Ralph Pezzullo

Ralph Pezzullo

“Just a Boy is one of the most stunning compositions of music I’ve ever had the pleasure of hearing.” – A&R Music Blog

“This is music done right from an artist who appears to have many stings to his bow.” – MP3 Hugger

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My interest in music started early. According to my mother, I used to “sing” to symphonic music before I could walk. While attending high school in Bogota, Colombia I joined the last iteration of what music bloggers now call “a seminal Latin rock garage band” named Wallflower Complexion. That was the first of dozens of musical groups I’ve played in throughout high school, college, and into adulthood.

My father was a US diplomat, which meant that our family moved every two or three years to places like Mexico, Vietnam, Bolivia, Colombia, Guatemala, Uruguay, Nicaragua, and Haiti. I’ve traveled to more than fifty countries and discovered that every one of them has its own distinct culture and sound; and each has left an indelible impression on my musical psyche.

Whether it’s called cumbia, salsa, reggae, folk, country, kompa, samba, bossa nova, or psychedelic rock there’s one thing that distinguishes great music in my mind – whether it moves you and touches your heart.

My influences? They start with the Beatles and include everyone from Eddie Paliermi, to Stravinsky, Tito Puente, Bob Marley, Jimmy Cliff, John Prine, Curtis Mayfield, Shubert, the Kinks, Radiohead, Gato Barbieri, Charlie Parker, the great Antonio Carlos Jobim, and others.

When I’m not composing songs or playing music, I’m writing. I’m the author of over twenty books, several of them New York Times bestsellers. I’m also an award-winning screenwriter and playwright. My most recent play, The American Wife, premiered at the Park Theatre in London last year; and my books have been published in over twenty languages and include Jawbreaker (with CIA operative Gary Berntsen), Inside SEAL Team Six, Plunging Into Haiti (winner of the 2006 Douglas Dillon Prize for American Diplomacy), Most Evil, Zero Footprint, Full Battle Rattle, and others.

You can learn more about me by visiting my website, www.ralphpezzullo.com.