Ricky Carter doesn’t just keep time—he shapes it, sculpting grooves with a craftsman’s ear and a poet’s soul. A Baltimore native whose journey began with a grandmother’s note and a teenager’s fire, Carter has spent the last 25 years quietly becoming one of the most expressive percussionists in modern music. His drumming—equal parts cinematic restraint and deep-pocket intuition—has anchored boundary-pending projects from Erica Lindsay’s Parallel Universe to ambient explorer Robert Rich’s Ylang, and countless sessions in between. Schooled in both classical rigor and jazz freedom, Carter’s sound is a study in nuance, a kind of rhythmic empathy that makes him the go-to collaborator for songwriters and sonic adventurers alike. Now based in the Bay Area, he continues to evolve—writing, recording, and reshaping what it means to serve the music. Explore more of Ricky’s collaborations ›