Singles
After Rick won Billboard Magazine‘s first two international songwriting competitions (and several others), he had songs recorded and released (2) by Tower of Power lead singer, Lenny Williams; Latin sensation, Wilkins; and the first Star Search Grand Champion, Catte Adams, among others before his music career was cut short by divorce in the early 90’s. Click to see Discogs and AllMusic. He also produced his own records… space Rick wrote and produced the first album/CD for a talented Detroit singer, Barbara Payton, in 1995. Gathering some of the best musicians Canada had to offer at the time – people who played/recorded with Anne Murray, 10 Thousand Maniacs, Gordon Lightfoot, The Guess Who, Valdi, etc. – into the Ocean Record Studios in Windsor. Ontario, he recorded 10 songs he had meticulously worked on with Barbara for three years, and the result was the album, Walk on Water. Giant radio stations like Toronto’s CHUM and The MIX 99, jumped all over the title track. Barbara eventually went on to record and tour with music giants Kid Rock and Bob Seger.
Walk on Water
Lover Like You
The last recording project Rick was involved in came right after Barbara Payton’s album. A local singer walked into the Ocean Records Studio with a bag full of songs, a great voice and a strong desire to make it in the music industry. His name was Ignazio but his local stage name was Shade Stone. Rick loved everything about this talented young man and went to work with him on designing an album, rewriting/co-writing songs with him and even adding one of his own to the CD that would be called, Ignasius. There wasn’t budget for top session players so Shade’s friends were used on the sessions. Rick, Shade and all involved were very pleased with the 12 tracks that comprised his debut release. Click the audio player below to hear Rick’s solo song contribution from Ignasius.
Just Like You
If his name rings a bell you probably heard him all over Canadian radio in the mid 1980’s with his top 3 and top 5 country hits. After his successful launch in his own country, Jules traveled south to Nashville to establish his career in Music City. He enlisted Rick’s help to make that happen and the duo wrote and recorded 5 songs in top studios using the “A-Team” session players of the time. Added to those tunes were two that Jules had recorded previously in Nashville and Rick’s spoken word The Legacy You Leave and you have the 2014 release of LEGACY. Click the play button below to hear Jules’ rich baritone voice in a full-length song from the album.
This is Killin’ Me Tonight
SPACE
Demos (1980’s)
Here are some of Rick’s demo recordings. Keep in mind that demos are recorded intentionally sparse so the artist’s producer can hear what their artist could do with the song. And these are anywhere from 25 – 35 years old (good thing 80’s music is making a comeback:-)! A few of the below songs were recorded and released by major artists and some never made ‘the final cut’ after being recorded, as Rick would say:-) Co-writers on some of the below songs: Larry Thompson, John Theaker, John Anessi, and Gene Davis. note: If you are a music publisher, record producer, music supervisor or recording artist and one or more of these songs interest you, contact Rick here.Vocalists: *Pete Palazollo ~Cheryl Hardy ^John Theaker +John Annesi =Rowena Villas #Bob Scott @Joan Charette
@Forgiveness
written with Larry Thompson
*Buried Alive
~Bein’ Strangers With You
~Just Pretend
+Fine Line (Billboard winner)
written with John Annesi
#Tell Him That You Love Me (Billboard winner)
written with Larry Thompson and Gene Davis
~I Just Wanna Shout About It
written with Larry Thompson
~Best Thing (the weird song)
Rick says about “Best Thing”, “This song came to me in a wild gush. I was scrambling to keep caught up with chords, melody and lyric and, as opposed to all other songs I’d ever written, I didn’t tediously re-work and re-write it, be it good or bad. Just kept it in the inspired form it was delivered through me in. Hence, the ‘weird song.'”~How in the World?
~I Want You in My Life
written with Larry Thompson
~Nobody Knows
=Someday I’ll Find Him
~The More That I Love Him
written with Larry Thompson
~The Way Back to Your Heart
^Will We Ever Be?
written with Larry Thompson
#Things Ain’t Been the Same
written with Larry Thompson