Ricky Burkhead

Ricky Burkhead is a Professor of Music and Director of Percussion Studies at the University of Mississippi. He specializes in percussion, with a focus on world percussion and American popular music. Affiliated with the Department of Music in the College of Liberal Arts, he directs ensembles such as the University of Mississippi Steel Orchestra (UMISSO), UM Salsa Band, and World Percussion Ensemble. His work includes founding UMISSO in 1995, the first world music ensemble at the university. He has been a clinician in Uruguay, Argentina, Jamaica, and across the U.S., and served as an instructor at the United States Percussion Camp of Eastern Illinois University.

Education: BME from Mississippi Valley State University (1983), MA in Performance from Eastern Illinois University (1985). He advises the Alliance of Black Orchestral Percussionists (ABOP) and was a past president of the Mississippi PAS Chapter. His collaborations include scoring films for the Ole Miss Law School’s Innocence Project and performing with ensembles like the Thacker Mountain Radio House Band and The Soul Tones.

Research interests emphasize global percussion traditions and pedagogy. He maintains a private teaching studio and has authored instructional materials for gospel, folk, and worship music. Compositions are published by JW Pepper and DevMusic, with an album, Perfect Peace, available on streaming platforms.