Ricky Fataar facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ricky Fataar
Fataar in 2008
Background information
Born	(1952-09-05) 5 September 1952 (age 72) Durban, South Africa
Genres	Rock blues jazz
Occupation(s)	Musician songwriter record producer
Instruments	Drums guitar vocals
Years active	1963–present

Ricky Fataar was born in South Africa on September 5, 1952. He is a talented musician who plays both the drums and the guitar. Ricky became well-known for acting in a movie called All You Need Is Cash. This film was a funny spoof about the famous band the Beatles. In the movie, Ricky was part of a band called the Rutles.

He was also a member of the Beach Boys from 1971 to 1974. For over 35 years, he has been the drummer for the popular singer Bonnie Raitt. Besides playing music, Ricky Fataar also produces music for records, movies, and TV shows.

Ricky Fataar's Music Journey

Starting with The Flames

Ricky Fataar's first band was called the Flames. They were from his hometown of Durban, South Africa. He joined the band when he was only nine years old. The Flames recorded many songs and toured all over southern Africa. They quickly became very popular in South Africa. By the time Ricky was twelve, he was voted the "Best Rock Drummer in South Africa."

In 1968, the band moved to London to tour in the United Kingdom. While they were touring, Carl Wilson saw them play. Carl was a founding member of The Beach Boys. He was very impressed by their music. Carl offered to sign them to the Beach Boys' new record label, Brother Records. The band then moved to Los Angeles. In 1970, they released their album The Flame, which Carl Wilson helped produce.

Joining The Beach Boys

The Flames band broke up in late 1970. In March 1972, Ricky Fataar and his bandmate Blondie Chaplin joined the Beach Boys. Ricky was asked to play drums because the Beach Boys' drummer, Dennis Wilson, had a hand injury.

Ricky and Blondie recorded two albums with the Beach Boys. They also started touring with them in 1971.

• The 1972 Beach Boys album Carl and the Passions – "So Tough" featured Ricky and Blondie. They played instruments and sang on the album. They also wrote two songs for it: "Here She Comes" and "Hold On Dear Brother."
• On the next album, Holland, released a year later, both musicians played and sang backing vocals. Blondie Chaplin sang lead on the hit song "Sail On, Sailor."
• They also worked with Carl Wilson and Mike Love on the song "Leaving This Town."
• In 1973, Ricky performed on the first live album, The Beach Boys in Concert.

Ricky and Blondie later left the band. Ricky only appeared on two songs, "It's OK" and "That Same Song," from the 1976 album 15 Big Ones.

In March 2019, Ricky Fataar received a special award. It was from Roger Williams University. The award celebrated a Beach Boys concert from September 22, 1971. This concert was the first time Ricky Fataar officially played with the band. It changed the Beach Boys' live and recording lineup to include more diverse musicians.

Playing in The Rutles

In 1978, Ricky Fataar acted in a movie called All You Need Is Cash. This film is often called The Rutles. It was a funny fake documentary that made fun of the real story of the Beatles. The idea came from a TV sketch on Saturday Night Live.

The Beatles-style music for The Rutles was written by Neil Innes. He was from the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band and worked with Monty Python. Ricky Fataar played the character Stig O'Hara. Stig was the band's guitarist, just like George Harrison in the Beatles. Ricky's character didn't speak in the movie. He was known as "the quiet one."

Ricky's wife at the time, Penelope Tree, also appeared in the movie. She played Stig's wife, Penelope. Ricky played guitar, bass, sitar, and drums on The Rutles' two albums, The Rutles and Archeology. He also sang on them. He even recorded a song with Eric Idle as 'Dirk & Stig'.

Working with Other Artists

Ricky Fataar has worked with many famous musicians. He often plays drums or guitar for them. Here are some of the artists he has played with:

• Ryan Adams
• David Cassidy
• Crowded House
• Tim Finn
• Etta James
• Elton John
• Keb' Mo'
• Robert Palmer
• Boz Scaggs
• Phoebe Snow
• Pops Staples
• Jennifer Warnes
• Dennis Wilson

Working with Bonnie Raitt

Ricky Fataar has had a long and important musical journey with Bonnie Raitt. He recorded on her album Green Light in 1979. In 1990, he officially joined Bonnie Raitt's band. He has been a key member ever since, playing drums on many of her albums, including:

• Nick of Time (1989)
• Luck of the Draw (1991)
• Longing in Their Hearts (1994)
• Silver Lining (2002)
• Souls Alike (2005)
• Slipstream (2012)
• Dig In Deep (2016)
• Just Like That... (2022)

Awards and Nominations

Ricky Fataar has been recognized for his work in music.

ARIA Music Awards

The ARIA Music Awards are big awards in Australian music. They celebrate great achievements in music.

Countdown Australian Music Awards

Countdown was a popular Australian TV show about pop music. It gave out music awards from 1979 to 1987.

Other Cool Projects

Making Music for Movies and TV

Ricky Fataar has used his talents as both an actor and a musician to create music for films and television. For example, he wrote the music for the Australian movie Spotswood.

Producing Music

As a music producer, Ricky Fataar has helped create the music for various films. These include High Tide and Les Patterson Saves the World.

More of Ricky's Work

Ricky Fataar has also worked as a session musician. This means he plays instruments for other artists' recordings. He played drums for Ian McLagan and many others.

In 1978, Ricky moved to Australia. There, he recorded and helped produce albums for Tim Finn. He also played drums on the Split Enz song "Message To My Girl." He worked with bands like Crowded House and artists like Jenny Morris and Wendy Matthews.

In 1985, Ricky teamed up with Tim Finn again. They appeared in the Australian movie The Coca-Cola Kid. In the film, they played in a band that performed a jingle in a recording studio.

See also

In Spanish: Ricky Fataar para niños

• The Monitors (Australian band)