Jonathan Richman

Jonathan Richman
Jonathan Richman at Ed's, Winona, Minnesota (2014)
Background information
Born	(1951-05-16) May 16, 1951 (age 65) Natick, Massachusetts, United States
Genres	Rock, folk, new wave, proto-punk, garage rock
Occupation(s)	Musician, singer-songwriter
Instruments	guitar, vocals, saxophone
Years active	1970–present
Labels	Beserkley, Warner Bros.
Associated acts	The Modern Lovers

Jonathan Michael Richman (born May 16, 1951) is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. In 1970 he founded the Modern Lovers, an influential proto-punk band. Since the mid-1970s, Richman has worked either solo or with low-key, acoustic and electric, backing. Currently, he plays only acoustic to protect his hearing. He is known for his wide-eyed, unaffected and childlike outlook, and music that, while rooted in rock and roll, is influenced by music from around the world.

Born in Natick, Massachusetts, into a Jewish family, Richman began playing music and writing his own songs in the mid-1960s. He became infatuated with the Velvet Underground, and in 1969 he moved to New York City, lived on the couch of their manager, Steve Sesnick, worked odd jobs and tried to break in as a professional musician. Failing at this, he returned to Boston.

While in Boston, Richman formed the Modern Lovers, a proto-punk garage rock band. Other notable members of the group were keyboard player Jerry Harrison and drummer David Robinson, who later joined Talking Heads and the Cars, respectively.

In 1972 they recorded a series of demos with producer John Cale (formerly of the Velvet Underground). Among these songs were the seminal "Roadrunner" and "Pablo Picasso" which were eventually released on the group's post-breakup album, The Modern Lovers (August 1976). The album was strange for its time, featuring Velvets-influenced basic three-chord rock ("Roadrunner" — based on just two chords – is an homage to "Sister Ray") at a time when glam and progressive rock were the norm.