Richard Souther
Encyclopedia
Richard Douglas Trowbridge Souther is a composer, producer, arranger, sound design
er and multi-keyboardist who has built a strong reputation as a top contemporary solo instrumentalist for over twenty years. He has created numerous best-selling albums in the New Age, Smooth Jazz
and the Classical/Crossover markets as well as recordings of Contemporary Christian music
.
Richard was a child prodigy
who began studying classical piano at three with then retired Professor Thomas Giles (Dean Of The Music Department/University Of Utah) until he was twelve. He went on to study with the Russian piano teacher Max Willerson and concert pianist
Reid Nibley. "During that time, I realized I didn't really enjoy playing other people's music exactly as written and wanted to explore the world of jazz improvisation... and Surf Music!"
While attending middle school
during the Sixties in Los Angeles, Souther began playing keyboards in LA rock band
s on the Sunset Strip and developed a love for a wide variety of different types of music. By the early Seventies he was becoming an in-demand session musician
who played with numerous artists like Geronimo Black
, Feather, Barry McGuire
, Richie Furay
, Pat
and Debbie Boone
, and Denice Williams. Souther also began developing his talents as a touring performer playing multi-keyboards as a member of a band called David
supporting the 2nd Chapter of Acts
and guitarist Phil Keaggy
.
In 1981, a near fatal bout with botulism
abruptly sidetracked Richard's musical career. During the four years it took him to recover, to the point where he could resume a somewhat normal life again, he acquired and mastered a new technology for that time period, using electronic music
synthesizers and early computers linked together to create an electronic orchestral palette to compose with. Playing into the computer one note at a time and in spite of the chronic pain, Souther began creating his original and unique blend of instrumental music
.
During the mid Eighties a new instrumental label, Meadowlark Records, signed him for his first solo albums, the electronic Heirborne and Innermission. The label also wanted to release his solo, acoustic piano recordings. To reduce confusion about dissimilar projects in the marketplace, the albums...Songs Unspoken and Second Story, were issued under his middle names Douglas Trowbridge. Souther left the Meadowlark label and signed with MCA's Narada Label, releasing two mainstream New Age and World Music
projects for them. Cross Currents, a light jazz ensemble project, featuring the talents of Alex Acuna
, Abraham Laboriel
, Chester Thompson
and Kirk Whalum
, released in 1989. Following up Richard co-produced Twelve Tribes, an exploration of African and Brazilian music
, with sound designer Eric Persing in 1990. Both albums received considerable airplay on the New Adult Contemporary (NAC) radio station
s in the U.S. and continue to worldwide. Richard returned to the CCM market when he produced Vision Of The Valley for Don Francisco and won a Dove Award
for producing the Twila Paris
Sanctuary album.
In 1994 Richard received world wide recognition for his groundbreaking album Vision: The Music Of Hildegard von Bingen
, which won the Billboard Classical/Crossover album of the year award. He then followed it up with Illumination: The Music Of Hildegard von Bingen "The Fire Of The Spirit" for Sony Classical
.
In 2000 Richard began exploring the world of Electronica Music with the release of A Blip On The Screen, followed up by Radio Flyer and the new A Small Glitch In Time written using the pseudonym Under The Radar.
His music has been used in numerous films, TV and commercials around the world by companies like Mercedes Benz
, CBS Winter Olympics
, PBS (Sesame Street
) A&E, CNN, NBC Dateline: Secrets behind 'The Da Vinci Code', Renault, Fuji Film, Delta Air Lines
, Ford Motor Company
, VH-1, MTV, The Bose Corporation
, The Jim Henson Company
and most recently in the 2004 HBO Golden Globe winning film Iron Jawed Angels
. He has recently finished the score to a new independent film
documentary: VISUAL FUTURIST: THE ART AND LIFE OF SYD MEAD chronicling the life of the famed artist/designer. The DVD is now available at www.sydmead.com.
Souther's most recent albums are The Prayer Closet Volumes 1 and 2, released in 2011.
