Once in a blue moon, an amazingly gifted artist will cross my path, and funny enough, the moon has recently been a beautiful shade of Azure. So it was no surprise when the talented, soulful Rick Finch (multi-Grammy Award winner, American Music Award Winner, brilliant bass player/producer/arranger, 'Hollywood Walk of Fame' star recipient and one half of the team which founded "KC and the Sunshine Band") and I strangely stumbled upon one another.. (that, in itself is its own story............. stay tuned for a future installment!). When people think of the Disco years, there is no way to escape the impact this band made on that era - they WERE that era, and I'm sure that most people automatically think of the front man as being the 'star power' of this act.
But let the record show, the 'great and powerful Oz' behind the KC and the Sunshine Band 'curtain of success' wasn't their lead singer, but rather, the unassuming dark-haired bass player in the back row. Rick Finch was keenly in tune with music trends back in the day, even at the tender age of 16 --- and this was recognized by Henry Stone, founder of TK Records in Hialeah, Florida who allowed Finch to tinker in the recording studio after hours. With this creative freedom, Finch went on to craft "The Miami Sound," launching the Disco era and jettisoning the then recently formed KC and the Sunshine Band into super stardom.
With 2007 commemorating the 30th Anniversary of the release of the "Saturday Night Fever" soundtrack on which Finch's track "Boogie Shoes" was featured, it seemed a great time to catch up with him for an interview, talk about those years as well as hear about all the new music he's creating today.
LR: Tell me Rick......... what's it like, looking back 30 years and seeing that even today, people are still digging your music?
RF: It's an awesome feeling! In some ways surreal. Here it is, 30 years later and the music that KC (Harry Wayne Casey) and I created together still stands the test of time. You'll hear it in movie soundtracks, television commercials - "The Ellen Show" just today used "Shake Shake Shake" in one of their skits - Rap artists are sampling it for their work. Who would have thought that 30 years later, the shelf life still hasn't worn off!
LR: Anyone who's really done their homework on you knows that you're pretty much a quadruple threat --- musician, song arranger, producer AND engineer, but yet, you're not a household name.
RF: I really prefer the role of the behind the scenes guy to being the center of attention. It was always a better fit for me to be in the background, because it gave me the ability to gather precious information pertinent to the success of the band and any of the other artists I was producing at that moment.
LR: The whole 'living in a bubble' existence was probably interesting. Given that, did you have much freedom just to be "you?"
RF: You know, I did have freedom to have a life... even in the crazy world we were dealing with at the time. I had the ability to work on the things for the band that really interested me like the show and staging our performances, networking with the radio station guys and the local promoters when we were on tour and even at the local Miami stations where we were based. But my favorite part of the process was to do artist development and work on the music arrangements, fine-tune the recording process, perfecting new sounds and techniques and of course, producing projects for other artists and working on new music.
Many people thought that when the Disco years ended that great, fun music also stopped. To be honest - the music did stop for me for a good number of years and for various reasons, which of course will all come out in complete detail as you and I write my autobiography*, but with emotional and spiritual clarity and stability comes a rebirth of spirit - and in so many ways, the music industry is reborn for me now. I know I have a lot to give to so many new artists coming up the ranks. I was given a unique gift and it's important to pass on the knowledge and nurture up-and-coming talent.
(*"Behind The Sunshine... the unvarnished story of KC and the Sunshine Band" is the working title for this explosive accounting of Finch's years with the band, and the years following his severed professional collaboration with Harry Wayne Casey)
LR: You and I recently spoke about other people in the industry you've enjoyed working with. Any names or projects that the readers might recognize?
RF: Not many people know that I was the first to discover the talents of Johnny Depp back in 1979-80 when he was a young musician starting out in a local Florida band called, ''The Kids.'' I saw something unique in him, as well as in bassist/front-man Bruce Witkin, who is also a unique, gifted talent. I guess you could say the rest is history.
I also assisted producer Scotty Storch with the production of, ''Me, Myself & I'' - Beyonce's Number One Hip-Hop single.
LR: So where is the best, new music coming from today for you?
RF: Well... I've met quite a few new local artists where I live and I have produced a few CD's for them. The Internet has also proven to be quite a treasure trove of amazing talent. I'm also fielding proposals on a daily basis from artists contacting me on my MySpace account. So many people are in disbelief that I am so down to earth, humble and approachable – and of course, many don't believe it's really ME, just because there are so many people on MySpace, and the Internet for that matter, who pretend to be someone famous. So at times, I do have to field questions and comments from skeptics. LOL!
I also just put the finishing touches on a compilation CD of amazing new music, which will be coming out in the beginning of December and sold through a unique portal. It's called "Band Blend... The CD" and is being sold in conjunction with the award winning "Band Blend" wine being produced by Little Vineyards out of Sonoma, CA. I'm extremely proud of this project and the people I partnered with to make it happen. We all hope the public's response will be tremendous! Plus, the plan is to make this an annual CD to introduce songs from new artists along with a popular Little Vineyards vintage - so most likely these CD's will become collector's items.
Basically, this is a new and interesting label and music distribution concept. I'm thrilled and proud to be the person along with winery owner and musician, Rich Little pioneering this vision, but I've always prided myself as being a person who thinks outside of the lines and boundaries! "Forward thinking" and non-conformity are the only things that will save today's music industry and make it a viable profession for new artists, in my opinion.
LR: As mentioned, you play the bass guitar and drums. What was the draw to these two instruments?
RF: Making the speakers move!
LR: Too funny!!! Do you play any other instruments that people might not know about?
RF: Yes... percussion (various types), rhythm guitar... and, I can plow my way through a keyboard when I need to. LOL!
LR: And you're pretty much self taught, correct?
RF: Yep, I've been playing by ear my whole life. Sometimes I regret not schooling myself to actually read music. I've penned music for many years via recording devices, but I wish I'd taken the time to pick up on the reading/writing of it all.
LR: You've inspired many musicians - what music inspired you when you were first embarking on your career?
RF: Motown. The Atlantic years. Aretha Franklin, Otis Redding, James Brown. All the Stax Record Company releases. The Beatles and all the old country greats like Merle Haggard, Patsy Cline, Webb Pierce and Hank Williams, just to name a few...
LR: So let's chat about "Boogie Shoes" - KC and the Sunshine Band already had a string of hits by 1977 but it was THIS song that wound up on the "Saturday Night Fever" soundtrack. How did that come about?
RF: Well... Robert Stigwood (from the RSO Record label) asked us to come up with a track that would be fitting for a film he was working on, so we wanted to give up something new and fresh and different that was also short and to the point, so ''Boogie Shoes'' was the obvious choice to us at that time.
LR: So what stands out for you as being some of your more significant accomplishments?
RF: Well... having a helicopter view over everything really helps.. and.. keeping that ''down to earth'' perspective and still being able to relate to the needs of others in and out of the business, I feel, has been a major blessing. Also, the fact that the money never changed me... I remained spiritually founded and guided, even during the rough years.
LR: I know how rarely you give out interviews, Rick, so I want to say thank you for being so gracious with your time and your responses. I believe everyone reading this now has a better sense about you, the origins of the band - and I'm sure everyone will be looking forward to your autobiography, as well as to all of the great music you're creating and new artists you're discovering. So............. as we close out this first of what I am sure will be many more interviews to come, any parting words?RF: Yes... Keep It Real... AND... look after the needs of others... ALWAYS!
