RIC LEE 

BIOGRAPHY

                      INSTRUMENT:       Drums, Tympani, L A Percussion, Piano,
                                              Vibraphone & Associated Tuned Percussion
                      DATE OF BIRTH:     20th, October, 1945
                      PLACE OF BIRTH:    Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England

Ric began playing drums and percussion at school and joined two other school mates to form a three piece band called The Falcons

After only a short time with The Falcons Ric was asked to join a well known local group,   Ricky Storm and the Stormcats. During this period, Ric met and studied with Dave Quickmire,  drummer with the hottest group in the area, The Jaybirds. The guitarist was Alvin Lee and the bassist Leo Lyons.      

Dave left The Jaybirds to get married and he insisted Ric audition for the post, soon after, Ric took over the drum chair. Chick Churchill joined as Road Manager but soon became keyboard player as The Jaybirds became backing group for a chart vocal act,  The Ivy League.    

On several tours of the United States Ric found the time to study at Berklee School of Music in Boston, Massachussetts, with  Alan Dawson, then drummer with The Dave Brubeck Quartet.  During this time period Ric also began teaching young enthusiasts privately when he was at home between touring commitments.                    

When Ten Years After ceased touring in 1976, Ric turned his attention to running his own Music Publishing, Management and Record Production company.     

One of the first signings to the publishing company was a song called  “I Can Prove It”, which reached number 21 in the UK National Singles Chart, in 1977. The company also promoted a song into the finals of the Eurovision Song Contest in the same year.  

During these years, Ric studied tuned percussion as a part time student at The Guildhall School of Music and Drama under Gilbert Webster,  percussionist with the BBC Radio Orchestra. When Gilbert moved to Manchester, Ric continued his studies with Robert Howes,  percussionist with the famous Wren Orchestra

For about 18 months, commencing in 1980, Ric joined Stan Webb in the thirteenth incarnation of Chicken Shack, which was a sixties blues group that had a UK number one record with the number one record “I’d Rather Go Blind” which was sung by Christine Perfect who went on to world fame with Fleetwood Mac, and is known to all fans as Christine McVie.     

Chicken Shack toured the UK and Europe many times in this short period and made an album for RCA  Records, “ Roadies Concerto”.     

Ten Years After re-formed again in 1983 for the Marquee Club’s 25th Anniversary. Durning this short re-birth, Ric managed the group; negotiating contracts, arranging pubicity, organizing travel and performance budgets and playing the Drum Kit as well!    

Between 1984 and 1986, Ric managed several up and coming young acts and increased his publishing catalogue. A “Cover” version of “I Can Prove It” was secured, sung by Phil Fearon,  which charted  at number 8 in the UK Gallup Chart and went on to be a multi-million selling record throughout Europe.       

In between tours Ric studied further drum techniques and gained experience of Latin percussion ensemble playing with Trevor Tomkins, Professor of Percussion at the Guildhall and The Royal College of Music.     

In 1994, Ric formed The Breakers with an old friend, Ian Ellis (from Savoy Brown) and together they wrote and produced their first studio album called “Milan” which was released in July of 1995.   Along with tours of the UK and Europe, The Breakers were guest with Bryan Adams and Bonnie Raitt, on NBC Super Channel’s “Talking Blues” programme that aired in Europe in March of 1996.   

Another of Ric’s winning projects around the middle nineties was the production of a series of ambient albums, the most successful of which was “The Spirit of Africa”.  This album has sold over 50,000 units in Europe and is due for a re-release next year.     

Ric worked once again with Ten Years After, touring and performing at Festivals in America, Brazil, and Europe between 1995 and 2000.  More recently he was finding “gems” of “lost” recordings of the band, remastering them, writing sleeve notes, and helping the companies involved to re-issue and promote the products. These include:  Live at the Fillmore East (a double cd set), Undead, Cricklewood Green, Stonedhenge.  

In October of 2001 Ric recorded an album with Leo Lyons and Texas guitar slinger, Vince Converse,  "LLC", and it is due for release in the near future. One track from those sessions is included on the CD “From Clarksdale to Heaven”,  a Tribute to veteran blues man veteran, John Lee Hooker. Also included are contributions by guitarists Jeff Beck and Gary Moore.    Ric is married with two young children and lives in the Derbyshire Dales, England, where he also runs a highly successful holiday business, he is also writing his autobiography, a novel and still finds the time to help youngsters to learn to play percussion instruments!