Rick Elias Starts Kickin' With Kickstarter.com

March 13, 2012 - PRLog -- It has been 10 years since Rick Elias recorded his last solo album. Why the long absence? Let Rick explain it. “I've always felt there are two kinds of writers--those who write until they have something to say and those who write when they have something to say. I've always wanted to be the latter. And now, I'm ready…more than I have ever been.”
Thanks to Kickstarter.com, the world’s largest funding platform for creative projects, this new album just got closer to being a reality.

Elias, as well as releasing three critically acclaimed solo albums, one of which the Los Angeles Times called one of the best albums of 1990, is probably best known as a founding member of "A Ragamuffin Band" formed by the late Rich Mullins in the early '90s. Rick performed with Rich until his untimely death in September 1997. At that time - at the request of Rich's family, estate, and record label - Rick resumed the production of Rich's posthumous release "The Jesus Record.” The Jesus Record went on to win 2 Dove Awards, and had two # 1 songs, "My Deliverer" (sung by Rick) and "Nothing Is Beyond You" (sung by Amy Grant).

The Rags continued to perform and released one more album, "Prayers Of A Ragamuffin" in 1999, produced by Rick. It included his song "Make Me An Instrument" which caught the ear of Vatican officials resulting in the band being invited to perform before the Pope and 2.4 million people in Rome, Italy for World Youth Day in August, 2000. Rick was also given the production reins for the official album for WYD, "One".

Though the Rags have since disbanded, all three projects -- "The Jesus Record," "Prayers,” and "One" -- remain a high point for Rick, both spiritually and musically. Also, during this time ('95-'03) Rick contributed two songs to Bob Carlisle’s multi-platinum, #1 album "Butterfly Kisses (Shades of Grace),” as well as writing five songs for the Tom Hanks film "That Thing You Do.” He has a small part in the movie playing, what else, a guitar player in the Playtone Band.

Rick’s Kickstarter campaign kicked off March 1 and runs through April 4, 2012. More information can be found at http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1265128972/rick-elias...