Victor "Vic" Ruggiero | |
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Background information | |
Birth name | Victor Ruggiero |
Also known as | Rugaroo Big Rick Bad Vic Lord Sluggo |
Origin | Bronx, New York City |
Genres | Reggae Ska Rocksteady Blues Punk |
Occupation(s) | Musician Songwriter Producer |
Years active | 1993–present |
Labels | Hellcat Records Do Tell Records Stubborn Records Moon Ska Records Special Potatoe Records Thought•Squad Unison Music Group |
Website | vicruggiero |
Victor "Vic" Ruggiero, (also known as Rugaroo, Bad Vic or Lord Sluggo) is a musician, songwriter and producer from New York City who has played in reggae, blues, ska and rocksteady bands since the early 1990s, including The Slackers, Stubborn All-Stars, SKAndalous All Stars, Crazy Baldhead and The Silencers (not to be confused with the Scottish rock band The Silencers). He has also performed with punk rock band Rancid, both live and in the studio. He has released four solo acoustic albums and continues to tour and record worldwide. Ruggiero is known primarily as a singer and organist, although he also plays piano, bass, banjo, cigar box guitar, guitar, harmonica and percussion.
Ruggiero is known for his deep distinct Bronx accent. His lyrics usually follow several themes, including the apocalypse, dark humor, political distrust, paranoia, murder, irony, romance and loneliness. His songs have ranged from narrative ballads to whimsical tunes inspired by Beat generation poets, authors and songwriters, including Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg and John Lennon.