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in: Artists, 1975, 1985

Jonathan Richman

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Jonathan_Richman_&_The_Modern_Lovers_-_Roadrunner_(Once)

Jonathan Richman & The Modern Lovers - Roadrunner (Once)

Jonathan Michael Richman (born May 16, 1951) is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. In 1970 he founded The Modern Lovers, an influential proto-punk band. Richman began playing music and writing his own songs in the mid-1960s. He became infatuated with The 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.

While in Boston, Richman formed The Modern Lovers, a proto-punk garage rock band. Other notable members of the group were keyboard player Jerry Harrison and drummer David Robinson, who later joined Talking Heads and the Cars (2), respectively. In 1972 they recorded a series of demos with producer John Cale (formerly of the Velvet Underground). Among these songs were the seminal "Roadrunner" and "Pablo Picasso" which were eventually released on the group's post-breakup album, The Modern Lovers (August 1976).The album was unique for its time, featuring Velvets-influenced basic three-chord rock ("Roadrunner" — based on just two chords – is a homage to "Sister Ray") at a time when glam and progressive rock were the norm.

In 1975, Richman moved to California to record as a solo singer/songwriter with Beserkley Records. His first released recordings appeared on 1975's Beserkley Chartbusters compilation ... (read more at Wikipedia.)

Links to Peel[]

Peel enjoyed Jonathan Richman's first single Roadrunner in 1976 and by the end of the year wanted to hear more from the man. Listeners of Peel's show voted the Roadrunner track at number 33 in the 1976 Festive Fifty. By the end of the 70's, when Richman's group The Modern Lovers split, Peel had lost interest in his music.

Sessions[]

  • None

Festive 50 Entries[]

Shows Played[]

1975
  • 08 December 1975: Roadrunner (Compilation LP-Beserkley Chartbusters Vol. 1) Beserkley (JP: "I'd like to hear more of Jonathan Richman. Well worth encouraging, I think.")
1976
1977
1978
  • 03 January 1978: The Morning Of Our Lives (7" - The Morning Of Our Lives / Roadrunner (Thrice)) Beserkley
1982
1984
1985
1993

See Also[]

Links[]

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