Sound design
Sound design is the process of specifying, acquiring, manipulating or generating audio elements. It is employed in a variety of disciplines including filmmaking, television production, theatre, sound recording and reproduction, live performance, sound art, post-production and video game software...
er and multi-keyboardist who has built a strong reputation as a top contemporary solo instrumentalist for over twenty years. He has created numerous best-selling albums in the New Age, Smooth Jazz
Smooth jazz
Smooth jazz is a genre of music that grew out of jazz fusion and is influenced by R&B, funk, rock, and pop music styles ....
and the Classical/Crossover markets as well as recordings of Contemporary Christian music
Contemporary Christian music
Contemporary Christian music is a genre of modern popular music which is lyrically focused on matters concerned with the Christian faith...
.
Richard was a child prodigy
Child prodigy
A child prodigy is someone who, at an early age, masters one or more skills far beyond his or her level of maturity. One criterion for classifying prodigies is: a prodigy is a child, typically younger than 18 years old, who is performing at the level of a highly trained adult in a very demanding...
who began studying classical piano at three with then retired Professor Thomas Giles (Dean Of The Music Department/University Of Utah) until he was twelve. He went on to study with the Russian piano teacher Max Willerson and concert pianist
Pianist
A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
Reid Nibley. "During that time, I realized I didn't really enjoy playing other people's music exactly as written and wanted to explore the world of jazz improvisation... and Surf Music!"
While attending middle school
Middle school
Middle School and Junior High School are levels of schooling between elementary and high schools. Most school systems use one term or the other, not both. The terms are not interchangeable...
during the Sixties in Los Angeles, Souther began playing keyboards in LA rock band
Rock Band
Rock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was...
s on the Sunset Strip and developed a love for a wide variety of different types of music. By the early Seventies he was becoming an in-demand session musician
Session musician
Session musicians are instrumental and vocal performers, musicians, who are available to work with others at live performances or recording sessions. Usually such musicians are not permanent members of a musical ensemble and often do not achieve fame in their own right as soloists or bandleaders...
who played with numerous artists like Geronimo Black
Geronimo Black
Geronimo Black was a short-lived hard rock band founded in 1972 by Jimmy Carl Black and named for his youngest son Geronimo. It is also the name for an album by "Geronimo Black Two", formed in 2003 by Jimmy's sons, Geronimo and James D. Black, which released a CD under their father's Inkanish...
, Feather, Barry McGuire
Barry McGuire
Barry McGuire is an American singer-songwriter best known for the hit song "Eve of Destruction", and later as a pioneering singer and songwriter of Contemporary Christian Music.-Early life:...
, Richie Furay
Richie Furay
Richie Furay is an American singer, songwriter, and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame member who is best known for forming the bands Buffalo Springfield with Stephen Stills, Neil Young, Bruce Palmer, and Dewey Martin, and Poco with Jim Messina, Rusty Young, George Grantham and Randy Meisner...
, Pat
Pat Boone
Charles Eugene "Pat" Boone is an American singer, actor and writer who has been a successful pop singer in the United States during the 1950s and early 1960s. He covered black artists' songs and sold more copies than his black counterparts...
and Debbie Boone
Debby Boone
Deborah Anne Boone is an American singer and stage actress. She is best known for her 1977 hit, "You Light Up My Life," which spent a then record ten weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and led to her winning the Grammy Award for Best New Artist the following year...
, and Denice Williams. Souther also began developing his talents as a touring performer playing multi-keyboards as a member of a band called David
A band called David
a band called David was a group of musicians who provided the instrumental support from 1974 until 1988 for the 2nd Chapter of Acts, a Contemporary Christian music group....
supporting the 2nd Chapter of Acts
2nd Chapter of Acts
The 2nd Chapter of Acts was a Jesus Music and early Contemporary Christian Music group composed of sisters Annie Herring and Nelly Greisen and brother Matthew Ward. They began performing in 1973 and enjoyed their period of greatest success during the 1970s...
and guitarist Phil Keaggy
Phil Keaggy
Phil Keaggy is an American acoustic and electric guitarist and vocalist who has released more than 50 albums and contributed to many more recordings in both the contemporary Christian music and mainstream markets...
