Ritzi
Encyclopedia
Ritzi are a British
band formed in 1975, from The Fylde
area of Lancashire
, England. They are best known for their only charting
single
, "Too Much Fandango", which had its greatest success in Australia
in 1976, reaching #28
.
The original line-up consisted of Phil Free (real name Philip Enright, on bass guitar/vocals), Pete Hughes (guitar/vocals), Mick Carrol (vocals/percussion) and Pete Long (aka The Fong) (drums/percussion). Kev Brennan of musicforparties, New Zealand
, was hired as the support DJ
on many of the band's gigs throughout the 1970s and 1980s.
Following the success of "Too Much Fandango", Ritzi remained relatively dormant, until 2006 when it was announced that they would be performing again.
Preceding the new performances announcement, Phil Free suffered a near fatal heart attack
at his North England home in May 2006.
In the summer of 2009,Ritzi began gigging again,this time after recruiting new drummer Chris Jopson.
The band will begin recording a CD of new material that should be available by the spring of 2011. More gigs are being arranged and hopefully a tour of Australia is also in the pipeline.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
band formed in 1975, from The Fylde
The Fylde
The Fylde ; Scandinavian: "field") is a coastal plain in western Lancashire, England. It is roughly a 13-mile square-shaped peninsula, bounded by Morecambe Bay to the north, the Ribble estuary to the south, the Irish Sea to the west, and the Bowland hills to the east...
area of Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, England. They are best known for their only charting
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....
single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
, "Too Much Fandango", which had its greatest success in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
in 1976, reaching #28
Kent Music Report
The Kent Music Report was a weekly record chart of Australian music singles and albums which was compiled by music enthusiast David Kent from May 1974 through to 1998...
.
The original line-up consisted of Phil Free (real name Philip Enright, on bass guitar/vocals), Pete Hughes (guitar/vocals), Mick Carrol (vocals/percussion) and Pete Long (aka The Fong) (drums/percussion). Kev Brennan of musicforparties, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, was hired as the support DJ
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
on many of the band's gigs throughout the 1970s and 1980s.
Following the success of "Too Much Fandango", Ritzi remained relatively dormant, until 2006 when it was announced that they would be performing again.
Preceding the new performances announcement, Phil Free suffered a near fatal heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
at his North England home in May 2006.
In the summer of 2009,Ritzi began gigging again,this time after recruiting new drummer Chris Jopson.
The band will begin recording a CD of new material that should be available by the spring of 2011. More gigs are being arranged and hopefully a tour of Australia is also in the pipeline.