Richard Dworsky

Richard Dworsky
Man playing the piano outdoors
Dworsky in 2015
Background information
Born
Saint Paul
Occupationskeyboardist, composer and music producer
InstrumentPiano
Years active1970 –present
PublishersWindham Hill Records, Gift Horse Recording, Northword, Inner Vista Records, Prairie Home Productions
Formerly ofThe Guy's All-Star Shoe Band
Websitewww.richdworsky.com

Richard Dworsky is a keyboardist, composer and music producer from Minnesota. He has been the bandleader for most of his 20-year tenure at the weekly radio program A Prairie Home Companion, produced several albums independently and has collaborated with a variety of notable artists.

Early life

Growing up in Saint Paul, Dworsky was a precocious piano player, taking lessons as early as six years old. [1] Other Dworsky siblings were also interested in music: his sister Sally became a singer-songwriter and his brother Allan a musician.[2][3]

Starting at age 16, Dworsky became part of the Twin Cities live music scene. He soon found a spot in Al Jarreau's band with whom he toured for over two years to places like North Dakota, Alberta and Manitoba, opening for bands such as Steppenwolf and Canned Heat.[4][5][6] Dworsky, Jarreau, and bandmate Bobby Schnitzer moved to California in 1971, where Dworsky wrote new material influenced by the likes of Miles Davis and Frank Zappa while pursuing a recording deal that never materialized. Dworsky went back home to Minnesota in 1973.[7][1]

Back from California, Dworsky enrolled in the music program at the University of Minnesota and worked for seven years as a pianist, conductor and composer at the Children's Theatre Company. He also recorded piano music for Windham Hill Records during that period.[1]

A Prairie Home Companion

Dworsky started working on A Prairie Home Companion in 1993 when his mother sold the building of what would become the Fitzgerald Theater to Minnesota Public Radio. The family connection gave him an opportunity to play on the show as a pianist and he later became musical director and bandleader of the Guy's All-Star Shoe Band.[1]

Dworsky with Gary Raynor in a Prairie Home Companion performance in 2015

Show host Garrison Keillor called Dworsky "indispensable", praising the mastery of his craft and improvisations. Comfortable in a wide variety of styles, he accompanied guests such as Paul Simon, Elvis Costello, Renée Fleming, Yo-Yo Ma, Brad Paisley and Emmylou Harris during his tenure on the show. The classically trained Dworsky quickly picked up different styles such as bluegrass and roots rock. This versatility would serve him well throughout his career. The various original pieces he played each week were either composed in advance or improvised. He looked up to David Letterman's bandleader Paul Shaffer; the two men had the opportunity to play together when Shaffer came on the show.[1][8] He stayed on when Keillor left in 2016 and through the program's rebrand as Live from Here,[1][9][10][11] but left in 2018. During that period and subsequently, he has continued to collaborate with Keillor on several tours and projects.[9][12][13][14][15] His album All In Due Time adapts several pieces from the radio show. Guest artists include Jerry Douglas, Stuart Duncan, Jarreau and Sally Dworsky.[1]

Dworsky participated as music arranger and played the piano in Robert Altman's film about A Prairie Home Companion, which was released in 2006.[16][17]

His post-Prairie Home production includes collaborations with other artists such as Gaby Moreno and Nicole Zuraitis.[18][19] His songs have been sung by recognized artists such as Kristin Chenoweth[20]

He composed and performed the piece Won't you be my ginger that served as the theme for Richmal Crompton's BBC recordings of the Just William books of stories.[21]

Personal life

As of 2016, Dworsky lived in Wayzata. He is a proficient salsa dancer.[1]

Discography

Albums

  • Back to the Garden (1992) - Gift Horse Recording / Blix Street
  • The heart of Spring (1995) - Northword
  • The path to you (2000) - Inner Vista Records
  • So near and dear to me (2002) - Prairie Home Productions
  • All in Due Time (2025)

