Ricky Byrd (born Richard Scott Bird; October 20, 1956) is a rock and roll guitar player, singer, songwriter and producer. He spent over a decade as a member of Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, where he contributed music and background vocals to two platinum albums, I Love Rock 'n Roll and Up Your Alley, the gold certified Album, and four others for the band.[1]
Byrd has released 5 solo albums (Tough Room...This World, Lifer, Clean Getaway, Sobering Times and NYC Made), Clean Getaway and Sobering Times containing lyrics that focus on addiction, recovery, and hope, drawing on his own past struggles with drugs and alcohol. In recovery for over thirty years, Byrd performs at benefit shows to raise awareness and money for drug and alcohol treatment facilities, and is a certified recovery coach and drug and alcohol counselor. He coined the phrase, "Recovery Troubadour",[3] as he leads recovery music groups at treatment facilities around the United States.
Early performances were in cover bands at local dances, schools, and parties, and at 16, while still using his name Ricky Bird, he joined a band called Ruff Stuff. The group performed at Max's Kansas City[6] and Mercer Arts Center in New York City, and other locations before he started going by a new professional name—Ricky Byrd.[7]
Musical career
At 21 in 1977, Byrd joined the Power pop band called Susan,.[8] The group released one album, Falling in Love Again! in 1979 on RCA Records,[9] and toured opening for Graham Parker[5] and others.
In 1981, rocker Joan Jett was looking for a guitarist to replace Eric Ambel in her band the Blackhearts. After jamming with her band, Byrd joined the Blackhearts and played guitar and sang background vocals on the album in progress, I Love Rock n' Roll.[5] The album sold one million copies in the U.S., went to number 2 on the Billboard 200 Albums chart, and sold over ten million copies worldwide.[citation needed] The single, "I Love Rock n' Roll" remained as Billboard Hot 100 number one for seven weeks.[10]
Joan Jett and the Blackhearts toured the world starting in clubs and then ultimately played stadiums. Byrd was a Blackheart with Joan Jett from 1981 to 1991,[2] recording guitar, vocals and co-writing various songs for the followup platinum-selling Album in 1983, Glorious Results of a Misspent Youth in 1984, Good Music in 1986, the platinum-certified Up Your Alley in 1988, The Hit List and Notorious in 1991.[11]
During this time, Byrd struggled with drug and alcohol addiction, got clean and sober in 1987, and remained with Joan Jett and the Blackhearts for another four years playing and touring.
When he left the Blackhearts, Byrd signed a deal with Sony Music Publishing.[12] During this time, he recorded and toured with Roger Daltrey and toured with Ian Hunter.[13]
In 1999, Byrd released his debut solo album, Tough Room...This World, a "blues-inflected acoustic-rock set" recorded live from a show in New York. Joining him onstage and on record were Todd Rundgren bassist Kasim Sulton and Bad Company drummer Simon Kirke. Byrd released the record on his own label, Kayos Records.[14]
Now sober from drugs and alcohol, Byrd began performing at recovery-related fundraisers at treatment centers after the Del Fuegos' Woody Geissmann invited him to play at Right Turn, a Boston treatment facility he founded. "I continued to be a part of these benefits for the next few years, and in 2012 I co-wrote my first recovery song called 'Broken is a Place' with my pal Richie Supa," Byrd told Parade magazine. Byrd performed "Broken is a Place" live at these recovery-type of shows.[15]
Byrd's second album, Lifer was recorded in Nashville and New York City, executive produced by Ray Kennedy (five-time Grammy winner who worked with Steve Earle, Ray Davies, Sheryl Crow) and co-produced by Byrd and Bob Stander.[16] The album, released in 2012,[17] was the number 10 Coolest Album in the World 2013 and “Things to Learn” from the album was Coolest Song in the World the first week of January 2014 on Little Steven’s Underground Garage radio show.[18]
“From the time I left Joan Jett and the Blackhearts around 1991, I was really trying to see what I sounded like on my own,” Byrd told Guitar Player. “I knew who my influences were—I grew up on everything from the Raspberries to the Who to the Stones to the Yardbirds to Otis Redding. If you just mix that all in a stew, I guess it comes out Ricky Byrd."[19]
In April 2015, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts were inducted into the 30th Annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at a ceremony in Cleveland, Ohio. As a Blackheart, Byrd received the honor as well as the other band members.[20]
