Rick Coonce
Encyclopedia
Erik Michael Coonce better known as Rick Coonce, was the drummer
for The Grass Roots
, a successful rock group that received heavy airplay on the radio from 1967 to 1972. Due to renewed interest in classic bands, The Grass Roots and Coonce's driving drum beats are popular even into the new millennium. He was born in Los Angeles
, California
on August 1, 1946, at The City Of Angels Hospital.
He attended a Catholic
school for six years while his mother worked to support the family. His father played the fiddle
and his mother sang. Rick developed a keen interest in music at an early age by observing his parents and his older brother's guitar lessons. Rick's mother insisted he should play the accordion
despite his interest in guitar. While pursuing the accordion he noticed that girls had little interest in that particular instrument.
, hi-hat
cymbal, and stand. Rick added to his set right away, acquiring mismatching pieces as he could.
At 16 years old Coonce taught drums at the Adler Music Store. Befriending the owner, Herb Wall, he was offered a new set of drums with nothing down and payments each month. He went to high school in Simi Valley and became active in bands, playing wherever he could. He also worked at the Sunkist Orange packing house, and often played gigs after work.
An early group was named The Beethovens. With the exception of Coonce, all the members were Mexican-American. They played anywhere they could to get noticed. Freddie Trujillo played lead guitar, John Sepulvada played bass, Mike Vasquez played sax and Ruben Arvizo played rhythm guitar. The band was affectionately called “four beans and a tortilla”. They covered several Beatles songs, with an emphasis on achieving the harmonies of Lennon and McCartney. Coonce was strongly influenced by Mexican folk music and rock legend Ritchie Valens
. Rick’s older brother went to the same high school as Valens, and attended at the same time.
In 1966, The Beethovens played at a Battle Of The Bands in Hollywood and took second place. A future band mate, Rob Grill
was a singer in one of the other competing bands that night. They actually did better than The Beethovens but were disqualified because one of their band members was a professional musician, so Rick’s group moved up in rank.
Creed Bratton
and Warren Entner
were in the audience that night and saw Coonce play. They called him later and asked him to join their band, The 13th Floor. Kenny Fukomoto played bass and sang in the group. Through Rick’s relationship with music store owner Herb Wall, the struggling new group was allowed access to the store's equipment. The 13th Floor played wherever they could. Eventually they put together a demo tape and sent it to Dunhill Records
.
P.F. Sloan and Steve Barri
heard the demos and liked them. The 13th Floor were on their way to a recording contract but met an obstacle when Kenny Fukomoto was drafted into the army. The group lacked a bass player and singer so they visited the Musician Union #69 in Hollywood. There they saw a posting for Rob Grill. Rob tried out for the open slot and was dynamite.
In 1967, the group changed their name to The Grass Roots to take advantage of prior name recognition and recorded "Let's Live For Today
". The iconic song peaked at #8 on the Hot 100. Capturing the mood of the era, "Let’s Live For Today" kicked the group into stardom.
With the help of producers like Steve Barri
and pushed forward by Coonce's energetic drumming, which often emphasized the bass beat, the band evolved a unique sound. Some of the hits that continue to get airplay are "Midnight Confessions
", "I'd Wait A Million Years", and "Temptation Eyes". Coonce appeared with the group on many television programs such as American Bandstand
and The Ed Sullivan Show
. The Grass Roots appeared in a major motion picture starring Doris Day
called With Six You Get Eggroll
. Rick also composed songs with The Grass Roots, co-authoring "Feelings" and "Get it Together" (a theme song for the ABC television show) and self composing "Truck Drivin' Man". Rick was able to work with drummer legend Hal Blaine
, who was an importance influence.
The Grass Roots played at the Fantasy Fair and Magic Mountain Music Festival on Sunday June 11, 1967 in the "summer of love" as their top ten hit "Let's Live For Today" was hitting the airwaves. This music festival is important because it occurred before the Monterey Pop Festival
but did not have a movie to document it for the ages (see List of electronic music festivals). On Sunday October 27, 1968 they played at the San Francisco Pop Festival
and then played at the Los Angeles Pop Festival
and Miami Pop Festival
in December of that year as their top ten hit "Midnight Confessions" was hitting the airwaves.
