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Manband Profiles - Bob Richards
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Profiles |
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Drums and PercussionBorn June 5th 1965
Born on June 5th 1965, Bob Richards' tenure of the drumseat started in 1997 and his first live show with the band was at the Shepherds Bush Empire in London on September 13th of that year. Bizarrely his predecessor, Terry Williams, was featured on the posters advertising the gig, and Bob was; "....apprehensive, especially when I saw Terry's name on the poster. They're gonna hate me!" Well of course they didn't and despite Bob's trepidation he survived the experience unscathed; "Deke and Martin gave me nods in the right places and I enjoyed it." He wasn't the only one. Joan Gonząles Duarte had travelled to London from Barcelona especially for the show. "The surprise of that night was the replacement of Terry Williams by Bob Richards. That was Bob's first gig with Man. I travelled from Barcelona to London all alone just to see Man with Terry in concert. Terry was (and he still is) the connection between Dire Straits and Man for me. I had seen Dire Straits live but I hadn't been in a Man concert yet. I only had seen Terry live with the Straits in 1985 and wanted to know how was his drumming twelve years after with his all life band. When I saw Bob behind the drumkit I wanted to die!! Who was that young man? Did Terry rejuvenate? Where was Terry? Mummy! I wanted Terry!! Bob became an intruder, an impostor... Well, at first. Then, after I have listened and even talked to him I must recognize he is a great drummer too. To be a drummer is like to be a painter. Every one has his own and unmistakable style." As you may have gathered, Joan is also a drummer with his own band Mama Set. Originally from Abertillery, Bob started playing drums at an early age. He recalls, "I remember when I was three years old my parents bought me a drum kit from a catalogue, one of the toy ones, micky mouse things. They were little plastic drums with cardboard heads and a spring-loaded bass drum pedal. I distinctly remember putting my foot through the bass drum."
Although his first kit didn't survive for long, it seemed the die had already been cast. In the 1950's, Bob's grandfather Eddie Jenkins had been the leader of a local dance band, Eddie Jenkins and his Rhythm Boys. Eddie was himself a drummer and would play a significant role in his young grandson's future career. Bob's parents also continued to encourage his interest in music. "My mother loves jazz and big band stuff, " Bob says, "and she always wished she could play. My father he loves all kinds of music, he loves everything, but he doesn't play. I was the only one. My mother, my sister and I all had piano lessons, but I decided it's not for me, I'm a drummer. I wish I had kept it up because I think it's a beautiful instrument."
"Eddie's father was a wonderful piano player, his brother played guitar, his cousin Gordon Jenkins played the vibraphone very well. I think he went to Canada a long time ago. My great aunt could play the piano, and her son was a bass and keyboards player, so it was in the family. In fact my grandfather's grandfather won the bard's chair in the Eisteddfod, a big thing in Wales. My grandfather's great uncle, Eynon Evans, acted in the films, Battle Of The River Plate, and Tiger Bay. He wrote and starred in a Welsh radio show called Welsh Rarebit in the forties or fifties. It was all in his side of the family, all the music and talent came from there. I'm just a mere drummer!" In 1970, when Bob was five years old, grandfather Eddie bought a new kit from Premier, travelling all the way to Leicester to collect it. His old white Ajax drum-kit was passed on to Bob, who then spent, "A couple of years practicing in my bedroom playing along to Sweet and Deep Purple records, 'Hellraiser' and 'Ballroom Blitz' and all that kind of stuff. 'Black Night' was another one. My mother bought that in 1970 when it first came out. When I discovered it I thought "What the hell is this?" It was so dark and fast, certainly different to anything that I was used to. I did a lot of that, playing to records, and what I did basically was try and copy these guys and play what they were playing."
Bob practiced hard, and eventually some successes began to come his way. Aged seven he took part in the Eisteddfod. "I remember taking that kit into the infants school to practice." he says. "One of the teachers, Jack Wells, was playing the piano, and one of the songs we played was 'Shoeshine Boy', I had the brushes on it. I could hardly play at the time, and we won first prize as well!" Eddie continued to help develop Bob's emerging talent, demonstrating basic techniques and offering advice. "He'd been a big band drummer while he was in the Royal Air Force, so his style was totally different to what I grew up with." says Bob. "I remember him first showing me a double stroke roll." The drum coaching would continue for many years. "I really started to learn the different patterns when I was about eight or nine," he remembers, "and my grandfather started taking me down to the Oak Street club in Abertillery." Eddie would find a place for Bob to sit so that the youngster could watch and learn as he and his organist would provide the music for the local dances. Before too long Eddie decided it was time that his grandson played a more active role, and suggested that Bob sit in for a little while. "Of course I was petrified," says Bob. "I could hardly see above that little Premier kit, but that's how I learnt all the dance rhythms; foxtrots, waltzes, tangos, rumbas, quicksteps." Regulars at the club would swear they couldn't tell the difference between the two drummers, and before long Bob had his own hour long slot every Wednesday night. Bob's first public appearance in his own right came in 1974 at a children's christmas party at the club just down the street from his Oak Street home. Grandfather Eddie decided he had played well enough to perform in front of adults, but the nine year old natural needed some time to overcome his shyness and it wasn't until the halloween party in 1975 that he took the plunge. Once he'd got his feet wet there was no stopping young Bob, who became a frequent performer at the club dances, "I used to like playing the faster stuff. One of my favourites was the theme music for Hawaii five-oh. I thought it was great."