When Byrd was 30 years clean and sober, in October 2015, he released his third solo album, Clean Getaway, 12 songs focusing on the struggles of drug addiction and the positive side of recovery that he wrote or co-wrote with Richie Supa and Mark Hudson. The album of original songs also includes a cover of Paul Revere and the Raiders' 1966 hit "Kicks." Byrd told ABC News Radio that Clean Getaway is "kind of like a self-help book with a backbeat."[21][22]
"My job is to show people you can be sober and still have fun. I tell them, 'Look, I did it, brother,'" Byrd said.[24]
In February 2023, Byrd released "Glamdemic Blues" as a digital and 7-inch single. The B-side is a remake of the Four Tops' 1966 hit "Reach Out I'll Be There".[25]
Recovery work
In 2014, as part of a group of musicians in recovery or support the recovery lifestyle, Byrd performed at a Fed Up! rally in Washington, D.C.[18] Two years later, he participated in the Rock and Roll for Children Foundation Annual concert at the Bethesda Blues and Jazz Club, a show that raised $50,000 for The Children’s Inn at the National Institute of Health.[26]
Byrd became a certified recovery coach and a drug and alcohol counselor in 2018,[27] and leads recovery music groups at drug treatment facilities. That year, Byrd joined Michael Des Barres, Liberty DeVitto and Paul Ill at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland for a talk and performance of songs about addiction and recovery. The event benefited Recovery Resources, a Cleveland non-profit behavior healthcare organization.[5]
"I’ve been in recovery since September 25, 1987. Given that gift, I have a responsibility to pass it on. The way I see it, there is a dark hallway filled with people in active addiction, stuck and struggling between denial and surrender. I'm here to be a power of example. To show that we CAN and DO recover. When someone is ready to reach out for help, I wanna be there at the end of that dark hallway waving him or her towards the light," explained Byrd.[15]
In June 2019, New York State Senator Joseph P. Addabbo, Jr., 2019–2020 President of the Conference of Italian-American State Legislators, honored Byrd as someone who follows the mission "to foster and celebrate Italian-American contributions to all aspects of society to the State of New York and beyond." Fellow honorees included former Major League BaseballWorld Series catcher and manager Joe Girardi, and AFL–CIO President Mario Cilento.
"It was my distinct honor to acknowledge these three outstanding individuals for their impact and inspiration to the lives of others as a result of their actions and accomplishments," Addabbo said. "Ricky Byrd, for instance, has used his music, notoriety and personal struggle to help countless others who grapple with addiction. I am extremely proud to call Ricky Byrd a friend, constituent, neighbor and fellow Italian-American."[28]
At the Fourth Annual Gala of the Rockit Live Foundation in August 2019, Byrd was honored for his work with young artists, in music education, and recovery. He performed live for the event that benefit the Rockit Live Foundation Scholarship Fund. All proceeds from this event will benefit the Rockit Live Foundation Scholarship Fund.[29]
Also in August, Byrd joined Kathy Valentine (the Go-Go’s), Liberty Devitto (Billy Joel) and Genya Ravan (Goldie and the Gingerbreads, SiriusXM DJ), at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland to discuss songwriting and perform songs about addiction and recovery. The event, called Rock & Resilience Community Day, was presented by Rock & Recovery (91.3 The Summit) and had booths with information from various recovery and treatment facilities.[30]
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The Runaways were an American female rock band who recorded and performed from 1975 to 1979. Formed in 1975 in Los Angeles, the band released four studio albums and one live album during its run. Among their best-known songs are "Cherry Bomb", "Hollywood", "Queens of Noise" and a cover version of the Velvet Underground's "Rock & Roll". Never a major success in the United States, the Runaways became a sensation overseas, especially in Japan, thanks to the single "Cherry Bomb".
Joan Jett is an American rock singer, guitarist, songwriter, record producer, and actress. She is best known for her work as the frontwoman of her band Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, and for founding and performing with the Runaways, who recorded and released the hit song "Cherry Bomb". With the Blackhearts, Jett is known for her rendition of the song "I Love Rock 'n Roll" which was the number-one song on the Billboard Hot 100 for seven weeks in 1982. Jett's other notable songs include "Bad Reputation", "Light of Day", "I Hate Myself for Loving You" and her covers of "Crimson and Clover", "Do You Wanna Touch Me " and "Dirty Deeds".
