Rick McGhie
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Rick McGhie
Born Rick McGhie in Simcoe, Ontario, he is a Canadian singer-performer who has been a major figure at the University of Western Ontario for over 30 years. Performing three nights a week at the university's campus bars, while also frequenting the student residences and downtown bars, Rick has become a figure-head for countless students. McGhie started learning guitar over 40 years ago covering Bob Dylan songs, playing his first gig in Grade 8 and never stopping since! Rick first came to Western in the 1970s to study biology and physics, but his love of performing was so strong that he decided to pursue his passion full-time. He joined a band and toured Ontario for a few years, but eventually went solo and decided to return to the University. Performing became his full-time career, though he is sure to donate his time to various charities in London, Ontario.
Rick's performances include renditions of classic rock 'n roll and folk songs, including Bob Dylan, John Denver, the Eagles, Jimmy Buffet, and many more. Requests are welcome, but McGhie will only play songs he likes, refusing to play Lynyrd Skynyrd's Sweet Home Alabama or anything by the Tragically Hip.
The University of Western Ontario is well-known for it's social atmosphere, and Rick has a huge part in creating it. Students have made a tradition of listening to him play while enjoying a pint on campus with fellow students.
His popularity over generations of students have led him to embark on many 'Western Alumni' trips to Toronto to play. In the summer of 2008, Rick will take his travels further, touring across Canada from Vancouver to Halifax.
When asked why he has dedicated his life to music and performing at Western, he responds that it's the people that make his job so rewarding, "every year I get to meet hundreds of new people, and I meet them in a friendly, social kind of environment...Pretty soon you get to know everybody. It's kind of like [the television show] Cheers."
[1] Western's Guitar Man, The Online Reporter. Retrieved April 28, 2008.