The Grass Roots played at Newport Pop Festival
1969 at Devonshire Downs which was a racetrack at the time but now is part of the North Campus for California State University at Northridge. They played on Sunday June 22 which was the final day of the festival as their top twenty hit "Wait A Million Years" was hitting the airwaves. In Canada, they played at the Vancouver Pop Festival
at the Paradise Valley Resort in British Columbia in August 1969 (see List of electronic music festivals).
In 1971, Coonce left the band and moved to Canada
. When he applied for citizenship they told him that there was a point system. They immediately gave him the full ten points because they needed more musicians. He played in many local groups since his immigration. He loved the island on which he lived, farmed and the music he recorded in his studio.
Rick was approached by a friend about working as a child protection social worker and did that important work in Canada for 27 years until his retirement. Often with his keen sense of humor he was able to break the ice with many troubled children and families, helping them find a road to a better life. Rick was a dedicated family man with a loving wife, two children and two grandchildren to fill his days. He loved spending time with his family and enjoyed the peaceful living at his home on Vancouver Island
. He continued to write songs, record in his studio, and had a great love for music as always. In 2000, he released a solo album on CD. It featured many songs written by him.
Coonce died of heart failure on February 25, 2011.
++- Gold Record - RIAA Certification
+++ - Composed by Italian
superstar Lucio Battisti
)
++- Gold Record - RIAA Certification
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
for The Grass Roots
The Grass Roots
The Grass Roots is an American rock band that charted between 1966 and 1975 as the brainchild of songwriting duo P. F. Sloan and Steve Barri.In their career, The Grass Roots achieved two gold albums, one gold single and charted singles a total of 21 times. Among their charting singles, they...
, a successful rock group that received heavy airplay on the radio from 1967 to 1972. Due to renewed interest in classic bands, The Grass Roots and Coonce's driving drum beats are popular even into the new millennium. He was born in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
on August 1, 1946, at The City Of Angels Hospital.
He attended a Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
school for six years while his mother worked to support the family. His father played the fiddle
Fiddle
The term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music...
and his mother sang. Rick developed a keen interest in music at an early age by observing his parents and his older brother's guitar lessons. Rick's mother insisted he should play the accordion
Accordion
The accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
despite his interest in guitar. While pursuing the accordion he noticed that girls had little interest in that particular instrument.
Career
At 12 Coonce decided he wanted to play drums. His mother surprised him with the special Christmas present of a used snare drumSnare drum
The snare drum or side drum is a melodic percussion instrument with strands of snares made of curled metal wire, metal cable, plastic cable, or gut cords stretched across the drumhead, typically the bottom. Pipe and tabor and some military snare drums often have a second set of snares on the bottom...
, hi-hat
Hi-hat
A hi-hat, or hihat, is a type of cymbal and stand used as a typical part of a drum kit by percussionists in R&B, hip-hop, disco, jazz, rock and roll, house, reggae and other forms of contemporary popular music.- Operation :...
cymbal, and stand. Rick added to his set right away, acquiring mismatching pieces as he could.
At 16 years old Coonce taught drums at the Adler Music Store. Befriending the owner, Herb Wall, he was offered a new set of drums with nothing down and payments each month. He went to high school in Simi Valley and became active in bands, playing wherever he could. He also worked at the Sunkist Orange packing house, and often played gigs after work.
An early group was named The Beethovens. With the exception of Coonce, all the members were Mexican-American. They played anywhere they could to get noticed. Freddie Trujillo played lead guitar, John Sepulvada played bass, Mike Vasquez played sax and Ruben Arvizo played rhythm guitar. The band was affectionately called “four beans and a tortilla”. They covered several Beatles songs, with an emphasis on achieving the harmonies of Lennon and McCartney. Coonce was strongly influenced by Mexican folk music and rock legend Ritchie Valens
Ritchie Valens
Ritchie Valens was a Mexican-American singer, songwriter and guitarist....
