Ricky Echolette

Last updated
Ricky Echolette
Birth nameWolfgang Neuhaus
Born (1958-08-06) 6 August 1958 (age 66)
Cologne, West Germany
Genres Synth-pop, film score
Occupation(s)Musician, keyboardist, composer
InstrumentsKeyboards, piano, guitar
Years active1985–1997

Ricky Echolette (born Wolfgang Neuhaus) is a former member of the German synth-pop Alphaville. He played keyboards, piano, and guitar in the band from 1985 until his departure in 1997.

In January 1985, he replaced Frank Mertens, who left Alphaville after the release of their first album Forever Young .

Marian Gold was an old friend of his and had already asked Echolette to join the group two years earlier. Echolette had declined the offer to stay in Gold's previous group Chinchilla Green. [1]

He left Alphaville in 1997 during the production of Salvation to live in the South of France with his family. [2] [3] He is credited for writing the songs along with Gold and Bernhard Lloyd, but did not play on the album.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The B-52s</span> American rock band

The B-52s, originally presented as the B-52's, are an American new wave band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1976. The original lineup consisted of Fred Schneider, Kate Pierson, Cindy Wilson, Ricky Wilson, and Keith Strickland. Ricky Wilson died of AIDS-related illness in 1985, and Strickland permanently switched from drums to lead guitar. The band has also added various members for albums and live performances.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alphaville (band)</span> German synth-pop band

Alphaville is a German synth-pop band formed in Münster in 1982. They gained popularity in the 1980s. The group was founded by singers Marian Gold, Bernhard Lloyd, and Frank Mertens. They achieved chart success with the singles "Forever Young", "Big in Japan", "Sounds Like a Melody", "The Jet Set", and "Dance with Me". Gold remains the only continuous original member of Alphaville. They took their name from Jean-Luc Godard's film Alphaville.

Big in Japan were a punk band that emerged from Liverpool, United Kingdom in the late 1970s. They are better known for the later successes of their band members than for their own music.

<i>Forever Young</i> (Alphaville album) 1984 studio album by Alphaville

Forever Young is the debut studio album by German synth-pop band Alphaville. It was released on 27 September 1984 by Warner Music Group. Four singles supported the album: "Big in Japan", "Sounds Like a Melody", "Forever Young", and "Jet Set". The album charted well, hitting the top 20 in six European countries and reaching number 1 in Norway and Sweden. Alphaville followed up with their second album in 1986 with the release of Afternoons in Utopia.

<i>Cosmic Thing</i> 1989 studio album by the B-52s

Cosmic Thing is the fifth studio album by American new wave band the B-52's, released in 1989 by Reprise Records. It contains the hit singles "Love Shack", "Roam" and "Deadbeat Club". The music video for "Love Shack" won the award for Best Group Video at the 1990 MTV Video Music Awards. Six of the album's songs were produced by Nile Rodgers in New York City, and the remaining four by Don Was in upstate New York.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marian Gold</span> German singer-songwriter

Marian Gold is a German singer-songwriter who gained fame as the lead singer of the German synth-pop band Alphaville, but also has recorded as a solo artist. He is known for his tenor multi-octave vocal range.

<i>Salvation</i> (Alphaville album) 1997 studio album by Alphaville

Salvation is the fifth album by German synth-pop band Alphaville and was released in 1997. Three tracks from the album were released as singles: "Wishful Thinking", "Flame", and "Soul Messiah". However, none of them charted on the German single charts. It is the last album at the Warner/metropolis label. It was also the last album with Bernhard Lloyd, who left the band in 2003.

<i>Prostitute</i> (Alphaville album) 1994 studio album by Alphaville

Prostitute is the fourth studio album by German synth-pop band Alphaville, released in 1994. The album was reissued in a remastered and expanded edition in November 2023.

<i>The Breathtaking Blue</i> 1989 studio album by Alphaville

The Breathtaking Blue is the third album by German synth-pop band Alphaville, released in April 1989. A companion video, Songlines, was released in September 1989. The CD release of this album was one of the first commercial CD+G format discs. Alphaville released three singles from the album, "Romeos", "Summer Rain" and "Mysteries of Love", the first of which charted internationally.

<i>Afternoons in Utopia</i> 1986 studio album by Alphaville

Afternoons in Utopia is the second album by German synth-pop band Alphaville, released in 1986 via Warner Music. The album was recorded between September 1985 and May 1986.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Forever Young (Alphaville song)</span> 1984 single by Alphaville

"Forever Young" is a song by German synth-pop band Alphaville from their first album Forever Young (1984). The single was successful in Scandinavia and in the European German-speaking countries in the same year.

<i>Songlines</i> (Alphaville video) 1989 video by Alphaville

Songlines is a video released by the German band Alphaville in 1989, created during the production of Alphaville's 1989 album The Breathtaking Blue.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ricky Skaggs</span> American musician, producer, and composer

Rickie Lee Skaggs, known professionally as Ricky Skaggs, is an American neotraditional country and bluegrass singer, musician, producer, and composer. He primarily plays mandolin; however, he also plays fiddle, guitar, mandocaster, and banjo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sounds Like a Melody</span> 1984 single by Alphaville

"Sounds Like a Melody" is a song by German band Alphaville, released in 1984 as the second single from their debut album Forever Young.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Big in Japan (Alphaville song)</span> 1984 single by Alphaville

"Big in Japan" is the debut single of German synth-pop band Alphaville, from their 1984 album Forever Young.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alphaville discography</span> Band discography

The discography of German synth-pop group Alphaville.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jet Set (Alphaville song)</span> 1985 single by Alphaville

Jet Set” is the fourth and last single from Alphaville's first album, Forever Young, and was released in March 1985.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Romeos (song)</span> 1989 single by Alphaville

"Romeos" is the first single from Alphaville's 1989 album The Breathtaking Blue. It was released a month ahead of the album and was the first single by Alphaville to be released as a CD single, previous singles having preceded the format's rise in popularity.

Frank Mertens is a German musician. He is a former member of the German synth-pop group Alphaville.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bernhard Lloyd</span> Musical artist

Bernhard Lloyd is a former member and co-founder of the German synth-pop band Alphaville.

References

  1. "Cosmic Meadows: Interview with Ricky Echolette".
  2. "Cosmic Meadows: Interview with Marian Gold, 14 October 1997".
  3. "Interview mit ALPHAVILLE (MARIAN GOLD) vom 04.11.2010". 4 November 2010.