Richard and the Young Lions
Encyclopedia
Richard and the Young Lions was an American
garage rock
band from Newark, New Jersey
.
Productions, the name was changed to Richard and the Young Lions.
The core of the group consisted of Tepp (lead vocals and tambourine
); Bob Freedman (rhythm guitar
and vocals); Marc Lees (lead guitar
and vocals); Norm Cohen (drums
); Ricky Rackin (guitar
and bass guitar
); and Jerry Raff (piano
).
They were a one-hit wonder
with their song "Open Up Your Door". That song was the first ever recorded using an African hair drum and a fuzz bass. Although it reached #1 in Cleveland, Ohio
; Elyria, Ohio
and Salt Lake City, Utah
, and #2 in Seattle, Washington, Detroit, Michigan
and Vancouver
, Canada
, it peaked at #99 on the Billboard Hot 100
chart
on September 24, 1966. The corresponding Cash Box listing was at #70.
Their follow-up releases, failed to generate sufficient sales to reach the charts.
The George Harrison song "Think For Yourself" on the album "Rubber Soul" (1965) features a fuzz bass, although admittedly no hair drum.
on the band was produced in 2004, entitled Out of Our Dens: The Richard and the Young Lions Story by James Hannon
and Leon Leybs, and narrated by Pat St. John. It featured the group's history from their early days to their reunion shows in the early 2000s.
, recorded a cover version
of "Open up Your Door" (retitled "Open up Yer Door") in 1979. The Romantics
, a hit pop group from the 1980s, recorded the same song, which appeared on their album
, In Heat, and on two of their live album
s.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
garage rock
Garage rock
Garage rock is a raw form of rock and roll that was first popular in the United States and Canada from about 1963 to 1967. During the 1960s, it was not recognized as a separate music genre and had no specific name...
band from Newark, New Jersey
Newark, New Jersey
Newark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...
.
Career
The Young Lions were originally called The Emeralds before Richard Tepp joined the band. When Tepp came on board the group changed their name to The Original Kounts and then, after hooking up with Larry Brown, Ray Bloodworth and Bob CreweBob Crewe
Bob Crewe is an American songwriter, dancer, singer, manager, record producer and fine artist. He is known for producing, and co-writing with Bob Gaudio, a string of Top 10 singles for The Four Seasons...
Productions, the name was changed to Richard and the Young Lions.
The core of the group consisted of Tepp (lead vocals and tambourine
Tambourine
The tambourine or marine is a musical instrument of the percussion family consisting of a frame, often of wood or plastic, with pairs of small metal jingles, called "zils". Classically the term tambourine denotes an instrument with a drumhead, though some variants may not have a head at all....
); Bob Freedman (rhythm guitar
Rhythm guitar
Rhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
and vocals); Marc Lees (lead guitar
Lead guitar
Lead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
and vocals); Norm Cohen (drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
); Ricky Rackin (guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
and bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
); and Jerry Raff (piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
).
They were a one-hit wonder
One-hit wonder
A one-hit wonder is a person or act known mainly for only a single success. The term is most often used to describe music performers with only one hit single.-Characteristics:...
with their song "Open Up Your Door". That song was the first ever recorded using an African hair drum and a fuzz bass. Although it reached #1 in Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
; Elyria, Ohio
Elyria, Ohio
-Community:Elyria has an extensive, although financially burdened, community food pantry and "Hot Meals" program administered through the Second Harvest Food Bank and several churches Elyria is served by Elyria Memorial Hospital.-Recreation and parks:...
and Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. The name of the city is often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC. With a population of 186,440 as of the 2010 Census, the city lies in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, which has a total population of 1,124,197...
, and #2 in Seattle, Washington, Detroit, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
and Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, it peaked at #99 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
on September 24, 1966. The corresponding Cash Box listing was at #70.
Their follow-up releases, failed to generate sufficient sales to reach the charts.
The George Harrison song "Think For Yourself" on the album "Rubber Soul" (1965) features a fuzz bass, although admittedly no hair drum.
Band membership
- Current members:
The Twig
Lou Vlahakes
Fred Randall
Rick Robinson
Mike Fornatale
- Past members:
Bob Freedman
Marc Lees
Norm Cohen
Ricky Rackin
Jerry Raff
Eric Rackin
Lawrence Smith
Shelly Riff - Richard Tepp died of leukemiaLeukemiaLeukemia or leukaemia is a type of cancer of the blood or bone marrow characterized by an abnormal increase of immature white blood cells called "blasts". Leukemia is a broad term covering a spectrum of diseases...
in 2004.
Film
A documentaryDocumentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
on the band was produced in 2004, entitled Out of Our Dens: The Richard and the Young Lions Story by James Hannon
James Hannon
James Hannon was born in 1967 in Norwood, Bronx, New York. He is an Irish-American author and filmmaker who is best known for his documentary on the 1960s garage band Richard and the Young Lions called "Out of Our Dens: The Richard and the Young Lions Story"...
and Leon Leybs, and narrated by Pat St. John. It featured the group's history from their early days to their reunion shows in the early 2000s.
Cover versions
The Invaders, a punk group featuring the original singer from The SonicsThe Sonics
The Sonics are an American garage rock band from Tacoma, Washington, originating from the early and mid-1960s. Among The Sonics' contemporaries were The Kingsmen, The Wailers, The Dynamics, The Regents, and Paul Revere & the Raiders...
, recorded a cover version
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of "Open up Your Door" (retitled "Open up Yer Door") in 1979. The Romantics
The Romantics
The Romantics is an American New Wave band from Detroit, Michigan, formed in 1977. The band adopted the name "The Romantics" because they formed on Valentine's Day, 1977. The Romantics achieved popularity in the United Kingdom, The U.S...
, a hit pop group from the 1980s, recorded the same song, which appeared on their album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
, In Heat, and on two of their live album
Live album
A live album is a recording consisting of material recorded during stage performances using remote recording techniques, commonly contrasted with a studio album...
s.
Singles
- "Open Up Your Door" / "Once upon Your Smile": Philips 40381 (1966) (both US and Canadian pressings)
- "Nasty" / "Lost and Found": Philips 40414 (1966) (both US and Canadian pressings)
- "You Can Make It" / "To Have and to Hold": Philips 40438 (1967) (both US and Canadian pressings)
Compilation albums
- "You Can Make It," their swan song, was compiled on Volume 12 of the Pebbles seriesPebbles seriesPebbles is an extensive series of compilation albums in both LP and CD formats that have been issued on several record labels, though mostly by AIP...
in 1983. - "Open up Your Door" was featured on the 1998 four CD box set, Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era, 1965-1968Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era, 1965-1968Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era is a compilation album of American garage rock singles released in the mid- to late 1960s. It was assembled by Jac Holzman, founder of Elektra Records, and Lenny Kaye, later lead guitarist for the Patti Smith Group...
.
External links
- [ Richard and the Young Lions] at Allmusic
- RichardAndTheYoungLions.com
- Lantern-Media.com