March 19   Widows & Widowers, Songs of Ireland, VFW Addison, IL 7:30
March 20   Elmhurst Park District, Songs of Ireland, Elmhurst, IL 12:30
March 21   Aurora Women's Club, The Stars & Stripes, Lincoln Inn, Batavia, IL 1 pm
March 23   Eden Vista, Songs of Ireland, Burr Ridge, IL 2 pm
March 24   Church Creek, Songs of Ireland, Arlington Heights, IL 1:30
March 25   Alto Senior Living, Songs of Ireland, Wheaton, IL 2:30

April   10   Bethany Healthcare, Pop Hits of the 60s, Dekalb, IL 4 pm
April   16   Birches, Derby Days! Clarendon Hills, IL 2 pm
April   26   Des Plaines Library, Songs of the Singing Cowboys, Des Plaines, IL 2 pm

May    1     Resurrection Village, Derby Days! Chicago, IL 1:30
May    12   Plymouth Place, TBD, LaGrange Park, IL 2 pm
May    14   Patty Turner Center, Songs of the Singing Cowboys, Deerfield, IL 1 pm
May    20   Oak Park Township, TBD, Oak Park, IL noon
May    20   Alto Senior Living, The Stars & Stripes, Wheaton, IL 2:30
May    22   Holmstad,  The Stars & Stripes, Batavia, IL 2 pm
May    25   Central Baptist Village, The Stars & Stripes, Norridge, IL 2pm 
May    25   Brookdale, The Stars & Stripes, Oak Park, IL 4 pm
May    26.  Oaktrace, Folk Songs, Downers Grove, IL 6:30
May    29   Mayslake, The Stars & Stripes, Oakbrook, IL 1:30
May    30   Oak Trace, Cowboy Campfire Songs, Downers Grove, IL 7 pm

June    24   Church Creek, Old Time Rock n Roll, Arlington Heights, IL 1:30

July     1     Victory Lakes, The Stars & Stripes, Lindenhurst, IL 10:30, 1:30 & 3
July     2     Wayne Senior Ctr, The Stars & Stripes, West Chicago, IL 9:30 and noon
July     3     The Greens, The Stars & Stripes, Elgin, IL 3 pm
July     4     Tamarisk Northshore, The Stars & StripesDeerfield, Il 3 pm
July     4     Inspirations, The Stars & Stripes, Northbrook, IL 6:30 pm
July     7     Brookdale, The Stars & Stripes, Glen Ellyn, IL 2:30
July    14    Hanover Township, Songs From The Lonesome Prairie, Hanover Park, IL 6 pm
July    15    Alto Senior Living, Favorite Folk Songs, Wheaton, IL 2:30
July    23    The Reserve, Road Trip: A Sentimental Journey, Geneva, IL 3 pm
July    28    Chestnut Square, Songs From The Lonesome Prairie, Glenview, IL 7 pm

Aug    13    Woodridge Golden Years, Pop Hits of the 60s, Woodridge, IL 12:30 pm
Aug    27    The Moorings, TBD, Arlington Heights, IL 2 pm
Aug    31    Holmstad, Songs From The Lonesome Prairie, Batavia, IL 6:30

Sept    9      Alto Senior Living, Favorite Songs, Wheaton, IL 2:30
Sept   21     Church Creek, Hits of the 60s, Arlington Heights, IL 1:30

Oct    21     Alto Senior Living, Ghost Riders & Other Spooky Songs, Wheaton, IL 2:30
Oct    29     Brookdale, Ghost Riders & Other Spooky Songs, Glen Ellyn, IL 2:30

Nov   4      Church Creek, Songs From The Lonesome Prairie, Arlington Heights, IL 1:30
Nov   5      The Reserve, The Stars & Stripes, Geneva, IL 3 pm
Nov   11    The Moorings, The Stars & Stripes, Arlington Heights, IL 2 pm

Dec    5     Trinity Lutheran Church, A Prairie Holiday, Des Plaines, IL 1:15
Dec    9     Alto Senior Living, A Prairie Holiday, Wheaton, IL 2:30
Dec    21   Holmstad, A Prairie Holiday, Batavia, IL 6:30

    

Monday, October 20, 2025

Ghost Riders & Other Spooky Songs

                                           October 19, 2025 at the Woodridge Public Library




 

Sunday, June 22, 2025

Hello From Ireland

The strand at Tralee Bay.