Included in compilations

  • A morning with the roses (1985) - Windham Hill Records

Collaborations

  • All that lasts with Dominick Farinacci
  • It's our turn now with Tony DeSare
  • Springtime prayer with Nola Richardson
  • Hold on to Spring with Peter Odtroushko
  • The show closed out of town with Nicole Zuraitis

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Bream, Jon (26 March 2016). "Meet 'Prairie Home' pianist Richard Dworsky, Garrison Keillor's right-hand". Minnesota Star Tribune. Archived from the original on 9 October 2025. Retrieved 19 July 2026.
  2. ↑ Pratt, Anna (5 November 2014). "Singing for the sheer joy of it". Minneapolis Star Tribune. pp. A1. Retrieved 19 July 2026 – via Proquest.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  3. ↑ Bream, Jon (3 May 1991). "Dworsky steps into spotlight with first solo performances". Minneapolis Star Tribune. pp. 10E. Retrieved 19 July 2026 – via Proquest.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  4. ↑ Crossley, Peter (19 October 1970). "Headliners display lots of showmanship". Winnipeg Free Press.
  5. ↑ Joslyn, Jay (15 October 1970). "City's Al Jarreau makes rock sound". Milwaukee Sentinel.
  6. ↑ Crossley, Peter (19 October 1970). "Heat, Jarreau Mind-blowers". Winnipeg Free Press.
  7. ↑ Dietrich, Kurt (August 2023). Never Givin' Up: The Life and Music of Al Jarreau. Wisconsin Historical Society Press. pp. 60–65. ISBN 978-1976600197.
  8. ↑ "Former NPR host Garrison Keillor comes to the Strand". TCA Regional News. 2 November 2025. Retrieved 19 July 2026 – via Proquest.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  9. 1 2 Wild, Stephi (13 August 2025). "Richard Dworsky Will Join Garrison Keillor on Stage at The Park in Jaffrey". Broadway World. Archived from the original on 7 January 2026. Retrieved 19 July 2026.
  10. ↑ Baenen, Jeff (12 April 2016). "Garrison Keillor passes Prairie Home Companion to new host Chris Thile". CBC News. Associated Press. Archived from the original on 8 July 2024. Retrieved 19 July 2026.
  11. ↑ Neal, Justin (19 September 2018). "Last members of 'Prairie Home' cast let go". Minneapolis Star Tribune. pp. B2. Retrieved 19 July 2026 – via Proquest.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  12. ↑ Colburn, Sarah (17 February 2019). "Keillor returns to stage with 'old friends'". St. Cloud Times. pp. B7. Retrieved 19 July 2026 – via Proquest.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  13. ↑ Wallenfang, Maureen (8 August 2017). "First stop on his last tour". The Post-Crescent. pp. A4. Retrieved 19 July 2026 – via Proquest.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  14. ↑ Paulson, Dave (12 May 2022). "'A Prairie Home Companion' will make a return to the Ryman". The Tennessean. pp. A2. Retrieved 19 July 2026 – via Proquest.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  15. ↑ Guthrey, Mollie (24 July 2019). "Garrison Keillor ruminates on Minnesota in Harper's essay — and plans a fall tour". Saint Paul Pioneer Press. Retrieved 19 July 2026 – via Proquest.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  16. ↑ McCarthy, Todd (12 February 2006). "A Prairie Home Companion". Variety. Archived from the original on 18 December 2024. Retrieved 19 July 2026.
  17. ↑ Bream, Jon (16 August 2022). "Thompson was a giant of piano, jazz in Minnesota". Minneapolis Star Tribune. pp. B1. Retrieved 19 July 2026 – via Proquest.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  18. ↑ "The Saddest Noise, The Sweetest Noise". Qobuz. Retrieved 25 July 2026.
  19. ↑ Keillor, Garrison (29 May 2026). "On the road in the Snake Canyon". Garrison Keillor and Friends. Retrieved 25 July 2026.
  20. ↑ Gieske, Tony (28 February 2006). "Goin' to the Dance With You". Hollywood Reporter. p. 24. Retrieved 19 July 2026 – via Proquest.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  21. ↑ "Just William: A Second BBC Radio Collection". Indigo. Retrieved 12 August 2026.
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