Rick Westwood
Rick Westwood | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Birth name | Richard Westwood |
Also known as | Rick West |
Born | London, England, UK | 7 May 1943
Occupation(s) | Musician |
Instrument(s) | Guitar, vocals |
Years active | 1950s–2012, 2019 |
Formerly of | The Tremeloes, the Nashville Teens |
Richard "Rick" Westwood (born 7 May 1943), also known as Rick West or Ricky West,[1] is a British retired musician, known for being a member of the Tremeloes from 1962 to 2012.
Early life
Richard Westwood was born in Dagenham, East London in 1943. Westwood first learned how to play guitar at age nine, and got his first electric guitar at age 12 after seeing guitarist Bert Weedon play live.[2][1]
He was in "Joe and the Teens"[3] and "Tony Rivers & the Castaways" before he joined the Tremeloes.[1]
Career
Westwood joined
They initially found success in the
After Poole's departure in 1966, the band achieved further success as a four-piece with 13 top 40 hits on the
Westwood was applauded for his falsetto vocals on the Tremeloes' hit song "Silence Is Golden", however in the mid 1970s, Westwood started having troubles hearing, and briefly left the band to recover, replaced by Bob Benham during this time. Once he came back, he was unable to sing properly, including being completely unable to sing falsetto.[8]
During 1977–1979, he played piano for the Nashville Teens, leaving to rejoin the Tremeloes as they reformed.[9]
Westwood served as Tremeloes guitarist until 2012, when he announced his retirement after 54 years.[2] His last concert was in Guildford on 1 November. The performance was a part of the “Sensational 60s Experience” tour. An exact reason for Westwood's retirement isn't clear, but his long history of hearing problems is suspected to be the reason.[8] Westwood returned to the band with Hawkes for a small tour in 2019.
Jimmy Page of the Yardbirds and Led Zeppelin once noted Westwood as “one of the world’s best guitarists.”[2]
Allegations
In December 2015, it was reported that Westwood and Tremeloes member
In July 2016, it was reported that both parties had been acquitted after their accuser failed to enter evidence.[13]
Discography
(See The Tremeloes discography)
References
- ^ a b c "Rick West Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More". AllMusic. Retrieved 2024-02-10.
- ^ a b c "Last chance to see original Tremeloes guitarist | Sussexworld". 31 October 2012.
- ^ "Rick Westwood – Hofner Guitar User". www.vintagehofner.co.uk. Retrieved 2024-02-10.
- ^ "Gary James' Interview With Dave Munden Of The Tremeloes". www.classicbands.com. Retrieved 2024-01-21.
- ^ a b "TREMELOES songs and albums". Official Charts.
- ^ "The Irish Charts – All there is to know". irishcharts.ie. Retrieved 2024-01-21.
- ^ Pingitore, Silvia (28 September 2021). "The band chosen over The Beatles in 1962: The Tremeloes' interview with Len "Chip" Hawkes". the-shortlisted.co.uk. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
- ^ a b "The Hollies and the Tremeloes | Elevated Observations". elevatedobservations.proboards.com. Retrieved 2024-02-10.
- ^ "07 FAMILY TREE". 2023-12-07. Archived from the original on 2023-12-07. Retrieved 2024-02-17.
- ^ Barrett, Frances (2015-12-02). "Two former members of 1960s band The Tremeloes deny historic indecent assault". SurreyLive. Retrieved 2023-07-25.
- ^ "60s band stars deny carrying out Chester sex assault". Chester and District Standard. 2015-12-02. Retrieved 2023-07-25.
- ^ "Tremeloes stars acquitted of indecently assaulting 15-year-old girl". The Independent. 2016-07-22. Retrieved 2023-07-25.
- ^ "Ex-Tremeloes Leonard Hawkes and Richard Westwood acquitted of assault". BBC News. 2016-07-22. Retrieved 2023-07-25.
External links
- Rick Westwood discography at MusicBrainz