. Rick’s older brother went to the same high school as Valens, and attended at the same time.
In 1966, The Beethovens played at a Battle Of The Bands in Hollywood and took second place. A future band mate, Rob Grill
Rob Grill
Robert Frank "Rob" Grill was an American lead singer, songwriter and bass guitarist of the rock and roll band, The Grass Roots.-Career:Rob was a native of Hollywood, California where he attended Hollywood High School...
was a singer in one of the other competing bands that night. They actually did better than The Beethovens but were disqualified because one of their band members was a professional musician, so Rick’s group moved up in rank.
Creed Bratton
Creed Bratton
Creed Bratton is an American actor and musician, a former member of The Grass Roots...
and Warren Entner
Warren Entner
Warren Entner was an American singer, songwriter, organist and guitarist for the rock and roll band, The Grass Roots...
were in the audience that night and saw Coonce play. They called him later and asked him to join their band, The 13th Floor. Kenny Fukomoto played bass and sang in the group. Through Rick’s relationship with music store owner Herb Wall, the struggling new group was allowed access to the store's equipment. The 13th Floor played wherever they could. Eventually they put together a demo tape and sent it to Dunhill Records
Dunhill Records
Dunhill Records was started by Lou Adler, Al Bennett, Pierre Cossette and Bobby Roberts in 1964 as Dunhill Productions, originally for the purpose of releasing Johnny Rivers recordings on Imperial Records. It became a record label in 1965 and was distributed by ABC Records...
.
P.F. Sloan and Steve Barri
Steve Barri
Steve Barri is an American songwriter and record producer.Early in his career Barri was a staff writer with Dunhill Records. He frequently collaborated with P.F. Sloan, and the partners were responsible for the success of The Grass Roots and contributed largely to the band's first album...
heard the demos and liked them. The 13th Floor were on their way to a recording contract but met an obstacle when Kenny Fukomoto was drafted into the army. The group lacked a bass player and singer so they visited the Musician Union #69 in Hollywood. There they saw a posting for Rob Grill. Rob tried out for the open slot and was dynamite.
In 1967, the group changed their name to The Grass Roots to take advantage of prior name recognition and recorded "Let's Live For Today
Let's Live for Today (song)
"Let's Live for Today" is a song written by David Shapiro, Ivan Mogull, and Michael Julian, and initially recorded by the English band the Rokes in 1966. The song was later popularized by the American rock band The Grass Roots, who released it as a single on May 13, 1967...
". The iconic song peaked at #8 on the Hot 100. Capturing the mood of the era, "Let’s Live For Today" kicked the group into stardom.
With the help of producers like Steve Barri
Steve Barri
Steve Barri is an American songwriter and record producer.Early in his career Barri was a staff writer with Dunhill Records. He frequently collaborated with P.F. Sloan, and the partners were responsible for the success of The Grass Roots and contributed largely to the band's first album...
and pushed forward by Coonce's energetic drumming, which often emphasized the bass beat, the band evolved a unique sound. Some of the hits that continue to get airplay are "Midnight Confessions
Midnight Confessions
"Midnight Confessions" is a song written by Lou T. Josie and originally performed by the Evergreen Blues Band. It was later made famous by American rock band The Grass Roots, who released the song as a single in 1968...
", "I'd Wait A Million Years", and "Temptation Eyes". Coonce appeared with the group on many television programs such as American Bandstand
American Bandstand
American Bandstand is an American music-performance show that aired in various versions from 1952 to 1989 and was hosted from 1956 until its final season by Dick Clark, who also served as producer...
and The Ed Sullivan Show
The Ed Sullivan Show
The Ed Sullivan Show is an American TV variety show that originally ran on CBS from Sunday June 20, 1948 to Sunday June 6, 1971, and was hosted by New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan....