The talented youngster was soon something of a local celebrity, and in a 1975 interview with the Weekly News his approach to learning was described "To learn the different rhythms, which he is now a master of, Bobby sits down with a record and listens to it carefully."Then I think for a bit," he says. "After that I sit at the drums and try the pieces. I can't play the samba, I just can't get it right," he says." The reporter recommended that Bob learn the samba as it might one day come in handy, and also warned Ringo Starr to get back to his practice stool in case the Abertillery lad put him out of a job. "I like fast music better than slow music," Bob was quoted as saying. "Because on the fast pieces I can do a lot more drumming." Nowadays an older and wiser Bob Richards is a little more reflective. "That's just the child in me really, but I remember that interview. I was terrified. I was at my nan's house when they told the reporter was coming up. I said "No, I don't want to see him," and I ran out of the back door. I was shaking, because I'd never experienced this before. I was nine years old. When it came out in the papers a week later, the kids were bringing it into school. I thought, "What's this, I can't deal with this kind of thing." That was 1975. At the time I enjoyed the faster stuff because I could go beserk, and I thought like that. Up until I was eighteen I was still beserk on the fast stuff. When I look back now to when I was eighteen I think, "Whoa; too much Robert, calm it down a bit. As you develop you learn to play for the song instead of for yourself."
As well as his regular Wednesday night sessions in the Oak Street Club, Bob started to perform in other venues around the Abertillery area. The rugby club became a familiar stamping ground. He explains, "Because my grandfather at the time played in nearly all the clubs around, now and again deps would come up. He would know all of the other drummers and obviously they knew of me because of all the stuff in the paper and being Eddie's grandson." Bob wouldn't have any idea what he might be expected to play when he turned up on the night. Preparation was usually short and to the point. A dressing room meeting with the name act would sort out which songs were known and which weren't, and a quick run through with the organist would give Bob some clues as to what might be needed."It was busking really, you'd feel it, live on the edge. I'd play for about forty-five minutes, take a break, and then do another forty-five minutes later on. We'd have guitar players, singers, duos, all kinds. I did that for years. Then I moved up to the Glasgow House club, three nights a week at twelve, full time. Again there were guest artists in there every Sunday night, and I played five years in there, learning my craft all the way through school. It was all experience." In 1980 Bob's horizons would take on a broader aspect. "I saw Rainbow at the Sophia Gardens at my first rock gig, and thought, 'That man looks really cool' I liked Cozy's power and attitude." His first rock band was formed at around the same time. "There were some friends of mine who played guitar, they'd come up to my house, bringing their guitars and amps. I'd got the little white kit my grandfather gave me in my bedroom and we'd just jam along to some AC/DC. We did that for a while and then we got a couple of other guys from school and formed a band. We never did play a gig, we'd just rehearse some Whitesnake, Sabbath and Rainbow and play together." A few years later Bob was able to meet Cozy Powell, at the Newport Centre in 1992 when Bob was able not just to meet his hero but also take his seat behind the famous kit for a short while.
Another of Bob's long-time heroes is Deep Purple's drummer Ian Paice. "I like Ian Paice's flair," says Bob. "His snare work and finesse." In 1998 Bob attended a drum clinic in Bournemouth at which Ian Paice played a few solos and answered a battery of questions for a couple of hours. Then Bob let him go and meet some of the other three hundred and fifty people who had turned up.
