RICKY VACCA performing live at 202 NORTH MAIN! A variety of music. No cover.

Vacca rode the folk music scene until the focus shifted. “It was not longer the singer, songwriter, acoustic guitar, writing about their feelings,” he said. “It was more about dance and rock and roll.” That’s when he decided to learn to play the bass, because everyone else knew how to play guitar. “Great decision, because it changed my life, because as a bass player I could sing lead and play bass, because I was used to playing guitar and singing,” he said. “There were bass players, but I had the edge because I could sing lead tenor and play bass. You’d go to a jam session and there’d be 25 guitarists and drummers and singers, but no bass players.” His skills eventually led him to playing at the famous CBGB club, where the talents of the Ramones, Blondie, the Talking Heads and others were discovered. He played his first gig there in 1979. “It was a smelly, dilapidated old place and it stunk,” he said. “But I’ll tell you, I saw a lot of people there. It had a vibe, it just did. Everybody just seemed to gravitate in front of that place.” Vacca continued to play through the 1970s and ‘80s. The ‘80s seemed to be, for me, a time for me to work a day job, spend all my time … absorbing culture and music,” he said.