Rainer

Rainer Ptacek is a singer, songwriter and guitarist from Berlin, Germany, born in 1951 and active under the name Rainer. He develops a reputation in the Tucson music scene after growing up in Chicago following his family’s move from East Germany in 1953. He starts on violin in childhood, then switches to guitar in the mid-1960s. His playing becomes known for slide guitar and for a layered tape-loop and delay-pedal approach that lets him sound like several guitarists at once.

Work and style

His music is associated with blues, alt-country and downtempo, and he is also connected with the Glitterhouse label. Critics place him alongside players such as Ry Cooder and John Fahey because of his guitar style and song delivery. He also works as a guitar repairer at the Chicago Store in Tucson.

Recordings and collaborations

Between 1986 and 1994 he releases four albums: Barefoot Rock, Worried Spirits, Texas Tapes and Nocturnes. These remain available through Glitterhouse Records. He collaborates with Giant Sand, Germany’s F.S.K., Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top and Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin. Howe Gelb of Giant Sand is a close friend and describes key moments in Ptacek’s later work and recovery.

After a seizure on Groundhog Day in 1996, Ptacek is diagnosed with brain cancer and goes through radiation and chemotherapy. He relearns guitar after losing abilities during treatment, then records again. The tribute album The Inner Flame is organised by Howe Gelb and includes contributions from Emmylou Harris, Evan Dando, Page & Plant and P.J. Harvey, alongside tracks featuring Ptacek and his National Steel guitar. Alpaca Lips, completed before his seizure, appears in 2000 on Glitterhouse. A Tucson concert from 6 June 1997 is released as Live at the Performance Center in 2001, also on Glitterhouse, and his final recordings appear on The Farm. He dies on 12 November 1997.

Associated act

He is also linked with Rainer & Das Combo.