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Jonathan Richman
Jonathan Richman, Live 1983
Jonathan Richman, Live 1983
Background information
BornMay 16, 1951 (1951-05-16) (age 57)
OriginNatick, Massachusetts
Genre(s)Rock
Occupation(s)Singer, Songwriter, Guitarist
Years active1970 – present

Jonathan Richman (born 16 May 1951) is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. Events 1204 - Baldwin IX Count of Flanders is crowned as the first Emperor of the Latin Empire. Year 1951 ( MCMLI) was a Common year starting on Monday. Events of 1951 January Natick (Pronunciation ˈneɪtɪk is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. A music genre is a categorical and typological construct that identifies musical sounds as belonging to a particular category and type of music that can be distinguished from other Rock music is a genre of Popular music often though not necessarily employing Electric guitar, Bass guitar, and Drums. A songwriter is someone who writes the Lyrics to songs the Musical composition (chords or Melody to songs or both A guitarist is a Musician who plays the Guitar. Guitarists may perform solo pieces or play with ensembles and bands of a wide variety of genres Year 1970 ( MCMLXX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link shows full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1204 - Baldwin IX Count of Flanders is crowned as the first Emperor of the Latin Empire. Year 1951 ( MCMLI) was a Common year starting on Monday. Events of 1951 January The United States of America —commonly referred to as the In 1970 he founded The Modern Lovers, an influential proto-punk band, but since the mid-1970s has worked either solo or with low-key, generally acoustic backing. The Modern Lovers were an American rock band led by Jonathan Richman in the 1970s and 1980s He is known for his wide-eyed[1], unaffected (and occasionally near-childlike) lyrical outlook, and music that, while rooted in rock and roll, often draws on influences from around the world. Rock and roll (also known as rock 'n' roll) is a form of Music that evolved in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s with roots in mostly African

Contents

Biography

Born in Natick, Massachusetts, Richman began playing music and writing his own songs in the mid-1960s. Natick (Pronunciation ˈneɪtɪk is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. Richman became infatuated with the Velvet Underground, and in 1969 he moved to New York City, living on the couch of their manager, Steve Sesnick, while working odd jobs and trying to break in as a professional musician. This article is about the band For their self-titled album see The Velvet Underground (album; for the book see The Velvet Underground (book The City of New York Stephen Sesnick took over the management of The Velvet Underground following the departure of Andy Warhol after the band's first album. Failing at this, he returned to Boston.

In the Greater Boston area he formed The Modern Lovers, a proto-punk garage rock band. Greater Boston is the area of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts surrounding the city of Boston Massachusetts. The Modern Lovers were an American rock band led by Jonathan Richman in the 1970s and 1980s Other notable members of the group were keyboard player Jerry Harrison and drummer David Robinson, who later joined Talking Heads and The Cars, respectively. Jerry Harrison (born Jeremiah Griffin Harrison, 21 February 1949, in Milwaukee Wisconsin) is an American songwriter musician and producer David Robinson (born April 2, 1953 in Woburn Massachusetts) is an American rock Drummer. Talking head Talking Heads was an American New Wave band formed in 1974 in New York City and active until 1991 The Cars were an American rock band that emerged from the early New Wave music scene in the late 1970s In 1972 they recorded a series of demos with producer John Cale (formerly of Velvet Underground). John Davies Cale (born March 9, 1942) better known as John Cale, is a Welsh Musician, Composer, Singer-songwriter This article is about the band For their self-titled album see The Velvet Underground (album; for the book see The Velvet Underground (book

Among these songs were the seminal "Roadrunner" and "Pablo Picasso" which were eventually released on the group's post-breakup album, Modern Lovers (1976). " Roadrunner " is a Song written by Jonathan Richman and recorded in various versions by Richman and his band in most cases credited as The Modern Lovers " Pablo Picasso " is a song written by Jonathan Richman for Richman's Proto punk group The Modern Lovers. The album was unique for its time, featuring Velvets-influenced basic three-chord rock ("Roadrunner" - based on just two chords - is a clear homage to "Sister Ray") at a time when glam and progressive rock were the norm. " Sister Ray " is a song by The Velvet Underground that closes side two of their 1968 Avant-garde rock album White Light/White Heat Glam rock (also known as glitter rock) is a sub-genre of Rock music that developed in the UK in the post- Hippie early 1970s which was "performed by Progressive rock (often shortened to " progressive " " prog " or " prog rock " is a form of Rock music that evolved

Later in 1972 the group also recorded with producer Kim Fowley; these demos were eventually released in 1981 as The Original Modern Lovers. Kim Fowley (born July 21, 1939) is an American Record producer, Impresario, Songwriter and occasional Recording artist Despite their continued success as a live act, the Modern Lovers had a difficult time securing a record deal. By late 1973, Richman wanted to scrap the recorded tracks and start over with a mellower, more lyrical sound, influenced by the laid-back local music he had heard when the band had a residency at the Inverurie Hotel in Bermuda earlier in the year. Ba (officially The Bermuda Islands or The Somers Isles) is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. This stymied efforts to complete a debut album, and led to the breakup of the original Modern Lovers in February 1974.