         Shelly and I spent two weeks in Eire.  

          In Dingle, I had the honor to sit in on a session. 


 
My second grandfather on Dad's side was born in Thomastown, County Kilkenny.
These Cody headstones are in the old cemetery at The Church of the Assumption. 


The River Nore, Thomastown, County Kilkenny. 
The Church of the Assumption is in the center on the hill.

   St. Brigid's Church, Ballycallan, County Kilkenny. 
          My Great Grandmother, Bridget Cuddihy was christened here in 1873.
     Mom's side of the family is also from Kilkenny.



Sunday, March 16, 2025

The Wild Rover CD of Irish Tunes Available!

Rick Pickren: The Wild Rover
Available for $15 (S&H Included)
Only Available On Line
Payment via Zelle, Venmo or Paypal






 

Thursday, March 6, 2025

St. Patrick's Day Flyer

                                        Many consider St. Patrick's Day the beginning of spring.
     I particularly enjoy the month of March because I get to perform my favorite Irish songs!

My St. Patrick's Day flyer is here.
Give me a call or send me an email to schedule a program for your party or group.

SLAINTE!

Wednesday, March 5, 2025

Rick Pickren 2025 Music Program Brochure

My music brochure contains a list of my various music programs as well as a brief bio and contact information. 

A link to download the brochure is here!

Please click here to view brief video previews of my programs on YouTube.

Thursday, May 14, 2020

Go Down To The River in Ukranian

A wonderful virtual performance of my song "Go Down To The River" sung in Ukrainian is here.
Thank you to the young folks at Druzhba Church, Ternopil, Ukraine for posting their performance. I'm honored!  Arrangement by Joel Raney, Hope Music.

Friday, February 21, 2020

Rick Pickren's POP HITS OF THE 60'S

Rick's brand new program features the number # 1 hits of the 1960's...songs and stories from from every year of the decade! A link to the brochure is here.

Thursday, February 15, 2018

Academy of Western Artists Nomination

I'm honored to have been nominated by The Academy of Western Artists as one of the five finalist for Best Western Artist of 2017. The awards show is on March 17 in Fort Worth, Tx. Unfortunately, I won't be able to attend due a heavy week of performing my Celtic Cowboy program. Doggone. Hate to miss it.
My new CD, Pale Moon on the Prairie, was nominated as Best Western Album but, alas, it didn't finish in the top five. A number of songs from the album were also nominated including Pale Moon on the Prairie, Swingin' Through The Sagebrush, Beneath the Apple Trees, A Cowboy Needs a Horse and one I wrote with lyricist Dennis Goodwin about Roy and Dale called God Save the King and Queen.  Dennis put together a nice video of the song.
Here's the link. Let me know what you think!

Wednesday, February 14, 2018

Pale Moon on the Prairie

A hearty thanks as big as the Wyoming sky to all the western DJs who've been playing my new album, Pale Moon on the Prairie. It is currently #6 on the top 30 Western Album Chart.

 Sample the CD here or on YouTube, iTunes, Spotify, CD Universe, Amazon and CDBaby.

Tuesday, January 5, 2016

CBS TV The Good Wife

Hey all...
My recording of "The Song of Iowa" will be featured on the CBS TV show "The Good Wife" on Sunday, January 10 @ 9 pm EST. Hope you can tune in!

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5265742/?ref_=ttep_ep11

Friday, December 4, 2015

It's an honor to have my recording of "Hail! South Dakota" featured on the WNYC program: Only Human.
The episode is Dreaming of a Deaf Utopia. It's an interesting and moving story about Marvin Miller, a deaf man, who's dream was to design and build the town of Laurent; a town of deaf residents, businesses and government.

Listen here:

https://www.wnyc.org/radio/#/ondemand/544203

Tuesday, January 14, 2014

My recording of the Mississippi State Song, Go! Mississippi (The State Songs Vol. 2) will be featured in the WGBH PBS special "Freedom Summer" airing on June 26, 2014 on your local PBS station.  http://www.cdbaby.com/AlbumDetails.aspx?AlbumID=pickren12