The Rico Blues Combo is the natural result of a journey taken in the late '70s by Riccardo Migliarini, on the musical path of the Blues. Riccardo, nicknamed "Rico" for his Mexican looks, is one of the best known blues players in central Italy. He has forged his harmonica style by listening to, and studying, the great masters (Sonny Boy Williamson I° and II°, Little Walter and Walter Horton). He has transformed this intense study into a technical command of the instrument and a deep understanding of the blues language. The translation of everyday experience into music is at the heart of this old art form known as the blues. Rico has made this ancient philosophical concept his own, and has transmitted it to others

In 1985, Migliarini meets and hires Maurizio Pugno, taking him for driving lessons on the "dusty back roads" of the blues. Their love child is named the 1/2 Blues Band, and they set themselves to measuring up to the repertoire of urban Chicago blues. An indication that they were somehow on the right track is the fact that the bass player in that band was Mirco "Clock" Capecci, the current bassist of the Rico Blues Combo: a profoundly sensible and sensitive guy, and the kind of musician that every blues band dreams about. From 1986, and for roughly ten years, Rico and Maurizio Pugno gain important experience by playing in the Wolves Blues Band, a blues and R&B band. With the help of a solid, tight horn section, the band finds itself playing a full schedule of gigs, with invitations from festivals (Pistoia Blues, et al) and clubs like Big Mama in Rome (where they rock the rafters in a jam session with drummer Dennis Chambers). It is during this period that Mr. Pugno is nicknamed "Maestro", and not because of a particular inclination to box the ears of young brats, but because he begins to mature his writing and arranging skills. All those years of never leaving the house, due to an almost morbid attachment to his record collection, start to pay off. In fact, having absorbed the enduring lessons of his guitar heroes from the past (T-Bone Walker, Freddy King, Buddy Guy, Albert King, Clarence Brown, Grant Green etc.) and those of more contemporary bluesmen (Hollywood Fats, Jimmie Vaughan, Ronnie Earl, Duke Robillard, Stevie Ray Vaughan etc.), he has developed his own style, characterized by his picking technique (he uses a pick as well as his ring finger). This unusual attack is an attempt to get a melodically aggressive (or aggressively melodic, as the case may be) sound on his axe. In their years together with the Wolves Blues Band, "Rico" and the "Maestro" found themselves in the recording studio twice. Their first experience, in 1989, was a compilation of various groups in central Italy entitled Mixaudio. The second was the Wolves Blues Band's 1993 recording "Last Nite" on the Quadrivium label (and available on vinyl only). The liner notes are by Luciano Federighi, the author of a number of important books on the blues, and a co-editor of the Italian magazine "Musica Jazz". The record was well received by Italian critics, and got excellent reviews in music magazines such as "Buscadero", "Il Blues", "Blues Time", "Music Club", and high praise from Ivano Casamonti in the pages of the fashion magazine "Moda". In 1995, in the high and not so dry town of Massa-Carrara, Mr. Pugno fortuitously meets an important American exponent of the blues, Gordon Beadle (Sax Gordon), member of the Duke Robillard Band and side man with such musicians as James Cotton, Matt Murphy, Roomful of Blues, Luther Johnson, Champion Jake Dupree, Ron Levy, Charles Brown, Jay McShann, and others. It is the beginning of a friendship and musical collaboration between Gordon the Rico Blues Combo. Towards the end of 1995, " Rico " and the "Maestro" play acoustic blues in duo on the Italian circuit. This is a return to the roots, if you will: a rediscovery of origins. It turns out to be an act of regeneration, a last minute act of packing for a new voyage, a new adventure.

