Richard "Hock" Walsh
| Richard "Hock" Walsh | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Richard Walsh |
| Born | December 19, 1948 |
| Died | December 31, 1999 (aged 51) |
| Genres | Blues |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter |
| Years active | 1969–1999 |
| Associated acts |
Downchild Blues Band Cameo Blues Band Big Daddy G Revue |
Richard "Hock" Walsh (December 19, 1948 – December 31, 1999) was one of the first professional blues singers in Canada. He is particularly notable as the co-founder of the Downchild Blues Band and was the original singer of that band's best-known songs.
With his older brother Donnie ("Mr. Downchild") Walsh, Richard "Hock" Walsh co-founded the Downchild Blues Band in 1969, in Toronto. At the time, Downchild, as it later came to be known, was one of very few Canadian bands devoted to playing and developing blues music in Canada.
Both Donnie and Hock Walsh were greatly popularized by comedian Dan Aykroyd, who developed the Blues Brothers based on what he had seen in the Walsh brothers. Aykroyd modeled Elwood Blues on Donnie Walsh, while John Belushi's Jake Blues character was modeled on Hock Walsh. In their first album as the Blues Brothers, Briefcase Full of Blues (1978), Aykroyd and Belushi featured three well-known Downchild songs closely associated with Hock Walsh's vocal style: "I've Got Everything I Need (Almost)", written by Donnie Walsh, "Shotgun Blues", co-written by Donnie and Hock Walsh, and "Flip, Flop and Fly", co-written and originally popularized by Big Joe Turner. All three songs were contained in Downchild's second album, Straight Up (1973). "Flip, Flop and Fly" was Downchild's only hit single, and became the signature song of Hock Walsh.
Despite being a co-founder of Downchild and closely identified with the band's sound, Hock Walsh would leave, rejoin and be replaced as lead singer in the band on several occasions. He was first fired from the band in 1974, shortly before work began on the band's third album, Dancin'. Hock rejoined the band in 1977 and 1985. He was fired by his brother Donnie for a final time in 1990.
...
Wikipedia