.
In 1981, a near fatal bout with botulism
Botulism
Botulism also known as botulinus intoxication is a rare but serious paralytic illness caused by botulinum toxin which is metabolic waste produced under anaerobic conditions by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum, and affecting a wide range of mammals, birds and fish...
abruptly sidetracked Richard's musical career. During the four years it took him to recover, to the point where he could resume a somewhat normal life again, he acquired and mastered a new technology for that time period, using electronic music
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
synthesizers and early computers linked together to create an electronic orchestral palette to compose with. Playing into the computer one note at a time and in spite of the chronic pain, Souther began creating his original and unique blend of instrumental music
Instrumental
An instrumental is a musical composition or recording without lyrics or singing, although it might include some non-articulate vocal input; the music is primarily or exclusively produced by musical instruments....
.
During the mid Eighties a new instrumental label, Meadowlark Records, signed him for his first solo albums, the electronic Heirborne and Innermission. The label also wanted to release his solo, acoustic piano recordings. To reduce confusion about dissimilar projects in the marketplace, the albums...Songs Unspoken and Second Story, were issued under his middle names Douglas Trowbridge. Souther left the Meadowlark label and signed with MCA's Narada Label, releasing two mainstream New Age and World Music
World music
World music is a term with widely varying definitions, often encompassing music which is primarily identified as another genre. This is evidenced by world music definitions such as "all of the music in the world" or "somebody else's local music"...
projects for them. Cross Currents, a light jazz ensemble project, featuring the talents of Alex Acuna
Alex Acuña
Alejandro Neciosup Acuña aka Alex Acuña is a Peruvian drummer and percussionist, in the Afro-Cuban jazz style.Born in Pativilca, Peru, Acuña played in local bands from the age of ten, and moved to Lima as a teenager. At the age of eighteen he joined the band of Perez Prado, and in 1967 he moved...
, Abraham Laboriel
Abraham Laboriel
Abraham Laboriel, Sr. is a Mexican bassist of Garifuna descent who has played on over 4,000 recordings and soundtracks. Guitar Player Magazine described him as "the most widely used session bassist of our time". Laboriel is the father of drummer Abe Laboriel Jr. and of producer, songwriter, and...
, Chester Thompson
Chester Thompson
Chester Cortez Thompson is an American drummer and session musician.-Biography:Thompson made his name as a session drummer, going on to play in Frank Zappa's touring band and with Weather Report...
and Kirk Whalum
Kirk Whalum
Kirk Whalum is an American smooth jazz saxophonist and songwriter. He toured as Whitney Houston's opening act for several years. Whalum has also recorded a series of well received solo albums and film soundtracks, with music ranging from pop to R&B to smooth jazz...
, released in 1989. Following up Richard co-produced Twelve Tribes, an exploration of African and Brazilian music
Music of Brazil
The music of Brazil encompasses various regional music styles influenced by African, European and Amerindian forms. After 500 years of history, Brazilian music developed some unique and original styles such as samba, zouk-lambada, lambada, choro, bossa nova, frevo, maracatu, MPB, sertanejo,...
, with sound designer Eric Persing in 1990. Both albums received considerable airplay on the New Adult Contemporary (NAC) radio station
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
s in the U.S. and continue to worldwide. Richard returned to the CCM market when he produced Vision Of The Valley for Don Francisco and won a Dove Award
GMA Music Awards
The Gospel Music Association Dove Awards are presented annually by the Gospel Music Association for outstanding achievements in the Christian music industry. The awards are usually presented during a ceremony in Nashville, Tennessee, that features performances by a number of the industry's newest...
for producing the Twila Paris
Twila Paris
Twila Paris Wright is a Contemporary Christian Music songwriter, author, vocalist and pianist.-Musical career:Since 1980, Twila Paris has released 22 albums, amassed 33 number one Christian Radio singles, and was named the Gospel Music Association Female Vocalist of the Year three years in a row...