Back in Abertillery, in 1983 things were getting more serious, "My first real band came about because there was a competition in Ebbw Vale, a rock and pop competition. Somebody said "Let's form a band. I know a guitarist and a singer who've worked together before." They were two years older than me, and they had original songs, everything. I was thinking, "Wow, original songs! I'm really stepping up a gear now." So we rehearsed these songs and played in the competition a couple of weeks later. We came third. I was so excited to be in a proper band. We played a handful of gigs around the area, and then things fell apart." The music bug though had already bitten him. In 1985 after chasing down a Melody Maker advert Bob joined the Salisbury based Shogun, formed by singer Alan Marsh, ex of Tokyo Blade. He auditioned, first by tape and later in person, and got the job. It was a harder life than might be imagined, rehearsing six hours a day every day. Bob would practice with the band for a week, sleeping on a mattress and eating out of a saucepan, and then return home and practice on his own for a week. Shogun never toured, but the album they recorded has since seen a CD release, being described by Classic rock magazine as "a competent rerun of Def Leppard's Pyromania". Despite his extensive involvement, Bob isn't listed as a band member, and only gets a brief thank you for 'Drums on Shogun'. You may be able to track it down, on the Zoom Club label, catalogue number ZCRCD14 After his involvement with Shogun had ended Bob began to help out occasionally at local venues, setting up the drums for visiting bands and gradually making contacts. "I met all these new friends," he says. "I got to know loads of other bands, people that I'm still in touch with now." In a TWC interview Bob later summed up the experience, "Although I was humping gear and setting up it was the next best thing to playing!"
The contacts he made proved to be very useful and he was eventually able to link up with ex (and now current) Iron Maiden guitarist Adrian Smith. "Andy Barnett, The guitarist in FM, who'd played with Adrian in the past recommended me to him. Adrian rang my house one day when I was up at a friend's house. My mother rang up to tell me that "Some bloke called Adrian Smith just rang for you, do you know who he is?" I said, "Do I know who he is? He's a guitarist in Iron Maiden." I couldn't really believe it was true." But it certainly was. Bob joined the lineup of Adrian Smith, guitarist Huey Lucas and bassist Gary Liederman, and the band played a series of gigs around the country. They completed about an album's worth of recording, and also shot a promotional video. Bob reflects, "I loved the music because it was right up my street. It was like early Whitesnake, blues, good and solid. When we played as a band we used to perform 'Wasted Years', and 'Can I Play With Madness', which were two of the songs he did with Maiden. They were top five hits, and the people down at the front would just go bananas."
Bob's career then continued to develop around his local roots. "After leaving Adrian's band I carried on with my own band called The Wild Family, friends of mine from around the area. John Hayward was the singer, brothers Andy and Russell Protheroe played guitar, and Jeff Williams played bass." Through Bob's contacts with the Adrian Smith band, The Wild Family managed to get an independent album deal, playing a showcase gig in Newport to secure the arrangement. They shot a video, recorded an album, and toured Europe with Gun, including two weeks across Germany. They played a British tour, played support slots for Little Angels and Jellyfish, and supported Status Quo in Cwmbran Stadium. A Saturday afternoon session was played live for Johnny Walker's show on BBC Radio One, and later that night the band performed at the Marquee. There were local radio appearances and press articles, everything looked to be heading in the right direction, but in the event the promising start remained unfulfilled. The Wild Family album 'Naked Invention' was recorded under the guidance of producer Mark Dearnley, but was never released. A single, 'Sadly Lookalike' did get out, but wasn't supported by the record label effectively. A second single 'Looking For A Friend' like the album also failed to find a release. The band just died. As Bob comments, "This is the worst business in the world - but if you can crack it, it's the best!" Late in 1996 Bob met up with Jeff Davies who introduced him to Rockfield Studios owner Kingsley Ward. Kingsley put Bob in touch with John David and his songwriting son Ben, forming a fruitful working partnership. "To date," says Bob, "I've probably done about thirty tracks with Ben, at Rockfield and Monnow Valley, with his father engineering. John's written songs himself for Status Quo, Cliff Richard, Phil Everly and many others. He's really good with vocals as well. He used to be the bass player in Dave Edmunds' band." Bob's sessions in Rockfield turned out to have significant repercussions. In the early summer of 1997 recording engineer and producer Dave Charles rang him to ask, "Man are looking for a drummer to do an album and a tour, are you interested?" Bob replied, "Well I'm not doing anything really, who's this Martin? I've got to ring this Martin fella. Alright then. Roger Hoodless sent me a live tape to give me some idea of the music. I'd never heard this stuff before in my life. When 'Many Are Called' came on I thought 'What's this?' I couldn't get my head round it. But I thought it's good, go down and have a go." He continues, "I rang this Martin fella up, and just as Martin is he said "Oh, I'll ring you next week because we've got a couple of guys to see." Three weeks later I rang him up and said, "Look Martin, what's happening? I'm hanging on you know." "Right," said Martin, "Come down at the weekend." "So I went down and auditioned. Afterwards the boys seemed happy. I remember Martin leaning up against the radiator, he said "Fine by me", Micky went "Fine by me", Deke went "Fine by me," and that was it. I said "When's the gig then Martin?" He said "Oh we've got one in London, we've got six weeks for you to learn the set." So there was panic, panic, panic. I mean there were all these songs. I was only used to playing for forty-five minutes, an hour maximum, and now this was a two and a half hour long set. I asked "Where's the first gig then Martin?" "Oh, in London somewhere, in Shepherds Bush" "What is it?" "The Empire" "The WHAT?" "The Empire" "THE EMPIRE!" You know, it was a big, big gig. So I rehearsed, we rehearsed, the best we could. I remember driving up to the gig and seeing the posters outside with Terry's picture on and I thought 'Oh no, they don't even know.' I was petrified. Martin just said, "Don't worry about it." Deke walked out on stage first, and then we all followed. I looked at some of the crowd in the front and they just looked back as if to say "Who the hell are you then?" "I was nervous because I still didn't really know the songs, not like I know them now. I had loads of sheets on the drum riser with notes on. Every now and then the lights would go dark, and I'd look at Martin and signal 'Give me the nod, give me the nod!' It worked well, but looking back on that first gig now, there are certain parts of the songs, maybe C'mon or Ride And The View, where Micky might do something, and I'm just playing straight through. Now, I know what he's doing, how he thinks, I can follow him and accentuate it. I know the songs now. I know their style now, and it's not as alien as it seemed to me a couple of years ago."
