For over four decades, John "Ratso" Gerardi has been an enduring presence and lively fixture on the Fairfield County music scene as a performer, singer/songwriter, record producer, and teacher.

A virtuoso guitarist, most recently, Ratso was musical director and bandleader backing Bobby Brook Hamilton, Jackie Wilson’s son, at Feinstein’s at Loews Regency, “The Nightclub of New York.” He has also performed in the Big Apple at The Bitter End, CBGB, LeBar Bat, Lone Star Cafe, Manny's Car Wash, The China Club, The Ritz, and Downtime, opening for Al Kooper, Eric Johnson, Jimmy Vivino, and Duke Robillard. In Connecticut, he has appeared on double bills with rock legend Rick Derringer at Milford’s Daniel Street and with The Dennis Dunaway Project at Fairfield’s Stage One.

Ratso has opened for David Johansen (Buster Poindexter), Zebra, The Fixx, Joe Bonamassa at Stamford's "Live at Five," and Roberta Flack at the Norwalk Oyster Festival. He has played with The Blues Brothers' Matt "Guitar" Murphy, Blue Oyster Cult's Joe Bouchard, The David Bowie Band's Mick Ronson, and The Outlaws' Freddy Salem. Last summer, he opened for Slo Leak, the Danny Kortchmar/Charley Karp band.                              more→