Ricky Gardiner (born 31 August 1948, Edinburgh, Scotland) is a guitarist and composer. Gardiner joined his first band, "the Vostoks", at school in 1962. Next there were "the Kingbees" and "the System", with whom he formed Beggars Opera in 1969. Since the 1970s Gardiner has played and composed in a variety of music styles, including ambient, classical and rock. Gardiner says he suffers from electromagnetic hypersensitivity, which he believes he contracted through exposure to high levels of computer radiation and magnetic fields.