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Jonathan Richman | |
|---|---|
 Jonathan Richman in 2014 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | (1951-05-16)May 16, 1951 (age 74) Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Genres | Rock,folk,proto-punk,garage rock |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter, musician |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals,guitar,saxophone |
| Years active | 1970–present |
| Labels | |
| Formerly of | The Modern Lovers |
Jonathan Michael Richman[1] (born May 16, 1951)[2] is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. In 1970, he foundedthe Modern Lovers, an influentialproto-punk band. Since the mid-1970s, Richman has worked either solo or with low-key acoustic and electric backing. He is known for his wide-eyed,[3] unaffected, and childlike outlook, and music that, while rooted inrock and roll, is influenced by music from around the world.
Born into aJewish family inBoston,Massachusetts, and raised inNatick, Massachusetts,[4] Richman began playing music and writing his own songs in the mid-1960s. He became infatuated withthe Velvet Underground and, in 1969, he moved to New York City, lived on the couch of their manager,Steve Sesnick, worked odd jobs, and tried to break in as a professional musician. Failing at this, he returned to Boston.
When I was a teenager, I thought I would be a painter, and then sound overtook me. I made up songs because I had to. I had the need to express how I felt. And that's still how it is. It's just what I do. I do it when there's no audience, I do it when there is an audience. And, when I paint, that's how that is too.
Richman formed the Modern Lovers, aproto-punkgarage rock band, in Boston, Massachusetts. Other notable members of the group were keyboard playerJerry Harrison and drummerDavid Robinson, who later joinedTalking Heads andthe Cars, respectively.[2]
In 1972, they recorded a series of demos with producerJohn Cale (formerly of theVelvet Underground). Among these songs were the seminal "Roadrunner" and "Pablo Picasso", which were eventually released four years later in August 1976 asThe Modern Lovers, by which time the group had broken up.[2] The album was strange for its time, featuring Velvets-influenced basic three-chord rock ("Roadrunner" – based on just two chords – is an homage to "Sister Ray") at a time whenglam andprogressive rock were the norm.
Later in 1972, the group re-recorded some songs, along with other material, with producerKim Fowley. These demos were eventually released in 1981 asThe Original Modern Lovers LP. Despite playing live regularly, the Modern Lovers had a difficult time securing arecording contract. By late 1973, Richman wanted to scrap the recorded tracks and start again 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 inBermuda earlier in the year. These stymied efforts to complete a debut album led to the breakup of the original Modern Lovers in February 1974.
In 1975, Richman moved to California to record as a solosinger-songwriter with the independentBeserkley Records label. His first released recordings appeared on 1975'sBeserkley Chartbusters compilation, where he was backed by members ofEarth Quake and the Rubinoos. The four songs on the compilation also appeared on singles released by Beserkley.
In January 1976, Richman put together a new version of the Modern Lovers, which included original Modern Lovers drummerDavid Robinson, formerRubinoos bassistGreg 'Curly' Keranen and Leroy Radcliffe on guitar. The new group, now billed as Jonathan Richman and The Modern Lovers, found Richman turning away from the harder, Velvet Underground-influenced electric rock of the original Modern Lovers, toward a gentler sound mixing pop with 1950s rock and roll, and including a bigger emphasis on harmony vocals. During this period Richman recorded a mix of original songs and material by other writers, includingChuck Berry's "Back in the USA", the traditional spiritual songs "Amazing Grace" and "Angels Watching Over Me", and older pop songs like "Emaline", "Buzz, Buzz, Buzz", and "Lydia".
Richman's own songs continued to mix straightforward love themes with more whimsical themes likeMartians ("Here Come the Martian Martians"),Leprechauns ("Rockin' Rockin' Leprechauns"), theAbominable Snowman ("Abominable Snowman in the Market"), and mosquitoes ("I'm Nature's Mosquito"). Richman's 1977 recording of thechildren's music standard "The Wheels on the Bus" made explicit his interest in making music for listeners of all ages.
The albumJonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers was released in May 1976, three months before the olderThe Modern Lovers sessions were finally released. Drummer David Robinson left the group soon thereafter, due to frustration with Richman's quest for lower volume levels, and joined withRic Ocasek in forming the bandthe Cars.
After several months as a trio, Richman found a new drummer, D. Sharpe, an avant-garde jazz player on the Boston scene, who later went on to become a member of pianistCarla Bley's band.