In 1975, Richman moved to California to record as a solo singer/songwriter with Beserkley Records. Beserkley Records was an Independent record label based in Berkeley California from 1973 to 1984 His first released recordings appeared on 1975's Beserkley Chartbusters compilation, where he was backed by members of Earth Quake and the Rubinoos; these four songs also appeared on singles on the independent Beserkley label.

In early 1976, Richman put together a new version of the Modern Lovers, but all the members were different. The new incarnation were essentially his backing band, and were billed as Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers. The albums produced by the new group found Jonathan turning away from electric rock music towards gentler acoustic textures, with a strong rooting in 50s rock and roll (Chuck Berry's "Back in the USA" was part of his repertoire at this time), while his lyrical focus became more self-consciously childlike and naive. Charles Edward Anderson "Chuck" Berry (born October 18 1926 in St The album, Jonathan Richman and The Modern Lovers, was released in January 1977, Rock and Roll with the Modern Lovers followed a month later, and Modern Lovers Live in 1978.

In Great Britain, Richman was recognised as a progenitor of the punk rock scene, and several of his singles became hits - "Roadrunner" reached Number 11 in the UK pop charts, and its follow-up, the instrumental "Egyptian Reggae", made Number 5 in late 1977. See also Kingdom of Great Britain Great Britain (Breatainn Mhòr Prydain Fawr Breten Veur Graet Breetain is the larger of the two main islands "Egyptian Reggae" was a version of Jamaican musician Earl Zero's reggae song "None Shall Escape the Judgment"; Zero was credited as co-writer on Richman's later versions of the track. [2][3]

1979's Back in Your Life was released under the "Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers" moniker, but only about half the disc featured a backup band — the rest was solo work. This album was probably the most extreme detour by Richman into eclecticism; after the traditional acoustic rock of the previous albums, this one's solo tracks showed off a string bass and glockenspiel as main instruments. The glockenspiel ( German, "set of bells quot or "play-bells" also known as orchestra bells and in its portable

Richman went on sabbatical for a few years staying in Belfast, Maine and playing at a local diner called Barb's Place. Belfast is a city in Waldo County, Maine, in the United States. He returned in 1983 with Jonathan Sings!, followed by "Rockin' and Romance" (produced by Andy Paley and engineered by Daniel Levitin). Andy Paley is a noted record producer and musician who has been active since the late 1960's Professor Daniel J Levitin, PhD (born December 27 1957 San Francisco is an American cognitive psychologist, neuroscientist, Record producer, These were followed up with a series of pop efforts (It's Time for Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers, and Modern Lovers 88 from 1985, 1986 and 1988 respectively). After the latter release, the "Modern Lovers" moniker was finally retired, and having begun a true "solo" career, he returned to swooping madly around the musical landscape: country music with 1990's Jonathan Goes Country, and Spanish translations of his earlier work (as well as traditional Spanish songs) with Jonathan, Te Vas a Emocionar! (1993)

In 1994 a cameo in the SNL spin-off film It's Pat was left on the cutting-room floor. Country music is a blend of popular musical forms originally found in the Southern United States and the Appalachian Mountains.

Always possessing an ardent cult following, Richman has become better known in recent years thanks to a series of appearances on fan Conan O'Brien's show. A cult following is a group of fans devoted to a specific area of Pop culture. Conan Christopher O'Brien (born April 18, 1963) is an Emmy Award -winning American Television host and Comedian, best known

Another major profile boost was a key part in the Farrelly Brothers hugely successful 1998 film, There's Something About Mary, where he played half of a two-man Greek chorus that commented on the plot while performing in the framed action itself - Jonathan is shot at the end of the movie. There's Something About Mary is a 1998 Romantic comedy film, directed by the Farrelly Brothers Bobby and Peter. The Greek chorus ( choros) is believed to have grown out of the Greek Dithyrambs and Tragikon drama in tragic plays of the ancient (He also appeared (briefly!) in a bar scene in a previous Farrelly Brothers film, Kingpin. The Farrelly brothers, Peter (b December 17 1956 and Bobby (b Kingpin is a 1996 Farrelly brothers film starring Woody Harrelson, Randy Quaid, Vanessa Angel, and Bill Murray )

He has continued his release schedule all along, with You Must Ask the Heart (1995), Surrender to Jonathan (1996), I'm So Confused (1998), Her Mystery Not of High Heels and Eye Shadow (2001), and. In 1998 a live album of Modern Lovers recordings from the early 1970s was released, Live at the Long Branch & More. There is also a DVD of a live performance Take me to the Plaza (2002). DVD (also known as " Digital Versatile Disc " or " Digital Video Disc " - see Etymology)is

A tribute album, If I Were a Richman: a Tribute to the Music of Jonathan Richman, was released by Wampus Multimedia in 2001. Wampus Multimedia is an American media company founded by artist and producer Mark Doyon. In live 'solo' shows, he frequently tours with drummer Tommy Larkins, the other part of the two-man chorus mentioned above. Richman makes use of the flexibility allowed by the two-man format to keep his shows loose and spontaneous, frequently punctuating his songs with extemporaneous ruminations on life and love, on-the-spot transpositions of songs into any of five languages (English, Spanish, French, Italian and Hebrew), and unaccompanied dancing.

