Ryland Peter Cooder is an American musician, songwriter, film score composer and record producer. He is a multi-instrumentalist but is best known for his slide guitar work, his interest in roots music from the United States, and his collaborations with traditional musicians from many countries.
The virtuoso guitarist has been a musician other musicians have followed closely, and no popular musician has a broader or deeper catalogue. He has played songs so simple that they are hardly songs, and songs so complex that they would tax, if not overwhelm, the capacities of most talented guitarists.
Rolling Stone, in 2003, named him the 8th greatest guitarist on their list of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time, his influence has been felt more than his records have been heard, with perhaps some exceptions: the group of elderly Cuban musicians whom he assembled and recorded in 1997 and called the Buena Vista Social Club, Also recording with Ali Farka Toure, Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, and Manuel Galban, to name a few.
On July 11, 1979: The first U.S. digitally-recorded LP of (with vocals), Bop 'Til You Drop by guitarist Ry Cooder, was released by Warner Bros. Records.
Ry Cooder - Look at Granny Run Run
Ry Cooder - Get Rhythm - 2018 Remastered
Ry Cooder - Think It's Going to Work out Fine
Ry Cooder -Buena Vista Social Club - Chan Chan
Ry Cooder - I Can Tell by the Way You Smell
Ry Cooder - The Dark End of the Street – Live
Ry Cooder - Paris, Texas
Ry Cooder - The Very Thing That Makes You Rich (Makes Me Poor)
Ry Cooder & V.M. Bhatt Ganges - Delta Blues
Ry Cooder - Let's Have a Ball
Ali Farka Touré, Ry Cooder - Ai Du
Ry Cooder - Across the Borderline
Ry Cooder - Down in Hollywood
Jazz Matters
Jazz Matters is a not-for-profit hobby project that I’m extremely proud of.
It began life in May 2021 as NuDirections, a weekly radio show on a London community station. That spirit of discovery still runs through everything I do.
But today, Jazz Matters has evolved into a global podcast platform for Jazz and World music lovers — reaching over 40,000 open-minded listeners across 57 countries on more than 24 platforms.2025/6 marks a new era. My love of music has always gone beyond Jazz, so I’ve created two distinct but connected spaces here
Jazz Matters: Podcasts, Playlists and Music Videos.
Jazz Lines: Blogs, Interviews, Gallery & Pulse for Who's Shaping the Scene.
I’m also preparing a full digital relaunch from my new studio, from 1st May 2026, then every Jazz Matters podcast, mix, and special will stream exclusively from my website—no third-party platforms and no algorithms. Until then, you can listen here and on 24+ podcast platforms.
Alongside the music, you’ll find in Jazz Lines, my platform for blogs, interviews, gallery, and pulse that links to things that catch my ear and eye. A bold new chapter begins soon. New location. New music player. New studio.
Jazz Matters. Because the music — and everything around it — truly does.
Enjoy the music I love