songs that touch the heart
my story
Rich Scher is a singer-songwriter from North Carolina whose music blends gritty folk and Americana with emotional depth. After a career as a physician and cancer surgeon, Rich is devoting himself to his life-long passion for songwriting, using music as his healing medium. Rich crafts songs inspired by his observations and connections with the many people and places he’s encountered throughout his life. From the mill towns of Massachusetts, to Midwest Ohio cities and farmland, to the tobacco fields of Virginia and his beloved adopted hometown of Durham, North Carolina, Rich’s experiences have shaped his understanding of the universal themes that shape our relationships to the people and places that have graced our paths. These insights form the foundation for the emotional depth Rich brings to his songwriting, and resonate in the songs on his debut collection of original music, Mill Pond.
Mill Pond was produced by acclaimed musician and producer Jon Shain, and recorded and mixed by his long-time collaborator, the talented FJ Ventre, at Good Luck Studios in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Mill Pond delivers a song collection about the people, places, and journeys we each experience that forge our unique concept of what it means when we think of “Home”.
“From the gritty Massachusetts mill towns of his youth, to midwest Ohio cities and farmlands, to the tobacco fields of Virginia and his beloved adopted southern town, Rich’s experiences have taught him about what is unique, yet universal, in all of us. “
Extended Bio
Rich Scher is a singer-songwriter from Durham, North Carolina, where he raised a family and has lived for over 30 years. A Head and Neck Cancer Surgeon and former Professor at Duke University Medical Center, Rich has embarked on his next chapter by directing his passions to his life-long love of music. He has recorded his first collection of original songs, Mill Pond, with producer and acclaimed musician and guitarist Jon Shain and the talented recording engineer and bass player FJ Ventre at Good Luck Studios, in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. With a planned release on March 26, 2025, Mill Pond is a song collection about the people, places, and journeys we each experience that forge our unique concept of what it means when we think about “Home”.
Mill Pond is a musical journey offering songs about our foundational relationships (My Father’s Stories, Another Mother’s Day, Snowflake Kisses), the people we choose to love and who may or may not love us back (Crooked Highway Porcelain Heart, Summer’s End) and the places that ground us and elicit the memories that sustain us (A Song From Tennessee, Cuyahoga River Blues, Mill Pond). Contributions from exceptional musicians Alice Hasen, Allyn Love, Bill Newton, Dana Thalheimer, Robbie Link, as well as Jon and FJ, and contributing vocals by Lynn Blakey, Laurelyn Dossett, and Molly Mahoney help to bring Rich’s songs to life.
Rich was raised in Groveland, Massachusetts, a small town on the Merrimack River, whose natural beauty not withstanding, felt too confining for his dreams. In 1976, he left for Ohio, the first stop on his path to the education and training needed for a career as a surgeon. It was during his first week at college, inspired by his guitar playing roommate, that Rich wrote his first song. As one might guess, it was something about a girl left behind. Thankfully, that song has faded from memory, but the songwriting bug persisted during the subsequent years and journeys.
The COVID-19 pandemic served as a pivotal moment in Rich’s musical journey, inspiring him to dive deeper into his songwriting, and to take the plunge to begin performing his songs in public. Drawing on his own experiences as a physician, father, friend, lover, and fellow traveler, Rich crafts songs that poignantly capture the human experience. Inspired by legendary songwriters like Gordon Lightfoot, John Prine, Jim Croce, Mary Gauthier, Lori McKenna, and Townes van Zandt, Rich’s music provides listeners an emotional journey through the full spectrum of life’s wonders in the best tradition of folk and Americana music.
Rich has performed his original songs at numerous venues and festivals, including Festival for the Eno, Durham Centerfest, Come Out and Play Festival, Sunderland Art’s Festival and at the Summer Acoustic Music Week on the shore of Lake Winnipesaukee, New Hampshire. In addition to performing and songwriting, Rich serves on the board of the North Carolina Songwriter’s Co-operative. When not crafting songs or performing, he can be found with friends and family enjoying the outdoors, often with a frosty IPA or very dry martini.