13 September 2017 - RICK SPRINGFIELD

RICK SPRINGFIELD

G'day folks,

Richard Lewis Springthorpe is an Australian singer, instrumentalist, songwriter, actor and author, known by his stage name Rick Springfield.

Rick Springfield became a teen heartthrob in the 1980s with his hit song "Jessie's Girl" and his stint as a handsome doctor on General Hospital.

Synopsis

Rick Springfield was born on August 23, 1949, began playing in bands in his native Australia at an early age. The success of his solo debut brought him to Los Angeles, where he acted in television roles and tried to make it big in music. While playing a handsome doctor on General Hospital, he also released an album that included the hit "Jesse's Girl." Since then, he's released several more albums and written two books.

Early Years

Born Richard Lewis Springthorpe, on August 23, 1949, in Sydney, Australia, Rick Springfield is the son of an Australian army officer. Springfield frequently moved throughout his childhood, living in both Australia and England. While in high school, he developed an affinity for music, began playing the guitar and formed a band called the Jordy Boys. He went on to perform with the groups Rock House and Zoot before launching a solo singing career with the 1971 Australian hit "Speak to the Sky."

The Move to America

After an auspicious solo debut in Australia, Springfield was signed by the American-based label Capitol Records. In 1972, he moved to Los Angeles and released the album Beginnings. Featuring many of his previous Australian hits, including a new version of "Speak to the Sky," the album fared well on the charts. But to Springfield's dismay, critics immediately labeled him the next teen pop idol. In 1973, in an attempt to shed his bubblegum image, Springfield moved to Columbia Records, where he recorded the disappointing LP Comic Book Heroes.

General Hospital and Jesse's Girl

In the mid-1970s, Springfield temporarily shelved his music career and concentrated on acting, appearing on several popular television programs like The Rockford Files, Wonder Woman, The Incredible Hulk and The Six-Million Dollar Man.

In 1980, he managed to secure a recording contract with RCA, and while recording with the label, Springfield was cast as the dashing Dr. Noah Drake on the popular daytime drama General Hospital. As his popularity skyrocketed among soap opera fans, Springfield released the album Working Class Dogs, which yielded the now-classic singles "I've Done Everything For You" and "Jessie's Girl." The latter song earned him a Grammy Award and became known as an anthem of the 1980s—a time when his feathered hair, tightly suited body and boyish face became hallmarks of the era.

Springfield recorded the well-received albums Success Hasn't Spoiled Me Yet (1982) and Living in Oz (1983) before making his cinematic debut in the romantic drama Hard to Hold (1984). While his female fans flocked to theaters, the film received lukewarm reviews from most critics.

 Later Work

 

Throughout the 1990s, Springfield's work mainly consisted of made-for-TV movies, including Dead Reckoning (1990), Silent Motive (1991), A Change of Place (1994) and Dying to Dance (1999). Later that year, he released his first new album in over a decade, Karma, which received generally positive reviews.

In 2010, Springfield saw the publication of his autobiography, Late, Late at Night, and his first work of fiction, Magnificent Vibration was published in 2014. Both books made it onto the New York Times bestseller list, and Late, Late at Night was named by Rolling Stone one of the top 25 rock memoirs of all-time.

For his decades of output and enduring popularity, Springfield received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in May 2014. Later in 2014, Springfield landed a role on the dark HBO drama True Detective, setting the actor up for yet another re-emergence.

 Clancy's comment: Another Aussie who has done well.

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