Rick Florian

Last updated
Rick Florian
Born (1962-04-10) April 10, 1962 (age 61)
Origin South Bend, Indiana, U.S.
Genres CCM, rock
Occupation(s)Singer, songwriter, producer
Instrument(s)Vocals
Years active1986–present

Rick Florian (born April 10, 1962) is a musician, songwriter and producer, most known for being the lead singer of contemporary Christian music rock band White Heart from 1986 through to their disbandment in 1998. He lives in Franklin, Tennessee with his wife, Lisa, and two of their five children. Florian works as a real estate agent, though he has sung on several music projects over the years.

Contents

Early life

Florian was born in South Bend, Indiana, in 1962. He graduated from Taylor University in 1984. [1]

Whiteheart

Florian was a lighting tech/roadie for the band back in the 80s. When Florian was caught off guard singing and dancing to White Heart's songs, he was asked to audition for the open position as the band's vocalist. He got the job and recorded eight studio albums with them.

Throughout his tenure with the band, he was praised on several occasions for his clean voice and excellent performing abilities. He could always find a clever spot to show off his back handspring in each concert. Despite not being a founding member, he became the core of White Heart along with Billy Smiley and Mark Gersmehl (who's also an Indiana native, like Florian himself). Florian issued a statement several years ago that the band was only at "a dormant stage".

When Florian released his first album with White Heart, a tradition of using unique spelling variations of his name for each album began. There is no precise account as to who started it, but it remained up until the last albums of the band. The various spellings used have been: Ric, Rikk, Riq, Ricke, Rhic, Rikcq, Ricque. Florian has also been known to go by the nickname, "Tubes".

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pantera</span> American heavy metal band

Pantera is an American heavy metal band from Arlington, Texas, formed in 1981, and currently composed of vocalist Phil Anselmo, bassist Rex Brown, and touring musicians Zakk Wylde and Charlie Benante. The group's best-known lineup consisted of the Abbott brothers, along with Brown and Anselmo, who joined in 1982 and 1986 respectively. In addition to their development and popularization of the groove metal subgenre, Pantera is credited for being part of the second wave of thrash metal scene from the late 1980s to early-to-mid 1990s. Pantera is regarded as one of the most successful and influential bands in heavy metal history, having sold around 20 million records worldwide and having received four Grammy nominations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Culture Club</span> English pop band

Culture Club are an English pop band formed in London in 1981. The band comprises Boy George, Roy Hay, and Mikey Craig, and formerly included Jon Moss. Emerging in the New Romantic scene, they are considered one of the most representative and influential groups of the 1980s.

Chester Arthur Burnett, better known by his stage name Howlin' Wolf, was an American blues singer and guitarist. He is regarded as one of the most influential blues musicians of all time. Over a four-decade career, he recorded in genres such as blues, rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and psychedelic rock. He also helped bridge the gap between Delta blues and Chicago blues. Born into poverty in Mississippi as one of six children, he went through a rough childhood where his mother kicked him out of her house, and he moved in with his great-uncle, who was particularly abusive. He then ran away to his father's house where he finally found a happy family, and in the early 1930s became a protégé of legendary Delta blues guitarist and singer, Charley Patton. He started a solo career in the Deep South, playing with other notable blues musicians of the era, and at the end of a decade had made a name for himself in the Mississippi Delta.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Mellencamp</span> American singer-songwriter (born 1951)

John J. Mellencamp, previously known as Johnny Cougar, John Cougar, and John Cougar Mellencamp, is an American singer-songwriter. He is known for his catchy brand of heartland rock, which emphasizes traditional instrumentation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Booker T. Jones</span> American musician

Booker Taliaferro Jones Jr. is an American musician, songwriter, record producer and arranger, best known as the frontman of the band Booker T. & the M.G.'s. He has also worked in the studios with many well-known artists of the 20th and 21st centuries, earning him a Grammy Award for lifetime achievement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Huey Lewis</span> American singer and actor

Hugh Anthony Cregg III, known professionally as Huey Lewis, is an American singer, songwriter, and actor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gregg Allman</span> American musician (1947–2017)

Gregory LeNoir Allman was an American musician, singer and songwriter. He was known for performing in the Allman Brothers Band. Allman grew up with an interest in rhythm and blues music, and the Allman Brothers Band fused it with rock music, jazz, and country at times. He wrote several of the band's biggest songs, including "Whipping Post", "Melissa", and "Midnight Rider". Allman also had a successful solo career, releasing seven studio albums. He was born and spent much of his childhood in Nashville, Tennessee, before relocating to Daytona Beach, Florida and then Macon, Georgia.

