Rick Lloyds first professional gig was a Queensland country tour in '71 backing Lucky Starr, who had the legendary Australian hit song "I've Been Everywhere Man". Lucky gave Rick his first lesson in reading drum music over breakfast in the small town of Roma. Next came a short season in Darwin backing Johnny O`Keefe, the first Australian rock icon.
The years on the road in Australia during the 70's were a priceless cameo of life, learning to survive the rough but fun realities of the infamous Australian pub rock circuit where distance was great, wages low and the audience unforgiving in their music preferences which was always the hits of the day and yester-year with an emphasis on the latter, all mixed in with the differing local cultures.
A defining musical point came in Perth where Rick, with vocalist Chris McNulty who is now an internationally recognized New York based jazz singer, put together a 7 piece funk band playing Tower Power, Average White Band and Rufus type covers, rehearsing every day and living on hope. Although this band Natural Gas lasted only 9 months, it motivated a development towards a rock/funk/jazz style in Rick.
This style of playing and in particular Steve Gadds drumming, sent Rick off to explore the roots of jazz and study music and drums at Berkeley College in Boston in '81.
After Berkeley and back home, another tour came about with John Schumann who wrote and recorded the hit Australian song "I Was Only Nineteen". On this tour Rick performed with ex Little River Band and Chain bassist Barry Sullivan. Barry had a great blues feel and help Rick understand the simplicity and complexity of blues music.
Through-out the 80's and early 90's Rick and Barry performed with American blues artist Wylie Reed as well as blues harp player Doc Span at the Byron Bay Blues Festival in '92 and American jazz pianist Vince Genova at local gigs.
Rick joined The Rob Tognoni Band in May '96 and has completed 3 European tours with Rob and played on the CD`s Headstrong and the new live album Live At The Twilight.
Currently Rick is writing a drum syllabus and teaching at his home studio at Peregian in Queensland. He is a visiting drum tutor traveling to The Republic of Vanuatu in the Pacific, playing and teaching songs on a Lions Club sponsored cultural exchange tour to isolated villages and mission schools.
Band Profiles
- Rob Tognoni lead guitar, vocals
- Richard Davis rhythm guitar, b.vocals
- Mark Williams bass
- Rick Lloyd drums
