Richard Julian (musician)

Richard Julian
Richard Julian at the Rockwood Music Hall in New York City
Born	(1967-06-13) June 13, 1967 Austin, Texas
Occupation	Musician
Musical career
Genres	Folk Music Jazz
Labels	Blue Note Records, Manhattan Records, Compass records, My Good Man
Website	richardjulian.net

Richard Julian (born June 13, 1967) is an American composer, lyricist, and singer based in Brooklyn, New York. His music has been praised by distinguished musicians from Randy Newman to Bonnie Raitt for its singular song-craft which combines elements of folk and jazz to paint wry existential portraits of life. He is also known for his collaborations with Norah Jones and as the co-founder and curator of the popular Brooklyn music venue Bar LunÁtico.

Early life and education

Julian was raised in Arden, Delaware and attended Mount Pleasant High School. Upon graduation, Julian moved briefly to Las Vegas, where he played keyboards in casino bands before relocating to New York City to pursue a music career with his original songs.

Career

After moving to New York City in the late eighties, Julian’s music remained a well-kept secret for over a decade before seeing the critical success of his independent 2002 release, Good Life.

Julian’s music gained further prominence that year as the opener for Norah Jones' Come Away With Me tour — and subsequently, Julian and Jones teamed up to front The Little Willies, an urban country group which featured telecaster wizard Jim Campilongo. The group recorded two albums for Blue Note Records.

During this fruitful period, Julian released two notable albums of his own on Manhattan Records — Slow New York (2006) — and Sunday Morning In Saturday’s Shoes (2009) — which garnered critical acclaim and brought headline appearances in the United States, Japan, and Europe.

A brief move thereafter to New Orleans inspired Julian to hone his piano skills, integrating them alongside his trademark finger-style guitar. The result was Fleur De Lis, recorded at Algiers Point and features legendary New Orleans musicians Jon Cleary, Johnny Vidacovich, and Terence Higgins.

Upon returning to New York City, Julian sired both a son and a music club — the latter better known as Bar LunÀtico, the popular Brooklyn venue he co-owns and curates.

Julian’s latest, Hit & Run, marks his first outing in ten years, and features him mostly on electric keyboard and piano. Its ten original songs retain Julian’s evocative narratives while framing them with punchy vocal and brass arrangements. He is joined by a noteworthy array of musicians on the New York scene — a scene in which he plays an integral role through his curation at Bar LunÀtico.

Hit & Run is set for release on streaming platforms, and on vinyl, in 2025.

Discography

As leader

• Richard Julian (Blackbird, Sire, 1997)
• Smash Palace (Blackbird, Sire, 1999)
• Good Life (My Good Man, 2002)

• Slow New York (Manhattan Records, 2006)
• Sunday Morning In Saturday’s Shoes (Manhattan Records, 2008)
• Girls Need Attention (Compass Records, 2010)
• Fleur De Lis (My Good Man, 2012)
• Hit And Run (To Be Released, 2025)

with The Little Willies

• The Little Willies (Blue Note Records, 2006)
• For The Good Times (Blue Note Records, 2011)

with John Chin Quartet

• Anything Mose (Independent Release, 2021)

Quotes

• ”One of the best songwriters and record makers I've heard in a very long time." ~ Randy Newman

• “Richard Julian is cleverly disguised as a sensitive singer-songwriter: In fact, he's a stealth soul singer and an astonishing storyteller" ~ Claudia Marshall, NPR