Rock 'n' Roll with the Modern Lovers was released in 1977 and, just as this record began to climb the charts in Europe, Keranen left the group to attend college. A subsequent live album,Modern Lovers Live, was released in 1978, with Asa Brebner on bass.[2]
In the United Kingdom, Richman was recognised as a progenitor of thepunk rock scene, and several of his singles became hits. "Roadrunner" reached number 11 in theUK Singles Chart, and its follow-up, the instrumental "Egyptian Reggae", made number 5 in late 1977.[6] "Egyptian Reggae" was a version of Jamaican musicianEarl Zero'sreggae songNone Shall Escape the Judgement; Zero was credited as co-writer on Richman's later versions of the track.[7][8]
Back in Your Life was released in 1979 under the "Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers" moniker, but only about half the disc featured a backup band. The balance of the album was Richman playing solo. Following this version of The Modern Lovers' final breakup, Richman went on sabbatical for a few years, staying inAppleton, Maine, and playing at local bars inBelfast, Maine.
By 1981, Richman was recording and touring once again with various combinations of musicians under the band name Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers. The touring band was as large as five backup musicians during parts of 1981, when the group had bassist Curly Keranen once again, along with drummer Michael Guardabascio, keyboard player Ken Forfia, vocalist and guitarist Ellie Marshall, and vocalistBeth Harrington for a gig at New York'sBottom Line. This expanded Modern Lovers group would go on to record much of the music on theJonathan Sings (1983),Rockin' & Romance (1985), andIt's Time For (1986) albums.
From 1981 to 1984, Richman most often played live in a trio with Keranen and Marshall. In 1985, the group was reconfigured, and consisted of bassist Asa Brebner and drummerAndy Paley. From 1986 to 1988, most of Richman's concerts were played with guitarist Brennan Totten and drummer Johnny Avila. Signing withRounder Records in 1987, Richman recorded his final album using the "Modern Lovers" group name (Modern Lovers 88). After this, the "Modern Lovers" moniker was retired.
From 1988 to 1992, Richman performed mostly as a solo act to support his Rounder albumsJonathan Richman (1989),Jonathan Goes Country (1990), andHaving a Party with Jonathan Richman (1991). Around the time of hisI, Jonathan album (1992), he formed his performance duo with drummer Tommy Larkins (Giant Sand, Yard Trauma, Naked Prey, et al.), who would continue to play and record with Richman for more than 30 years.
In 1993, he contributed the track "Hot Nights" to the AIDS-benefit albumNo Alternative produced by theRed Hot Organization.
Always possessing an ardentcult following, Richman became better known in the 1990s thanks to a series of appearances onLate Night with Conan O'Brien. Another career boost came with theFarrelly Brothers' 1998 filmThere's Something About Mary, where Richman and Larkins served as a two-manGreek chorus, commenting on the plot while performing their music within the framed action itself. He also appeared briefly in a bar scene in a previous Farrelly Brothers film,Kingpin, and performed the song "As We Walk to Fenway Park" for their 2005 comedy,Fever Pitch.
Richman continued to release albums throughout the 1990s and 2000s, with the Spanish-language¡Jonathan, Te Vas a Emocionar! (1994), followed byYou Must Ask the Heart (1995),Surrender to Jonathan! (1996),I'm So Confused (1998),Her Mystery Not of High Heels and Eye Shadow (2001), andNot So Much to Be Loved as to Love (2004). In 1998, a live album of Modern Lovers recordings from the early 1970s was released,Live at the Long Branch & More. A live filmed performance,Take Me to the Plaza, was released onDVD in 2002.Revolution Summer, a soundtrack album to a film of the same name, was released in 2007. Finally there were two more albums:Because Her Beauty Is Raw and Wild (2008) andO Moon, Queen Of Night On Earth (2010).[9][10]
Richman's most recent albums are on theCleveland, Ohio based Blue Arrow Records: 2016'sIshkode! Ishkode!, 2018'sSA, 2021'sWant to Visit My Inner House?, and 2025'sOnly Frozen Sky Anyway.[11]
His first marriage was to Gail Clook ofVermont, in 1982, with whom he has a daughter, Jenny Rae, and stepson, Jason (Gail's son from a previous relationship). This marriage ended in divorce sometime shortly before the release ofSurrender to Jonathan! (1996).
In 2003, Richman married Nicole Montalbano ofChico, California.[12][13] She contributed backing vocals to the albumNot So Much to Be Loved as to Love (2004).
Richman also runs a business, Arcane Masonry, in Chico, making bread ovens as well as other projects.[14][15]
Richman's minimalist songwriting style has been described as whimsical and childlike.[16] He himself has stated, "I don't write, really. I just make up songs."[17]
Richman has played a variety of electric and acoustic guitars throughout his career. In promotional and concert photos from the early 1970s (such as those reproduced in the albumPrecise Modern Lovers Order), Richman is frequently seen using a white Fender Stratocaster. He later wrote a song ("Fender Stratocaster") expressing his affection for the Stratocaster design.
