Folk Rock Troubadour

American Zen was officially founded in 1991, after Coyote moved to Salt Lake City, Utah.

Coyote began playing acoustic guitar when he was exiled in Newfoundland, 1970.  Prior to that he performed only on electric guitar; a red and white Fender Mustang guitar.

It was in Newfoundland that Coyote performed for his first audiences on acoustic guitar.  They were geese.  

Coyote is also, Buddha Zhen Shen-Lang, or “Buddha Z.”  He just today, [well, actually, as Rich Connor Singing Webmaster just posted it…] a video that tells the story of the geese.  

Check out:  “DAILY TAOIST 11” by Buddha Z for the geese and duck story.

In 1970 Coyote, then known as Richard Del Connor, recorded the soundtrack of a college film project.  He also starred in it as the cinematographer shot him in 16mm.  [Where is that movie now?  Maybe MUN Memorial University of Newfoundland has a copy?]

So, Richard Del Connor was THE FOLK ROCK TROUBADOUR from 1969 to 2019.  Richard was a TROUBADOUR for 50 years.  Richard performed as a soloist and with dozens of bands on stages, in parks, in parties, in clubs and sound stages and rehearsal rooms and living rooms and a few back yards, restaurants, book stores, colleges, high schools, middle schools, parking lots and wandering among the trees of North Hollywood Park where he also taught Shaolin Kung Fu and Yang Tai Chi Chuan classes.

As a musician, Richard became a bassist for many years and was hired as a session player in the late seventies and early eighties in Los Angeles, California.  Richard became an electric guitarist again in the eighties and went back to performing on acoustic guitar until 2013 with the release of American Zen’s 7th album, END OF THE LINE on Shaolin Records on July 4, 2014. 

The final American Zen album: LEVEL 8 = Memorial Day Album was recorded in 2015 with Richard performing SLIDE GUITAR.  

In 2010 the Alvarez 12-string guitar played by Richard Del Connor from 1973 to 2010 was STOLEN in Montrose, California, after a Freemason lodge meeting that Richard had performed at on acoustic guitar and flute.

Although Coyote vowed to never play another acoustic guitar again, he continued to perform solo and jam with groups on his flute.  These years from 2013 to 2020 have Coyote performing in a variety of nightclubs.  

In 2015 Richard Del Connor considered being a comedian under the “Kung Fu Cowboy” name.  Unfortunately, none of the Los Angeles comedy clubs would allow him to play his flute.  

So, in 2017 Richard launched his new career as THE “Philosopher Poet” and “Shaolin Flutist” who would recite a couple poems then a play a solo song on his flute.  This became his trademark style.  Richard also stopped wearing his black cowboy hat to gigs, leaving his “Kung Fu Cowboy” image in the closet for a few years.  Wearing a nice grey suit with a vest, cowboy boots and sporting his new grey beard–The Hippy Coyote evolved into Kung Fu Cowboy who evolved into Philosopher Poet.

Under all this is THE FOLK ROCK TROUBADOUR.  Always making people laugh with either the funny jokes in his poetry or humoring the crowd from the stage… Richard Del Connor enjoys performing.

What’s next?  

I don’t know… until after I’ve done it.