. The Grass Roots appeared in a major motion picture starring Doris Day
Doris Day
Doris Day is an American actress, singer and, since her retirement from show business, an animal rights activist. With an entertainment career that spanned through almost 50 years, Day started her career as a big band singer in 1939, but only began to be noticed after her first hit recording,...
called With Six You Get Eggroll
With Six You Get Eggroll
With Six You Get Eggroll is a family comedy, starring Doris Day and Brian Keith. Other cast members include George Carlin, Jamie Farr, William Christopher, Barbara Hershey, Alice Ghostley and Pat Carroll....
. Rick also composed songs with The Grass Roots, co-authoring "Feelings" and "Get it Together" (a theme song for the ABC television show) and self composing "Truck Drivin' Man". Rick was able to work with drummer legend Hal Blaine
Hal Blaine
Hal Blaine is an American drummer and session musician. He is most known for his work with the Wrecking Crew in California. Blaine played on numerous hits by popular groups, including Elvis Presley, John Denver, the Ronettes, Simon & Garfunkel, the Carpenters, the Beach Boys, Nancy Sinatra, and...
, who was an importance influence.
The Grass Roots played at the Fantasy Fair and Magic Mountain Music Festival on Sunday June 11, 1967 in the "summer of love" as their top ten hit "Let's Live For Today" was hitting the airwaves. This music festival is important because it occurred before the Monterey Pop Festival
Monterey Pop Festival
The Monterey International Pop Music Festival was a three-day concert event held June 16 to June 18, 1967 at the Monterey County Fairgrounds in Monterey, California...
but did not have a movie to document it for the ages (see List of electronic music festivals). On Sunday October 27, 1968 they played at the San Francisco Pop Festival
San Francisco Pop Festival
The San Francisco Pop Festival was held at Alameda County Fairgrounds. The dates of the festival were Saturday October 26 & Sunday October 27, 1968...
and then played at the Los Angeles Pop Festival
Los Angeles Pop Festival
The Los Angeles Pop Festival was held at the Los Angeles Sports Arena in California. The dates of the festival were December 22 and 23, 1968. It was also called a "Christmas Happening"...
and Miami Pop Festival
Miami Pop Festival
The Miami Pop Festival was the name of two different music festivals that took place in 1968 at Gulfstream Park, a horse racing track in Hallandale, Florida , just north of Miami....
in December of that year as their top ten hit "Midnight Confessions" was hitting the airwaves.
The Grass Roots played at Newport Pop Festival
Newport Pop Festival
The Newport Pop Festival, held in Costa Mesa, California, August 3–4, 1968, was the first music concert ever to have more than 100,000 paid attendees....
1969 at Devonshire Downs which was a racetrack at the time but now is part of the North Campus for California State University at Northridge. They played on Sunday June 22 which was the final day of the festival as their top twenty hit "Wait A Million Years" was hitting the airwaves. In Canada, they played at the Vancouver Pop Festival
Vancouver Pop Festival
The Vancouver Pop Festival was held at Paradise Valley Resort in Squamish, BC Canada. The dates of the festival were August 22, 23 and 24, 1969. It was produced by Candi Promotions...
at the Paradise Valley Resort in British Columbia in August 1969 (see List of electronic music festivals).
In 1971, Coonce left the band and moved to 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...
. When he applied for citizenship they told him that there was a point system. They immediately gave him the full ten points because they needed more musicians. He played in many local groups since his immigration. He loved the island on which he lived, farmed and the music he recorded in his studio.
Rick was approached by a friend about working as a child protection social worker and did that important work in Canada for 27 years until his retirement. Often with his keen sense of humor he was able to break the ice with many troubled children and families, helping them find a road to a better life. Rick was a dedicated family man with a loving wife, two children and two grandchildren to fill his days. He loved spending time with his family and enjoyed the peaceful living at his home on Vancouver Island
Vancouver Island
Vancouver Island is a large island in British Columbia, Canada. It is one of several North American locations named after George Vancouver, the British Royal Navy officer who explored the Pacific Northwest coast of North America between 1791 and 1794...