Sinner is the eleventh studio album by the American hard rock band Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, released June 13, 2006, by Blackheart Records Group. While most of the contents previously appeared on the Japan-only release Naked (2004), some in different mixes, it is her first record of new material released in the United States since Pure and Simple in 1994. Singles released include "A.C.D.C." and "Riddles", which is a new version of "Right in the Middle" from Naked with different lyrics.
Bad Reputation is the debut solo studio album by American recording artist Joan Jett. It was originally released independently in May 1980 as a self-titled album after her previous band The Runaways disbanded. After Jett signed with Boardwalk Records, the album was re-released worldwide with the new title on January 23, 1981. The album was positively received by critics and reached number 51 on the Billboard 200.
I Love Rock 'n Roll is the second studio album by Joan Jett and the first with her backing band the Blackhearts. The album was recorded during the summer of 1981 and was released in November. Soon after the first recording sessions at Soundworks Studios, original Blackheart guitarist Eric Ambel was replaced by Ricky Byrd. It is Jett's most commercially successful album to date with over a million copies sold, largely due to the success of the title track, which was released as a single soon after the album was released.
Album is the third studio album by Joan Jett and the second to feature her backing band the Blackhearts. It was released in July 1983.
Glorious Results of a Misspent Youth is the fourth studio album by Joan Jett and the third to feature her backing band The Blackhearts. The album was released in 1984 and reissued in 1998 with seven bonus tracks. The title of the album was taken from a line of dialogue in an episode of The Honeymooners.
Up Your Alley is the sixth studio album by American rock band Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, released on May 2, 1988 by Blackheart Records and CBS Records in the United States, and by Polydor Records in Europe and Japan, a year and a half after their previous album Good Music (1986). This album contains the single "I Hate Myself for Loving You", which peaked at No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100, and had been used as the theme song for Sunday Night Football NFL games in America during the 2006 and 2007 seasons. The follow-up single "Little Liar" continued Jett's chart success, peaking at No. 19 on the Hot 100 in late 1988/early 1989.
Pure and Simple is the ninth studio album by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, released in 1994. The album includes several tracks co-written with Kathleen Hanna, including "Go Home", a response to the murder of Mia Zapata.
Good Music is the fifth studio album by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, released in 1986. The album's working title was Contact, after the final song off the album, but it was changed to Good Music in its final stages.
The Hit List is the seventh studio album, and the first cover album by Joan Jett. The album was released in 1990. All of the tracks are covers of famous songs.
Notorious is the eighth studio album by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts. The album was released in 1991.
"I Hate Myself for Loving You" is a song by American rock band Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, released as the lead single from their sixth studio album, Up Your Alley (1988). The song reached number eight on the US Billboard Hot 100, Jett's third and last single to reach the top 10, and was her first since "Crimson and Clover" in 1982. The song spent six weeks longer on the charts than did the group's biggest hit, "I Love Rock 'n' Roll". On September 10, 2011, the single reached number 39 on the US Rock Digital Songs chart.
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"Bad Reputation" is a rock song co-written and recorded by Joan Jett from her debut album of the same name. It remains one of her signature songs.
The discography of Joan Jett, an American rock musician, includes 44 singles and 12 studio albums.
"I Love Rock 'n' Roll" is a rock song written by Alan Merrill and Jake Hooker and first recorded by the Arrows, a British rock band, in 1975. A 1981 cover version by Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, released as the first single from her album of the same name, became Jett's highest-charting hit, reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and becoming the No. 3 song for 1982. The single was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America, representing two million units shipped to stores. Jett's version was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2016.
Kenneth Benjamin Laguna is an American songwriter, record producer, and musician, best known for his work with Joan Jett.
Unvarnished is the twelfth studio album by American rock band Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, released on September 30, 2013. It reached number 47 on the US Billboard 200, becoming Jett's first album to chart since The Hit List (1990).
Bad Reputation is a 2018 American documentary film about the career of rock musician Joan Jett, directed by Kevin Kerslake and written by Joel Marcus. The documentary traces Jett's musical career from the formation of the Runaways through her subsequent partnership with songwriter and producer Kenny Laguna. Continuing with the creation of the band Joan Jett & the Blackhearts as well as the establishment of the record label Blackheart Records with Laguna, the narrative concludes with the induction of Joan Jett & the Blackhearts into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's Class of 2015.
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