Sanctuary album.
In 1994 Richard received world wide recognition for his groundbreaking album Vision: The Music Of Hildegard von Bingen
Hildegard of Bingen
Blessed Hildegard of Bingen , also known as Saint Hildegard, and Sibyl of the Rhine, was a German writer, composer, philosopher, Christian mystic, Benedictine abbess, visionary, and polymath. Elected a magistra by her fellow nuns in 1136, she founded the monasteries of Rupertsberg in 1150 and...
, which won the Billboard Classical/Crossover album of the year award. He then followed it up with Illumination: The Music Of Hildegard von Bingen "The Fire Of The Spirit" for Sony Classical
Sony BMG Masterworks
Sony Masterworks is a record label. It is the result of a restructuring of Sony Music Entertainment's classical music division. Before the acquisition of Bertelsmann's shares in the former Sony BMG, the label was known as Sony BMG Masterworks....
.
In 2000 Richard began exploring the world of Electronica Music with the release of A Blip On The Screen, followed up by Radio Flyer and the new A Small Glitch In Time written using the pseudonym Under The Radar.
His music has been used in numerous films, TV and commercials around the world by companies like Mercedes Benz
Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz is a German manufacturer of automobiles, buses, coaches, and trucks. Mercedes-Benz is a division of its parent company, Daimler AG...
, CBS Winter Olympics
Winter Olympic Games
The Winter Olympic Games is a sporting event, which occurs every four years. The first celebration of the Winter Olympics was held in Chamonix, France, in 1924. The original sports were alpine and cross-country skiing, figure skating, ice hockey, Nordic combined, ski jumping and speed skating...
, PBS (Sesame Street
Sesame Street
Sesame Street has undergone significant changes in its history. According to writer Michael Davis, by the mid-1970s the show had become "an American institution". The cast and crew expanded during this time, including the hiring of women in the crew and additional minorities in the cast. The...
) A&E, CNN, NBC Dateline: Secrets behind 'The Da Vinci Code', Renault, Fuji Film, Delta Air Lines
Delta Air Lines
Delta Air Lines, Inc. is a major airline based in the United States and headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. The airline operates an extensive domestic and international network serving all continents except Antarctica. Delta and its subsidiaries operate over 4,000 flights every day...
, Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
, VH-1, MTV, The Bose Corporation
Bose (audio)
The Bose Corporation is an American privately held organization, based in Framingham, Massachusetts, that specializes in audio equipment. Founded in 1964 by Amar G. Bose, the company operates 5 plants, 151 retail stores and an automotive subsidiary at Stow, Massachusetts. With respect to sales in...
, The Jim Henson Company
The Jim Henson Company
The Jim Henson Company, an American entertainment organization, traces its origins to the founding of Muppets, Inc. in 1958 by puppeteer Jim Henson, creator of The Muppets. The Muppets helped the company gain worldwide acclaim in family entertainment for more than four decades...
and most recently in the 2004 HBO Golden Globe winning film Iron Jawed Angels
Iron Jawed Angels
Iron Jawed Angels is a 2004 American drama film. It was directed by Katja von Garnier and starred Hilary Swank, Frances O'Connor, Julia Ormond, and Anjelica Huston. It focuses on the American women's suffrage movement during the 1910s. The film received acclaim at the Sundance Film Festival...
. He has recently finished the score to a new independent film
Independent film
An independent film, or indie film, is a professional film production resulting in a feature film that is produced mostly or completely outside of the major film studio system. In addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies, independent films are also produced...
documentary: VISUAL FUTURIST: THE ART AND LIFE OF SYD MEAD chronicling the life of the famed artist/designer. The DVD is now available at www.sydmead.com.
Souther's most recent albums are The Prayer Closet Volumes 1 and 2, released in 2011.