Rick Springfield
Rick Springfield | |
---|---|
Born | Richard Lewis Springthorpe 23 August 1949 Guildford, New South Wales, Australia |
Citizenship | Australia (1949–present) United States (2006–present) |
Occupations |
|
Years active | 1962–present |
Spouse |
Barbara Porter (m. 1984) |
Children | 2 |
Musical career | |
Genres | |
Instrument(s) |
|
Labels |
|
Formerly of | Zoot, The Morris Springfield Project, The Red Locusts, Sound City Players |
Website | rickspringfield |
Richard Lewis Springthorpe (born 23 August 1949), known professionally as Rick Springfield, is an Australian-American musician and actor. He was a member of the pop rock group Zoot from 1969 to 1971, then started his solo career with his debut single, "Speak to the Sky", which reached the top 10 in Australia in mid-1972. When he moved to the United States, he had a No. 1 hit with "Jessie's Girl" in 1981 in both Australia and the US, for which he received the Grammy Award for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance. He followed with four more top 10 US hits: "I've Done Everything for You", "Don't Talk to Strangers", "Affair of the Heart" and "Love Somebody". Springfield's two US top 10 albums are Working Class Dog (1981) and Success Hasn't Spoiled Me Yet (1982).
As an actor, Springfield starred in the film
Early life
Rick Springfield was born Richard Lewis Springthorpe on 23 August 1949 in Guildford,[1] a western suburb of Sydney.[2][3] He is the son of Eileen Louise (Evennett) and Norman James Springthorpe, an Australian Army career officer.[2][4] His maternal grandparents were English.[5] When he was young, he lived at the army camp with his family in Broadmeadows, Victoria, Australia. At 14, he saw the Beatles perform at Festival Hall in Melbourne.[6]
Career
Music
Springfield was 13 when he learned guitar. He joined various bands in England, where his father was stationed from 1958 to 1963, and several more after returning to Australia.[2] In 1968, he was approached by bass guitarist Pete Watson to join his group Rockhouse.[7] Later that year, Watson changed the band's name to MPD Ltd and, in October when Springfield was 19 years old, they toured South Vietnam to entertain Australian troops. Another member of MPD Ltd was Danny Finley (drummer). Upon returning to Australia, they formed Wickedy Wak.[7] They were joined by Phil Blackmore on keyboards and Dick Howard.[7] Go-Set journalist Molly Meldrum produced Wickedy Wak's single, "Billie's Bikie Boys", with Beeb Birtles of pop rock group Zoot as a backing vocalist.[8]
In September 1969, Springfield replaced Roger Hicks as lead guitarist and vocalist in Zoot, with Birtles on bass guitar and vocals, Darryl Cotton on lead vocals and guitar, and Rick Brewer on drums.[9] Upon joining Zoot, Springfield adopted the "Think Pink – Think Zoot" theme that had the band members dressed head to toe in pink satin.[8][10] The publicity gimmick brought attention to the group and attracted numerous teenage girl fans, but caused problems in establishing their credibility as serious rock musicians.[8][10] Zoot's fifth single, "Hey Pinky", was written by Springfield.[11] The group attempted to shake off their teeny-bopper image.[8][10] They followed with a hard rock cover version of The Beatles' hit "Eleanor Rigby", which peaked at No. 4 on Go-Set's Top 40 in March 1971.[12] Despite another hit single with "Freak" in April,[13] which was written by Springfield,[14] the band broke up in May.[10][15][16]
Springfield signed with
In 1973, Springfield signed to
Springfield continued to write and record and, in 1981, released his next album, Working Class Dog. The album spawned the single "Jessie's Girl", a worldwide hit which peaked at No. 1 for two weeks in the U.S. on the Hot 100 and the Australian Kent Music Report singles chart.[18][22] Springfield won the 1981 Grammy Award for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance.[23][24] Working Class Dog reached No.7 on the Billboard 200.[19] Another top 10 single from the album was the Sammy Hagar-penned "I've Done Everything for You".[9][18] He had further success with the follow-up albums Success Hasn't Spoiled Me Yet (1982) and Living in Oz (1983). Springfield was frustrated with people in interviews mistaking him for Bruce Springsteen, expressed in the track "Bruce" on the album Beautiful Feelings (1984). In 1984, Springfield starred in his own film, Hard to Hold, and recorded the majority of the material on the accompanying soundtrack. The soundtrack included a top-ten hit, "Love Somebody", as well as several moderately successful follow-up singles. However, the film itself was not successful, and the soundtrack's success, though higher than that of the film, paled in comparison to Springfield's previous albums. Nonetheless, Springfield released his next album Tao in 1985, scoring several modest hits from this release, including "State of the Heart" and "Celebrate Youth". That same year, Springfield was one of several performers who participated in the Live Aid charity concert.[25] Around this time, he took a brief hiatus from recording.