Paul H. Tobias is an American guitarist best known for his involvement with hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he has collaborated since 1994.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Don Ellis</span> Musical artist

Donald Johnson Ellis was an American jazz trumpeter, drummer, composer, and bandleader. He is best known for his extensive musical experimentation, particularly in the area of time signatures. Later in his life he worked as a film composer, contributing a score to 1971's The French Connection and 1973's The Seven-Ups.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White Heart</span> American contemporary Christian/pop-rock band

White Heart, also listed as Whiteheart, was an American contemporary Christian music and pop-rock band which formed in 1982. White Heart's discography includes thirteen albums, the most recent of which was released in 1997. Original members Billy Smiley and Mark Gersmehl worked with a continually changing cast of bandmates. In 1985, former roadie Rick Florian became the lead singer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kane Roberts</span> American heavy metal guitarist (born 1962)

Kane Roberts is an American heavy metal guitarist best known for his work with Alice Cooper. Additionally, he has performed as a solo act, and his cover of the unreleased Bon Jovi song "Does Anybody Really Fall In Love Anymore" cracked the Top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100. He also played a cameo role as a road worker in Wes Craven's Shocker.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jon Farriss</span> Australian drummer

Jonathan James Farriss is an Australian drummer and founding member of rock band INXS.

James Douglas Vallance is a Canadian songwriter, arranger and producer. He is best known as the songwriting partner of Canadian musician Bryan Adams. Vallance began his professional career as the original drummer and main songwriter for Canadian rock band Prism under the pseudonym "Rodney Higgs." In addition to Adams, Vallance has written songs for many famous international artists such as Bonnie Raitt, Aerosmith, Carly Simon, Rod Stewart, Roger Daltrey, Tina Turner, Alice Cooper, Ozzy Osbourne, Europe, Kiss, Scorpions, Anne Murray, and Joe Cocker. His most recognizable songs are "What About Love" (Heart), "Spaceship Superstar" (Prism), Run to You, "Cuts Like a Knife", "Heaven", "Summer of '69", "Now and Forever ", and "Edge of a Dream". He also co-wrote "Tears Are Not Enough" for Northern Lights for Africa, an ensemble of Canadian recording artists in support of the 1985 African famine relief. He has won the Canadian music industry Juno award for Composer of the Year four times. Vallance is a Member of the Order of Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Coghlan (drummer)</span> English drummer

John Robert Coghlan is an English musician, best known as the original drummer of the rock band Status Quo.

<i>Back in Line</i> 1986 studio album by Steeleye Span

Back in Line is the twelfth studio album by British folk rock band Steeleye Span. The album was released in 1986, after a hiatus of almost 6 years. It is their first album without founding member Tim Hart, who quit the music business entirely. It is also the last album they recorded with Maddy Prior's husband, Rick Kemp, until They Called Her Babylon; Kemp suffered a shoulder injury that forced him to stop playing for a long time.

Jimmy Tennant, better known as Jimmy Velvet, was an early American soft rock and roll vocalist, during the 1960s. His most popular singles were "We Belong Together" and "It's Almost Tomorrow".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Klaus Dinger</span> German musician

Klaus Dinger was a German musician and songwriter most famous for his contributions to the seminal krautrock band Neu!. He was also the guitarist and chief songwriter of new wave group La Düsseldorf and briefly the percussionist of Kraftwerk.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elias Viljanen</span> Musical artist

Elias "E.Vil" Einari Johannes Viljanen is a Finnish musician from Tampere, Finland, known for being the guitarist for Sonata Arctica since 2007. Viljanen joined Sonata Arctica in spring 2007 in order to replace Jani Liimatainen, who left the band in August 2007 to fulfill his civil duties in Finland. The decision was only made official on 8 August 2007, but Elias Viljanen had been known to replace Liimatainen in concerts during the spring and summer tour. Viljanen cites Kiss, Metallica, Slayer, and Whitesnake as his musical influences.

<i>Snakes in the Playground</i> 1992 studio album by Bride

Snakes in the Playground is the fifth album by the band Bride. Seen by critics as the best release of Bride's hard rock era, Snakes in the Playground is commonly known as the breakthrough album in the band's career. This album would produce for the band more touring, press appeal, and two GMA Dove Awards for best song.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buddy Emmons</span> Musical artist

Buddy Gene Emmons was an American musician who is widely regarded as the world's foremost pedal steel guitarist of his day. He was inducted into the Steel Guitar Hall of Fame in 1981. Affectionately known by the nickname "Big E", Emmons' primary genre was American country music, but he also performed jazz and Western swing. He recorded with Linda Ronstadt, Gram Parsons, The Everly Brothers, The Carpenters, Jackie DeShannon, Roger Miller, Ernest Tubb, John Hartford, Little Jimmy Dickens, Ray Price, Judy Collins, George Strait, John Sebastian, and Ray Charles and was a widely sought session musician in Nashville and Los Angeles.

References

  1. "Forbes List Directory".