In the late 1970s, working with his group The Modern Lovers, Richman often played a Fender Jazzmaster. He can be seen playing this guitar in the Dutch TV programTopPop filmed on September 16, 1978.[18] A contemporaneous stage photo used on the cover of the "Egyptian Reggae"single shows Richman playing a sunburst Stratocaster.
Late-1970s studio recordings, such as theRock and Roll with the Modern Lovers album, also featured Richman playing nylon-stringed acoustic guitar. On a 1979 performance on French television, and in the cover photo ofThe Best of Jonathan Richman and The Modern Lovers, Richman plays a late-1970s Ibanez model 2453CW hollow-body electric guitar, a guitar similar in style to the Epiphone he would use extensively a decade later.[19]
In the early- and mid-1980s, working with The Modern Lovers, Richman was frequently photographed playing a Harmony Hollywood hollow-body electric guitar. This guitar is seen on the back cover of Richman'sIt's Time For album. By the late 1980s, Richman was frequently performing solo concerts using a blonde 1980s Epiphone Regent hollow-body electric guitar. He can be seen holding this guitar on the back cover of theHaving a Party with Jonathan Richman CD.
Richman was still using his Epiphone Regent on stage when he began performing as a duo with drummer Tommy Larkins in 1992. After a short stint playing other electric guitars on stage including a Gibson SG, Richman switched to exclusively playing nylon-stringed acoustic guitars (of the classical and flamenco styles) in concert. Richman has played a number of different nylon-stringed guitars since the mid-1990s.
After switching to nylon-stringed acoustic guitars, Richman initially used apick and played in a style close to that of his electric guitar playing. Eventually, he stopped using both a guitar pick and a guitar strap in concert, preferring to play only with his fingers and to move frequently between playing guitar, dancing, and playing percussion instruments.[20][21]
Richman has also been photographed playing a Fender Telecaster and other electric and acoustic guitars, and he does not consider any specific instrument to be essential to his sound. In a 2006 interview with musicianChuck Prophet, Richman said "It's not the guitar, it's the player. In fact, my most recent Flamenco guitar isn't even a real Flamenco guitar. It's not made out of the right woods. Made out of walnut. It's twangy. I bought it and I like it."[22]
During the early- and mid-1980s, Richman frequently played tenor saxophone during his concerts with The Modern Lovers. He can be heard playing the instrument on "California Desert Party", a song on hisModern Lovers 88 album. The album also shows him holding the instrument in the cover photograph.
Richman's work with the first incarnation of Modern Lovers is a major influence on punk rock. One critic called him the "Godfather of Punk".[23] On his second solo album, Brian Eno made mention of Richman's band in his lyrics, and theSex Pistols andJoan Jett were among the first artists of note tocover the song "Roadrunner" in the 1970s. A version of "Pablo Picasso" performed byBurning Sensations was included in the 1984 cult film,Repo Man.David Bowie covered "Pablo Picasso" on his albumReality.Velvet Underground founding memberJohn Cale has a version of the song on his 1975 album,Helen of Troy, and continues to include the song in his live shows.Iggy Pop has performed "Pablo Picasso" live and wrote an extra verse for it.Echo and the Bunnymen covered "She Cracked" in concert in 1984 and 1985 andSiouxsie and the Banshees have a version of the song onDownside Up.
Richman's music has set the tone for manyalternative rock bands, such asViolent Femmes,Galaxie 500,They Might Be Giants ("Roadrunner" reportedly inspiredJohn Flansburgh to become a musician),Weezer,Tullycraft,Jens Lekman,Pixies leader Black Francis akaFrank Black (who composed the tribute song "The Man Who Was Too Loud"),Brandon Flowers,Art Brut,Craig Finn ofthe Hold Steady &Lifter Puller,Mac DeMarco andNerf Herder who composed a song about him, titled "Jonathan", which appeared on the band's second albumHow To Meet Girls. British country rock bandthe Rockingbirds released the single "Jonathan, Jonathan" in tribute to Richman in 1992. The Silos also covered the Modern Lovers' "I'm Straight". Bostonska-punk bandBig D and the Kids Table also covered Richman's song "New England" for theirGypsy HillEP. A tribute album,If I Were a Richman: a Tribute to the Music of Jonathan Richman, was released byWampus Multimedia in 2001.
The Modern Lovers' song "Roadrunner" appears on thesoundtrack to the filmSchool of Rock. In the commentary, directorRichard 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. RapperM.I.A. featured the opening lyrics from "Roadrunner" in the song "Bamboo Banga" on her 2007 album,Kala.
As a producer himself, Richman and drummer Tommy Larkins producedVic Chesnutt's final albumSkitter on Take-Off in 2009 which appeared on Vapor Records. Chesnutt opened for Richman at concerts many times during his later years.
(These last 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.)[2]
US issues except where stated