A few days after his debut with Man, Bob was off to Germany to appear at a progressive rock festival playing an acoustic set with supergroup Asia. On this occasion Asia were John Payne on bass and vocals, Geoff Downes on keyboards and vocals with guests Aziz Ibrahim (from the Stone Roses) on guitar, and Bob on percussion. Bob takes up the story. "Two congas and a tambourine that was! I'd met Geoff Downes and John Payne a while ago when I was visiting friends who were working in Loco Studios, which is owned by Asia. One thing that struck me when I walked through the door, was that there were all these gold and platinum discs everywhere." "The festival came up in September 1997. We flew out to Germany for the weekend. Saga headlined on the Saturday night and we headlined on the Sunday night. We had a brilliant weekend. To be on the stage and playing those songs; 'In The Heat Of The Moment' and 'Only Time Will Tell'. Then Geoff did his piano solo, and he played 'Video Killed The Radio Star' from his time with The Buggles. I couldn't believe I was here, playing this with this guy. It was the same playing Iron Maiden songs with Adrian. Sometimes you just have to slap yourself." The Asia show was videoed, and the soundtrack is now available through Voiceprint on the Resurgance label. Titled 'Asia, Live Acoustic' the catalogue number is LV108CD.
Soon though it was on the road with Man again. Since those first few shows where he was finding his way into the Manband's repertoire, a scan through most reviews of concerts since Autumn 1997 will soon illustrate how much the fans have taken to him. Richly deserved, not just for his superb percussive skills, but also for the simple fact of him being such a thoroughly nice man, who always makes time to stop and chat with the band's admirers. On the '1998 At The Star Club' CD his contribution was a powerhouse performance captured at the end of a gruelling tour. The rest of the group were also on top form, and Bob was able to show just how much he had mastered the material in the few short months since joining. That Richards Kit
"It's made by Pearl, I've had it now nearly twelve years. The set-up I used in Cardiff in April 2000 was the two 22"x16" bass-drums, two tom-toms in the middle which are a 12"x10" and a 13"x11". The two floor toms are exactly the same, 16"x16" which I tune differently. I have a Pearl 6.5"x14" free-floating brass snare drum which is fantastic."
"The cymbals I use are Paiste, and I've got an endorsement with them since the Adrian Smith days. At the first gig in Hamburg, they sent a rep out from the German factory. His name was Jorg Kohlmorgen and I deal with him now."
"Paiste cymbals have always looked beautiful, and they were always loud and cutting. They were the first company to invent the Rock cymbal, which was made from the particular alloy that evolved into the 2002 series. They used to be called the Giant Beat. John Bonham used them, Ian Paice, Cozy Powell, the Giant Beats. So many people have remarked about them in the studios, "Oh they sound good, they're loud, they take your head off." One guy even calls them 'The Cymbals Of Death', and I love that! I even told the Paiste guy in Germany." "Deke hates cymbals, and I've got loads and loads as Deke will tell you. They're mostly 2002 series. The ride cymbal is a 22", and there are two 20" crashes, a crash and a powercrash. Then a 20" Novo china-type, then up higher to the right is an 18" crash. Back over to my left, there's the 20" crash I mentioned earlier, further left there's an 18" 2000 series thin crash. Higher up to the left of that again is an 18" powercrash." "The hi-hats I use vary, depending on what mood I'm in. Sometimes they're 14" heavies, or 15" sound-edge. On the sound-edge, the cymbal is serrated, to let the air out when the cymbals come together. On a normal cymbal it doesn't come out and sometime you get a choke, which muffles the sound. There's an 8" splash, and I also have an 8" bell cymbal which is really thick, and gives a 'ting' sound which lasts for hours. That one was signed for me by Ian Paice and I don't play that one anymore. I have the gong, and some other china-type cymbals, but that's what I use in the normal set-up."
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