'Ragtime' Jack has been performing for more than 30 years. He is a master of traditional country blues and ragtime & stride piano, and a powerful singer/songwriter, as well as songs from the "Great American songbook." He also accompanies himself on the guitar and fiddle.

Jack was inducted into the Old-Time Music Association Hall of Fame in 2014.

Jack's performances always include a lot of uplifting wit, historical anecdotes and connections with local lore, wherever he performs. His background in journalism amplifies a lifelong quest for the cultural framework of his music and the places he performs.

He was a fixture on the coffeehouse circuit in the late '60s and early '70s. His band 'The New Viper Revue' pushed the genre envelopes of blues, folk, country, rock 'n' roll and jazz from 1972 to 1976. Jack resumed his solo career in 1977, then teamed up with reed player Al Oliveira in 1983. He retired from the music business, except for occasional local engagements, in 1987 to raise his sons and work as a newspaper editor. Now he's back to his music fulltime, directing Wepecket Island Records, touring, and recording his own music, producing other artists' recordings and touring nationally.

"It was a pleasure to have you here. You are an extremely talented musician and everyone enjoyed your music."

– Ilana Seidmann, Program Coordinator, Newton (MA) Senior Center

"I enjoyed your music so much, and I know everyone else did too. Thank you so much for sharing your talent, musical expertise, and exuberant personality with our little community!"

–Dorene C. Miller, MLS, Penn Area Library, Harrison City, PA

"Ragtime Jack was a delight! We have had so many compliments and would very much like to have him at our next year's Kentucky Derby Gala, if his schedule allows. His music selection was perfect. He engaged the audience and was a mentor to a young man in attendance. We were very pleased."

–Diana Lane, Strongwater Farm (Tewksbury, MA)

"Thank you for an outstanding show last week. ... The performance was top notch, very accessible, very professional yet low-key. I have heard nothing but rave reviews all around."

– Susan Hotchkiss, Lakeville (MA) Council On Aging

"Thanks for a terrific show (& encore) at the library. Our audience loved it. You reminded me a lot of Mark Twain!"

– Scott D Stanton, Programming/Public Relations Manager, Bristol (CT) Public Library

"When Jack sits down at the piano, you don't need a time machine. The world goes into a fugue state, James P. Johnson and Fats Waller emerge from the Other Side, and Jack converses with them in an idiom it takes a lifetime to learn. Judging by the recent spate of new old jass he's been making up, I think he's just about got it!"

– Andy Cohen, singer, music historian, and finger-picking guitarist extraordinaire

"Jack's the undisputed master of country blues piano."

– Larry Johnson, blues legend

'Ragtime' Jack Radcliffe tackles one of the most difficult styles on this planet, and comes up in spades."

– Big Earl Sellar, The Green Man Review

"An imaginative and expressive right hand over a powerfully rhythmic and energetic left."

–John Wilson, The New York Times

"Don't miss this show! Ragtime Jack's a 'Pearl' for certain!"

– Earl Wilson, The Daily News

"Thank you so much for playing for our group. You were an integral part of the success of the evening. Your playing was perfect for the venue and occasion. I very much look forward to working with you again in the future."

–Laura Keeler, Corinthian Events