Richard Gsottschneider was born in New York, lives in New England and heats his house with wood. In his spare time he writes lyrics based on his personal experiences as a farmer, musician and  veteran in Vietnam. He has loved music all his life, all types of music, except opera.

His musical influences include folk, country, americana, cajun and zydeco.

His favorite artists have been Gordon Lightfoot, Bob Dylan, John Prine, Willie Nelson, The Band , Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys, and The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.