Between 1985 (After TAO) & 2020, Springfield still recorded and released nine studio albums.
Springfield returned in 2020 via a one-off featured performance in the Coheed and Cambria single "Jessie's Girl 2",[26] a sequel to the 1981 Springfield single "Jessie's Girl".
In 2021, Springfield started hosting a weekly radio show on Sirius XM's "80s on 8" Channel called 'Working Class DJ with Rick Springfield', the musician spins eight songs around a theme.[citation needed]
In 2021, Springfield joined Russell Morris and formed The Morris Springfield Project. The Morris Springfield Project released Jack Chrome and the Darkness Waltz in October 2021 which debuted at number 34 on the ARIA Charts.[27]
Acting
Springfield made his acting debut on
In addition to the roles on television and in film, Springfield also acted in musical theatre. In 1995, he was a member of the original Broadway cast of the musical
In December 2005, Springfield was asked by the General Hospital producers to return to the show in his role as Dr. Noah Drake after a 23-year absence.
Personal life
When Springfield was 17, he attempted suicide by hanging himself.[43] "I hang suspended for fifteen or twenty seconds and am just sliding into unconsciousness when the knot tying the rope to the beam somehow unravels. I'm slammed hard to the concrete floor, rather the worse for wear."[44] Springfield has been dealing with depression for several decades. "I want them to have hope ... and know that the moment will pass," Springfield said in an exclusive interview with ABC News' Paula Faris. "I'm an example of the moment passing, because I've been there a couple of times, and haven't ... for want of a better phrase, pulled the trigger."[45]
From late 1974 to early 1976, Springfield was in a romantic relationship with actress Linda Blair, beginning when she was 15 and he was 25.[44]
On 24 April 1981, his father, Norman James Springthorpe, died.
In October 1984, Springfield married his girlfriend, Barbara Porter, at his family's church in Australia.[46] They had met several years earlier when Springfield was recording Working Class Dog and she was working as the recording studio receptionist. They have two sons, Liam (born 1985) and Joshua (born 1989).[2] In 1985, when his first son was born and after the release of his Tao album, Springfield took a break from his musical career to spend more time with his family and to deal with the depression that had affected him since his adolescence.[47][48]
At a concert at the
In January 2018, Springfield stated in an interview that he contemplated suicide in 2017. "Last year I was close to it, really close to it," explained Springfield on how he considered killing himself. "When Robin Williams and Chester (Bennington) and Chris Cornell and those guys... I didn't go, 'Oh that's terrible.' I went, 'I get it.' I get being that lost and dark."[43]
He practices Transcendental Meditation.[50] Springfield is a pescetarian.[51]
Memoir
Springfield's autobiography Late, Late at Night: A Memoir (
In August 2012, Late, Late at Night was named No. 23 of "The 25 Great Rock Memoirs of All Time" by Rolling Stone.[53]
Songs referencing Springfield
In 1985, Jimmy Hart recorded the song "Eat Your Heart Out Rick Springfield", featured on The Wrestling Album.[54][55][56] The premise of the song is that the object of Hart's affection seems to idolise Springfield to the point that Hart feels rivalled by him, prompting Hart to pick up singing as well in order to compete for his girl's affection. The song makes references to "Dr Noah Drake" as well as to "Jessie's Girl". In a 2014 interview, Springfield said that although he had heard the title and was aware of the song's existence and had met with Jimmy Hart in person, he had never actually heard the song.[57]
Jonathan Coulton recorded the song "Je Suis Rick Springfield" about an American man trying to impress a French girl he just met in France by pretending to be Springfield. It was recorded in 2011 and appeared on the album Artificial Heart.[58]
Discography
- Beginnings (1972)
- Comic Book Heroes (1973)
- Mission: Magic! (1974)
- Wait for Night (1976)
- Working Class Dog (1981)
- Success Hasn't Spoiled Me Yet (1982)
- Living in Oz (1983)
- Hard to Hold (1984)
- Beautiful Feelings (1984)
- Tao (1985)
- Rock of Life (1988)
- Sahara Snow(1997)
- Karma (1999)
- Shock/Denial/Anger/Acceptance (2004)
- The Day After Yesterday (2005)
- Christmas with You(2007)
- Venus in Overdrive (2008)
- My Precious Little One: Lullabies for a New Generation (2009)
- From the Vault (2010)
- Songs for the End of the World (2012)
- Rocket Science (2016)
