Ry Cooder, an LA native, is a world-famous guitarist, singer, composer, producer and writer. He is known for his slide guitar work, his interest in roots music, and, more recently, for his collaborations with traditional musicians from many countries including The Buena Vista Social Club. Cooder has composed soundtracks for more than 20 films including Paris, Texas. Two recent albums were accompanied by books of stories written by Cooder to accompany the music.