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Richard Lewis Springthorpe starred on General Hospital, Wonder Woman,
in a movie called Hard to Hold, and even a kid's cartoon series.
Hailing from Australia, Springfield first picked up the guitar at 13,
and formed his first band in high school (called Icy Blues). After
dropping out of high school, Springfield found himself as a member of
many different bands as the years went on. Bands with names like
Group X, MPD, Ltd., and Zoot. It was as a member of the band
Rockhouse that he changed his name to Rick Springfield.
The band Zoot, which Springfield joined up with in 1969,
was known for their pink outfits, a gimmick which brought them some
attention. Zoot did have a few hits back in the day, including the
songs "Hey Pinky", "Freak", and the Beetle's cover "Eleanor Rigby".
Soon after, Zoot broke up, and Springfield was signed to a solo record
deal. He released his first solo album in 1972, called
Beginnings, that featured the hit song "Speak to the Sky".
Another hit song to come out of Springfield's 70's career was the song
"Take a Hand", which was released on the 1976 album Wait for the
Night. Springfield quickly became a teeny-bopper idol, much
like David Cassidy or Leif Garrett. As the 70's rolled on, he
concentrated less on his music career, and more on his acting career.
In 1981, Springfield released the album
Working Class Dog, which featured the songs "Jessie's Girl" (no
1 on the charts for 2 weeks) and the Sammy Hagar cover "I've Done
Everything for You". Several more albums followed in the 1980's.
Songs you may remember include "I Get Excited", "Human Touch", and
"Don't Talk to Strangers" from 1983's Living in Oz, "Affair of
the Heart", "Bop Till You Drop", and "Love Somebody" from 1984's Hard
to Hold, and "Celebrate Life" and "State of the Heart" from 1985's
Tao. The song "Love Somebody" was released on the Hard
to Hold soundtrack, starring Springfield, in 1984.
Springfield's last album from the 1980's was Rock of Life (1988).
It would be over 10 years later before any new material was released.
Although Rick Springfield's popularity today is not what
is used to be, he was still active at the time of this writing in 2012.
The Rick Springfield Discography was as follows:1972: Beginnings
1973: Comic Book Heroes
1974: Mission Magic!
1976: Wait for Night
1981: Working Class Dog
1982: Success Hasn't Spoiled Me Yet
1983: Living in Oz
1984: Hard to Hold Soundtrack
1984: Beautiful Feelings
1985: Tao
1988: Rock of Life
1988: Greatest Hits
1996: The Best of Rick Springfield
1999: Karma
2001: The Greatest Hits Alive
2003: Platinum & Gold Collection: Rick Springfield
2004: Shock/Denial/Anger/Acceptance
2005: The Day After Yesterday
2005: Written in Rock Anthology
2006: Live in Rockford
2007: Christmas with You
2007: The Early Sound City Sessions
2008: Venus in Overdrive
2008: Playlist: The Very Best of Rick Springfield
2009: My Precious Little One: Lullabies for a New Generation
2012: Songs for the End of the World |