In 2003, Richman married Nicole Montalbano of Chico, California. [4][5]She contributed backing vocals to the album Not So Much To Be Loved As To Love (2004).

Influence

Richman's work with the first incarnation of Modern Lovers is a major influence on punk rock. Leading one critic to call him the "Godfather of Punk". [6] Artists as diverse as the Sex Pistols and Joan Jett have covered "Roadrunner". The Sex Pistols are an English Punk rock band that formed in London in 1975 Joan Jett (born September 22 1958, Wynnewood, Pennsylvania) is an American rock Guitarist, Singer Simple Minds' early work contains a track called "Pablo Picasso" with similar chorus lyrics. Simple Minds are a rock band from Scotland, who had their greatest worldwide popularity from the mid-1980s to the early 1990s A version of "Pablo Picasso" performed by Burning Sensations was included in the 1984 cult film, Repo Man. Burning Sensations was a short-lived Los Angeles area rock band David Bowie covered "Pablo Picasso" on his album Reality. David Bowie (ˈboʊiː born David Robert Jones on 8 January 1947 is an English Musician, actor producer, and arranger. Reality is an album by the British singer-songwriter David Bowie, released in 2003 Velvet Underground founder member John Cale has a version of the song on his 1975 album, Helen of Troy, and continues to include the song in his live shows. This article is about the band For their self-titled album see The Velvet Underground (album; for the book see The Velvet Underground (book John Davies Cale (born March 9, 1942) better known as John Cale, is a Welsh Musician, Composer, Singer-songwriter Helen of Troy is an Album by John Cale, the last of three albums for Island Records

Richman's music has set the tone for many quirky college rock acts like Violent Femmes, They Might Be Giants ("Roadrunner" reportedly inspired John Flansburgh to become a musician), Weezer, Tullycraft, Jens Lekman, singer Frank Black (who composed the tribute song "The Man Who Was Too Loud"), Art Brut, and Nerf Herder who composed a song about him, titled "Jonathan". College rock was a term used in the United States to describe 1980s Alternative rock before the term "alternative" came into common usage The Violent Femmes, formed in Milwaukee Wisconsin, in 1980 are an American Alternative rock band noted for laying the groundwork for Folk punk. They Might Be Giants (commonly abbreviated to TMBG) is an American Alternative rock band which began as a duo of John Flansburgh and John John Conant Flansburgh (born May 6, 1960, Lincoln, Massachusetts) is an actor and musician Weezer (ˈwizɚ is an American Alternative rock band from Los Angeles California formed in 1992 Tullycraft is an American Twee pop band that formed in 1995. The original line-up was Jeff Fell (drums Sean Tollefson (bass/vocals Jens Martin Lekman (pronounced "Yens" born February 6 1981 in Angered, Sweden) is a Swedish Indie pop Nerf Herder is a Pop punk band from Santa Barbara formed in 1994 by Parry Gripp (vocals guitar Charlie Dennis (bass and Steve Sherlock (drums It appeared on the band's second album How To Meet Girls. How To Meet Girls is the follow up to Nerf Herder 's self-titled release

"Roadrunner" is on the soundtrack of School of Rock. School of Rock is a 2003 American Comedy film from Paramount Pictures, starring Jack Black. In the commentary, director Richard Linklater mentions it is often called "the first punk song" and wanted to include it for that reason, along with all the other seminal rock songs in that film.

See also

Discography

The Modern Lovers

Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers

Jonathan Richman

JR. Live at the Blind Pig, Ann Arbor, USA
JR. The Modern Lovers were an American rock band led by Jonathan Richman in the 1970s and 1980s The Modern Lovers is the first Album recorded by the Boston-based band The Modern Lovers. Jonathan Sings! is an album by Jonathan Richman, released by the Sire Records label in 1983 Rockin' & Romance was released in 1985 as part of a two album deal for prolific songwriter Jonathan Richman with Geoff Travis' Rough Trade Label Live at the Blind Pig, Ann Arbor, USA

Compilations & live albums

(These three live albums are from the same three 1971-3 performances, but add and subtract a few different songs. The last two, combined, contain all the songs).

Singles

US issues except where stated

References

  1. ^ http://www.popmatters.com/music/concerts/r/richman-jonathan-030624.shtml Concert review
  2. ^ The Originals© by Arnold Rypens
  3. ^ Blood and Fire :: View topic - Egyptian Reggae - Jonathan Richman videoclip !
  4. ^ Descendants of Peter Montalbano - aqw03.htm
  5. ^ CN&R > Music > '2 big sets, 2 big nights' > 01.30.03
  6. ^ "Brilliant Careers: Jonathan Richman", Salon, September 4, 2001. Events 476 - Romulus Augustus, last emperor of the Western Roman Empire, is deposed when Odoacer proclaims himself Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar.

Further reading

External links

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