Singer/songwriter/guitarist Ricky Warwick has grown into a triple threat.
Formerly of the British punk/hard rock band The
Almighty, Ricky has embraced no-frills, emotionally direct, pure
music exemplified by such American influences as Johnny Cash, The Eagles,
Bruce Springsteen, Cheap Trick, Tom Petty and many others.
Born in Newtownards, County Down, Northern Ireland, Ricky attended his first
concert at age 14, seeing Stiff Little Fingers. The experience
“Changed my life...suddenly I knew exactly what I wanted to do and nothing
was ever gonna be the same again.” That very week he purchased his first
guitar. "I learned how to play guitar from my dad's Johnny Cash records and
an Eagles songbook," Warwick says, although bands like Motorhead, MC5,
Ramones, The Clash and Sex Pistols were just as influential. The
following year, his family relocated to Strathaven, Scotland.
Ricky played in numerous bands throughout his teen years, but began his
professional musical career as the rhythm guitarist in New Model Army. After
their disintegration, the young guitarist went on to found The Almighty in
his native Glasgow, Scotland. Gradually, the foursome moved away from their
punk origins and acquired a hard rock sound and an image to match. Signing
with Polydor Records, they entered the studio with Duran Duran’s Andy
Taylor as producer. The somewhat unlikely collaboration proved successful
and Blood, Fire and Love resulted in a solid collection of perfectly crafted
metal anthems sharpened with just the right touch of punk attitude.
The Almighty enjoyed ten Top 40 singles and four Top 20 albums in the UK.
Ironically, Ricky appeared on Stiff Little Fingers’ Live and also wrote with
the seminal English punk band The Ruts.
In 2002, Ricky embarked on a solo career and recorded his first release,
Tattoos & Alibis. Recorded in Dublin, Ireland, Ricky collaborated with Peter
O’ Toole of Hothouse Flowers and Scott Gorham of Thin Lizzy
fame. This album brought about a much different feel than his past efforts
with The Almighty, with Ricky drawing from his influences such as Steve
Earle, Johnny Cash, Ramones and The Clash. Released in September
of 2003 through Sanctuary Records, Tattoos & Alibis was produced by Def
Leppard’s Joe Elliott.
Following the release of his solo debut, Warwick toured extensively as an
opener for Def Leppard. While one man armed with an acoustic guitar in such
a position might seem like a shaky proposition on the surface, Warwick
received nothing but enthusiastic responses from the crowd each night.
Just a few short years later and we find Ricky gearing up for his much
anticipated sophomore effort. On Love Many Trust Few, due out on Sanctuary
Records in the Spring of 2005, he has co-written songs with Irish
singer/songwriter Kieran Goss, famed Nashville writers - Sharon Vaughn
(Willie Nelson, Reba McIntire, Oakridge Boys) and Rob Crosby (Martina
McBride) as well as Del James (Guns N’ Roses). Guest appearances include Joe
Elliott and Vivian Campbell of Def Leppard.
Ricky says of Love Many Trust Few, “The album kinda has a thread running
through it. A lot of the songs are about running away from places, people,
feelings, myself, or a past something I feel I have been doing for a long
time. I've also done a lot of driving across America in the last two years,
so I suppose a lot of ideas have come from there. There is also stuff about
Belfast and Ireland and just about how I’ve seen it change over the years. I
used to be very interested in politics but with the world being the way it
is, unfortunately I don’t see a leader who inspires any belief in me. I
found myself writing songs that were radically different from what I had
done in the past, but it came naturally. These songs gave me new areas to
explore. Lyrically, they go into other directions. Playing over 200 shows in
the past two years, mostly solo and acoustic, I feel that I have improved
immeasurably as a vocalist and guitarist, and that has given me the
confidence to push my songwriting boundaries even further.”
“Going back into the studio with Joe Elliott and Ronan McHugh didn’t really
take much thought. I didn’t really see any reason to change the line-up; Joe
and Ronan have a full comprehension for my work and the direction that I
wanted to go in on this next record.”
Following the release of Love Many Trust Few, Ricky plans to tour for the
remainder of 2005. When he’s not touring, Ricky splits his time between Los
Angeles and Dublin. |