The Rico Blues Combo was born in 1996, in that climate of adventure. Riccardo Migliarini puts his new project into practice. Together with his old road-companion Maurizio Pugno, he looks up his old friend Mirco "Clock" Capecci, and lures Giuliano Bei, aka "Lo Smilzo", from visions of all-night parties and hordes of groupies on the rocky road of Rock 'n Roll (though it bears mentioning that "Lo Smilzo" has already honed his fine sense of groove in that idiom). Endowed with a precise and effective touch, Giuliano contributes notably to the sound of the Rico Blues Combo. His past flirts with the blues now hold him in good stead with his new employers. He rounds out his apprenticeship by locking himself in a room with the records of Freddy Below, Ted Harvey, and Kenny Jordan. The repertoire of the Rico Blues Combo ranges from traditional blues to jump. Nonetheless, most of the material is original. The sound is rich, vigorous, fun, and engaging; the impact of their sound was one of the band's first, and primary, aims - a fusion of spiritual and musical elements that would amply and justly mirror each member's personality. The band's musical approach takes as its starting point the immense musical patrimony of the blues, but crafts its own dimension through new arrangements and original compositions. In terms of live performance, the Rico Blues Combo is one of the most active blues bands in central Italy, though in fact, the group plays concerts all over the country. In addition to playing in many of the most important clubs on the national circuit, the band has also played most of the major Blues Festivals in Italy ("Tiferno Blues Festival", "Sestri Levante Blues Festival", "Trasimeno Blues Festival", "San Remo Blues Festival", "Diano Marina Blues Festival", "Summertime Blues Festival", "Capo D'Orlando In Blues", "Torrita Blues", "Narcao Blues festival", “Castel S. Pietro in Blues”, "Valdagno Blues Festival", “Green Hills blues Festival”, “Traveling Blues Festival” and others) and has opened for, and played with, such musicians as John Hammond, Willie Jaye, Popa Chubby, Canned Heat, Roy Rogers, Lurrie Bell, Charlie Wood, Aida Cooper, Fontella Bass, Sherman Robertson, John Primer, Gianna Nannini, Angelo "Leadbelly" Rossi, Kenny Neal, Andy J. Forest, Fabio Treves, Rudy Rotta, Robin Brown, Nick Becattini, Mauro Ferrarese and others.
This experience was reflected in the Rico Blues Combo's first recording project, "White Whiskey", released in June of 1997, and available on CD and cassette through the distributors "WHITE & BLACK" in Milan. "White Whiskey" received excellent reviews (Silvano Brambilla - "The Blues", Gianni Del Savio - "Musica & Dischi", Francesco Battisti - "Music Club", Marco Denti - "The Buscadero", "Freeway Magazine", Luciano Federighi - "Musica Jazz", Gianandrea Pasquinelli - "Blue Time", etc.), and prompted Ernesto De Pascale to include a track from the record on the fourth volume of his anthology "This is My Story: The New Blues in Italy Vol. IV", distributed by the Sony Music. It also included flattering excerpts (printed on the back cover) from the praises of two American musicians: Sax Gordon and Mike Turk. "White Whiskey" was voted best blues recording, and best debut recording of 1997 by the Italian critics. The songs composed by the duo of M. Pugno-R. Migliarini are the result of years and years of listening, and the gruelling experience of travelling the club and festival circuit. The liner notes are the work of Warren P. Blumberg (he has since dropped the middle initial), an expatriate New Yorker now living in Sicily where he (unsuccessfully) tries to impress girls with his credentials as a journalist (he occasionally writes for Musica Jazz, and not very widely-read publications in Italy and abroad). The Italian translation of the notes are by that ever reliable cornerstone of music criticism in Italy, Luciano Federighi. A solid contribution on some of the tracks is delivered by Mirko Pugno on trumpet, Gianni Menichetti on saxophone, and Roberto Giuli on piano: old travelling companions from the days of the Wolves Blues Band. With the release of "White Whiskey", the Rico Blues Combo has widened its field of activity with concerts abroad

In March and November of 1998, the band undertook two concert tours with Mike Turk, one of the greatest jazz and blues harmonica players on the planet (besides recording as a soloist and working on various film soundtracks including "Dick Tracy" and "Lone Star", he has recorded and played with musicians such as Sonny Terry, Hound Dog Taylor, Lowell Fulsom, Toots Thielemans, Joe Venuti, Bonnie Raitt, Joey DeFrancesco, Ronnie Earl, Tony Scott, The Temptations, and Jerry Lee Lewis, to name just a few). The tours were concentrated in central and southern Italy for the most part, and included a final concert in Florence with Alberto Marsico on Hammond organ, with whom the Rico Blues Combo has entered into a working musical collaboration (one long tour and other episodic gigs) as well as an enduring friendship. Maurizio Pugno, Alberto Marsico and Giuliano Bei are members of the TAD ROBINSON BAND too They play normally around the Europe. Tad Robinson is one of greatest Soul/Blues singer and harmoniìca player too.. Since the summer of 1998 the band has also worked with the English singer, guitarist, and song writer Andy Martin. "Sleepy Town" (released in December 1999) is an organic reflection of the band's experiences. All of the songs on the CD are original, and were inspired by the diverse musical styles and influences the Rico Blues Combo has picked up and gathered along its collective way. This also includes a healthy dose of irony. The record was well received by the critics with positive reviews by Roberto Caselli in "JAM", Francesco Battisti in "MUSIC CLUB", Silvano Brambilla in "THE BLUES", Michele Sponza in "MUSIC ADVENTURES", Franco Rubegni in "JAMBOREE", and Ray Ellis in “JUKE BLUES”, among others. The disc also has an interactive CD Rom track with assorted curiosities, a biography of the band, photos, and a video of the band in the recording studio.

Many of the songs have been programmed and broadcast by radio both in Italy and abroad, including the legendary WGBH in Boston. The band has also appeared on national television networks (RAI 1, RETE 4 etc.). On June 13, 2000 the Rico Blues Combo with Alberto Marsico on Hammond organ played a concert at the Teatro Comunale in Gubbio with IAN PAICE, the drummer of the historic rock band, Deep Purple. It was a return to his roots for the drummer, and a welcome opportunity to play some classic blues; an experience that Ian has expressed interest in repeating with the band. On 2002 Rico Blues Combo was started to play a lots of gigs in Switzerland, Belgium, Germany and Holland with a great success. In the same years (August 2002) is coming out the new album: “Live at Murphy’s”. This Cd (where there’re five new songs..) is a Live album recorded at Blues club in Silvi Marina (Teramo –Italy) With the Rico Blues Combo a deep sense of humanity is translated into a stage show full of soul, feeling, and emotion. The band has found the poise and balance it takes to go on presenting its own brand of the blues for as long as it takes.