Renowned guitarist, singer, songwriter, producer and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductee (Joan Jett & the Blackhearts) Releases his fourth and most personal album to date.

Guitarist, singer, songwriter, and producer Ricky Byrd, a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee with Joan Jett & the Blackhearts in 2015, is preparing to unveil his fourth and most personal album yet. Titled NYC Made and released via Wicked Cool Records, the album will be available on March 28, 2025.

A proud Bronx native raised in Queens and a lifelong Yankees fan, Byrd pays homage to the soundtrack of his youth with NYC Made.

Reflecting on his influences, Byrd told Guitar Player, “I grew up on everything from The Raspberries to The Who to The Stones to The Yardbirds to Sam Cooke. Mix all that together, and I guess you get Ricky Byrd. I wear my influences on my sleeve. I write what I know. I just make music to make people happy… and to make me happy.”

That sentiment runs throughout NYC Made, recorded at Parcheesi Studios alongside longtime co-producer Bob Stander. The album features an impressive lineup, including keyboardist/accordionist Jeff Kazee (Asbury Jukes), fiddle player Tony Montalbo, drummers Steve Holley (Wings), Aaron Comess (Spin Doctors), and Thommy Price (Joan Jett & the Blackhearts), as well as Uptown Horns members Arno Hecht and Larry Etkin. The Ba Ba Blacksheep Singers—Stevie Van Zandt, Willie Nile, Jeff Kazee, and Marc Ribler—lend their vocals to Transistor Radio Childhood and Sweet Byrd of Youte.

Additionally, Van Zandt co-produced Transistor Radio Childhood, Stay Grateful, and Sweet Byrd of Youte with Byrd and Stander. He also plays mandolin on Anna Lee, a doo-wop-inspired track co-written with Southside Johnny Lyon, which serves as the album’s lead focus track. Credited as “Consigliere” on the album, Van Zandt’s involvement adds another layer of depth to NYC Made.

The album showcases Byrd’s diverse musical roots, weaving in influences and Easter eggs throughout. From the T. Rex/Mott the Hoople/Queen-style rock of Glamdemic Blues and the autobiographical nostalgia of Sweet Byrd of Youte (“We were young and ready, willing and able”), to the Sam & Dave gospel-soul energy of Then Along Comes You and the ’50s rock ‘n’ roll spirit of Louanne—reminiscent of Chuck Berry, Little Richard, and Jerry Lee Lewis—NYC Made is a love letter to rock’s past, present, and future. The album also features a Ziggy Stardust-inspired dream sequence in Alien and a defiant ode to rock’s resilience with RnR’s Demise (Has Been Greatly Exaggerated).

NYC Made follows Byrd’s previous albums, Clean Getaway (2015) and Sobering Times (2021), both of which reflected his journey in sobriety—now marking 38 years—and his work leading recovery music groups at treatment centers across the country.

With nearly five decades in rock ‘n’ roll, Byrd’s career began at 21 when he joined the band Susan (RCA) in 1977 after responding to a Village Voice ad. In 1981, he replaced Eric Ambel in Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, playing guitar and singing on the multi-platinum I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll and six subsequent albums before departing in 1991. Over the years, Byrd has signed with Sony Music Publishing and recorded, toured, or performed alongside legends such as Roger Daltrey, Ian Hunter, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Joe Walsh, Alice Cooper, Mavis Staples, Darlene Love, Smokey Robinson, The Beach Boys, Jimmy Page, Steve Miller, Ronnie Spector, Graham Nash, Sam Moore, Gary Clark Jr., Peter Wolf, and Stevie Wonder.

“I still get the same thrill when I hear the DJ play one of my records on the car radio,” Byrd shares. “Do you need any more than that? As long as there are young, rebellious kids banging away on guitar, bass, and drums in their garage, rock ‘n’ roll will survive in one form or another. And I’m still doing it.”

Ricky Byrd turned a childhood dream into a legendary career. NYC Made is the latest chapter in a life dedicated to rock ‘n’ roll—a genre he loves, lives, and continues to champion.