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Hans Rizzo
Born: February 25, 1974, Rio de Janerio, Brazil
Musical Influences: Ravi Shankar, Howlin' Wolf, Robert Johnson
Early Life: Hans' maternal grandfather had immigrated to Brazil from Germany towards the end of WWII. His mother, however, was disowned by grandpa when she decided to marry Marcas Rizzo, a local native who ran a martial arts school specializing in "Vale Tudo, Brazilian bare-knuckle fighting, where any tactic except eye-gouging and biting are allowed.
As a assistant instructor at his father's martial arts school, Hans met Ray Hearns, an American banana trader who had been assigned to Brazil by his employer, Backdoor Fruits. Ray introduced Hans to American Blues and guitar.
In 1991, Dustin Shelves, a Mississippi catfish farm tycoon who had spent several weeks in Brazil on business, convinced Hans to start a martial arts and fitness center in Granada (pronounced Gra-nay-da), Mississippi.
Once in Granada and only a short drive from the birthplace of Mississsippi Delta Blues, Hans began frequenting blues clubs along Mississippi's famous Highway 61, usually hanging around after the shows to get pointers from the local players. For many local blues artists, including guitarist Mudpie Robinson and harmonica player Little Toots McGrady, Hans gave martial arts classes to their kids in exchange for musical lessons.
Over the Internet, Hans found a cousin, Igmar "Swede" Hernandez, living in Jackson, Tennessee. While visiting Hernandez, Hans noticed an ad taken out by one Bubba Stein that was looking for " a guitar player that doesn't suck, and is willing to learn new things". Within an hour, Hans was playing guitar at Bubba's house.
"Besides jamming with Bubba on some things he had written, what I remember most was all the damn dogs (Bubba had five at the time), and especially the Malamute who would scoll whenever I went off key", Hans recalls.
Eurelius, Bubba's dog, kept Hans on key. |