- The Snake King (2018)
- Orchestrating My Life (2019)
- The Red Locusts (2021)
- Jack Chrome & the Darkness Waltz (2021)
- Working Class Dog (40th Anniversary Live) (2022)
- Springfield (2023)
- Automatic (2023)
Filmography
Films
Year | Title | Role(s) | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1984 | Hard to Hold | James Roberts | |
2015 | Ricki and the Flash | Greg | |
2021 | Traces | Carl |
Television
Year | Title | Role(s) | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1977 | The Six Million Dollar Man | Niles | Episode: "Rollback" |
The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries | Ned Nickerson | Episode: "Will the Real Santa Claus...?" | |
1978 | The Rockford Files | Keith Stuart | Episode: "Dwarf in a Helium Hat" |
Battlestar Galactica | Lieutenant Zac | Episode: "Saga of a Star World" | |
The Eddie Capra Mysteries | Tommy Archer | Episode: "Murder on the Flip Side" | |
Wonder Woman | Tom | Episode: "Screaming Javelins" | |
1979 | Turnabout | Rick | Episode: "Till Dad Do Us Part" |
The Incredible Hulk | Mike Roark | Episode: "The Disciple" | |
California Fever | Adam | Episode: "Portrait of Laurie" | |
Wonder Woman | Anton | Episode "Amazon Hot Wax" | |
CHiPs | Guy at Accident Scene | Episode: "Second Chance" | |
1981–1983; 2005–2013 | General Hospital | Noah Drake | Series regular |
1989 | Nick Knight | Det. Nick Knight | Television film |
1990 | Dead Reckoning | Kyle Rath | Television film |
1992 | Human Target | Christopher Chance | Lead role |
1993 | In the Shadows, Someone's Watching | Paul Merritt | Television film |
1994 | A Change of Place | Philip | Television film |
1994–1997 | High Tide | Mick Barrett | Lead role |
1995 | Robin's Hoods | Nick Collins | Recurring role; 4 episodes |
1997 | Johnny Bravo | Andy (voice) | Episode: "Beach Blanket Bravo" |
1998 | Loyal Opposition: Terror in the White House | Senator Barklay | Television film |
Legion | Ryan | Television film | |
1999 | Suddenly Susan | Zach Hayword | 2 episodes |
Martial Law | Special Agent Stockwell | Episode: "Friendly Skies" | |
2001 | Dying to Dance | Dave Lennox | Television film |
2007–2008 | General Hospital | Eli Love | Recurring role |
2009 | Californication | Himself | 4 episodes |
2011 | Hawaii Five-0 | Renny Sinclair | Episode: "Ho'ohuli Na'au (Close to Heart)" |
2012 | Hot in Cleveland | Tom | Episode: "Everything Goes Better with Vampires" |
2014 | Drop Dead Diva | Liam Matthews | Episode: "First Date" |
Family Guy | Himself (voice) | Episode: "Chap Stewie" | |
2015 | True Detective | Dr. Irving Pitlor | 3 episodes |
2016 | Supernatural | Lucifer / Vince Vincente | 2 episodes |
2017 | American Horror Story: Cult | Pastor Charles | Episode: "Winter of Our Discontent" |
2018 | Sideswiped | Himself | Episode: "The Rock Star" |
The Goldbergs | Gary | Episode: "RAD!" | |
2020 | Duncanville | Bobby Bastille (voice) | Episode: "Jack's Pipe Dream" |
Awards and nominations
Go-Set pop poll
The Go-Set pop poll was coordinated by teen-oriented pop music paper Go-Set. The paper was established in February 1966 and conducted an annual poll from 1966 to 1972 to determine the most popular personalities.[59][60]
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|
1970 | Ricky Springfield | Best Guitarist | 2nd |
Best Composer | 5th | ||
1971 | himself | Best Guitarist | Won |
Best Songwriter/Composer | 4th | ||
1972 | himself | Best Male | 3rd |
Best Newcomer | 4th | ||
Best Songwriter/Composer | 2nd | ||
Best Album | Beginnings | 2nd | |
Best Single | "Hooky Jo" | 10th |
King of Pop Awards
The King of Pop Awards were voted by the readers of TV Week. The award started in 1967 and ran through to 1978.[59]
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|
1971 | himself | Best Lead Guitarist | Won |
1972 | himself | Most Popular Australian Musician | Won |
Grammy Awards
Year | Category | Nominated work | Result |
---|---|---|---|
1982
|
Best Rock Vocal Male Performance
|
"Jessie's Girl" | Won |
1983
|
"I Get Excited" | Nominated[61] | |
1983
|
Best Pop Vocal Performance Male
|
"Don't Talk to Strangers" | Nominated[62] |
1984
|
Best Rock Vocal Male Performance | "Affair of the Heart" | Nominated[63] |
On 9 May 2014, Springfield was honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his contributions to music.[64]
References
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- ^ Nimmervoll, Ed (3 April 1971). "National Top 60". Go-Set. Waverley Press. Archived from the original on 29 June 2011. Retrieved 21 July 2011.
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- SOAPnet
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