. He continued to write songs, record in his studio, and had a great love for music as always. In 2000, he released a solo album on CD. It featured many songs written by him.
Coonce died of heart failure on February 25, 2011.
Singles
| Release date | Title | Flip side | Record label | Chart positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Billboard 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... |
US Cashbox | UK | ||||
| 1967 | Let's Live for Today Let's Live for Today (song) "Let's Live for Today" is a song written by David Shapiro, Ivan Mogull, and Michael Julian, and initially recorded by the English band the Rokes in 1966. The song was later popularized by the American rock band The Grass Roots, who released it as a single on May 13, 1967... |
Depressed Feeling | Dunhill | 8 | 5 | |
| Things I Should Have Said | Tip Of My Tongue | Dunhill | 23 | 36 | ||
| Wake Up, Wake Up | No Exit | Dunhill | 68 | 61 | ||
| 1968 | Melody For You | Hey Friend | Dunhill | 123 | ||
| Feelings | Here's Where You Belong | Dunhill | ||||
| Midnight Confessions Midnight Confessions "Midnight Confessions" is a song written by Lou T. Josie and originally performed by the Evergreen Blues Band. It was later made famous by American rock band The Grass Roots, who released the song as a single in 1968... ++ |
Who Will You Be Tomorrow | Dunhill | 5 | 5 | ||
| 1969 | Bella Linda+++ | Hot Bright Lights | Dunhill | 28 | 20 | |
| Melody For You | All Good Things Come To An End | Dunhill | ||||
| Lovin' Things | You And Love Are The Same | Dunhill | 49 | 35 | ||
| River Is Wide, The | (You Gotta) Live For Love | Dunhill | 31 | 16 | ||
| I'd Wait A Million Years | Fly Me To Havana | Dunhill | 15 | 12 | ||
| Heaven Knows | Don't Remind Me | Dunhill | 24 | 13 | ||
| 1970 | Walking Through The Country | Truck Drivin' Man | Dunhill | 44 | 30 | |
| Baby Hold On | Get It Together | Dunhill | 35 | 25 | ||
| Come On And Say It | Something's Comin' Over Me | Dunhill | 61 | 39 | ||
| Temptation Eyes | Keepin' Me Down | Dunhill | 15 | 16 | ||
| 1971 | Sooner Or Later | I Can Turn Off The Rain | Dunhill | 9 | 12 | |
| Two Divided By Love | Let It Go | Dunhill | 16 | 8 | ||
++- Gold Record - RIAA Certification
RIAA certification
In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards...
+++ - Composed by Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
superstar Lucio Battisti
Lucio Battisti
Lucio Battisti was an Italian singer-songwriter . He is considered to be one of the best-known and most influential musicians and authors in Italian pop/rock music history....
)
Albums
| Release date | Title | Record label | Chart positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Billboard 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... |
US Cashbox | UK | |||
| 1967 | Let's Live for Today Let's Live for Today Let's Live for Today is the second studio album by The Grass Roots. Released in 1967, it features their first top-ten hit by the same name, "Let's Live for Today".-Track listing:All songs written by P.F... |
Dunhill | 75 | ||
| 1968 | Feelings | Dunhill | |||
| Golden Grass ++ | Dunhill | 25 | |||
| 1969 | Lovin' Things | Dunhill | 73 | ||
| Leavin' It All Behind | Dunhill | 36 | |||
| 1970 | More Golden Grass | Dunhill | 152 | ||
| 1971 | Their 16 Greatest Hits Their 16 Greatest Hits Their 16 Greatest Hits is a greatest hits collection by American pop group The Grass Roots. The album was originally released by Dunhill Records in September 1971, shortly after the success of "Sooner or Later" earlier in the year... ++ |
Dunhill | 58 | ||
| 2000 | Lackadaisical Day | RC | |||
++- Gold Record - RIAA Certification
RIAA certification
In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards...