Ric Parnell (13 August 1951 – 1 May 2022) was an English
rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
drummer. Notable for his work in the band
Atomic Rooster, he is probably best known for his role as the ill-fated drummer
Mick Shrimpton
Spinal Tap (stylized as Spın̈al Tap, with a dotless letter ''i'' and a metal umlaut over the ''n'') is a fictional English heavy metal band created by American comedians and musicians Michael McKean (as lead singer and co-lead guitarist Dav ...
in the film ''
This Is Spinal Tap
''This Is Spinal Tap'' (also known as ''This Is Spınal Tap: A Rockumentary by Martin Di Bergi'') is a 1984 American mockumentary film co-written and directed by Rob Reiner (in his feature directorial debut). The film stars Christopher Guest, M ...
''.
Career
Born in London in 1951,
Parnell had a long family history of musical careers. His grandfather Russ Carr was a music hall artist and his father
Jack Parnell
John Russell Parnell (6 August 1923 – 8 August 2010) was an English musician and musical director.
Biography
Parnell was born into a theatrical family in London, England. His uncle was the theatrical impresario Val Parnell.
During hi ...
was a jazz drummer and musical director for
Associated Television
Associated Television was the original name of the British broadcaster ATV, part of the Independent Television (ITV) network. It provided a service to London at weekends from 1955 to 1968, to the Midlands on weekdays from 1956 to 1968, and ...
. He had two brothers, Will and Marc Parnell, who are also drummers. His two sisters decided not to enter the music business.
In 1970, he was a member of the short-lived hard rock band Horse, who recorded one album before breaking up.
[Joynson, Vernon (1995)]
''The Tapestry of Delights''
. London: Borderline Books. Shortly after, he briefly joined the progressive rock band
Atomic Rooster, leaving after just two months with the band.
By the end of 1971 he had been invited to rejoin Atomic Rooster, this time staying long enough to play on the band's last two albums.
After Atomic Rooster folded, Parnell (using his nickname "Spyder") joined with the Italian group Tritons, who had a hit in Italy with their re-arranged version of
the Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically d ...
song "Satisfaction" in 1973. They quickly issued an album also titled ''Satisfaction'' that same year. Several members of Tritons were more interested in performing music of a more serious nature; these members (including Parnell) left Tritons and helped co-found the Italian prog-rock group Ibis. Parnell was the drummer and co-lyricist on their 1974 album, ''Sun Supreme''. The group continued for one further album after Parnell left.
In 1975, Parnell was a member of the more pop/rock oriented group Stars, which issued one self-titled album before breaking up. That was followed by a two-album stint as drummer for Italian/British jazz fusion group
Nova
A nova (plural novae or novas) is a transient astronomical event that causes the sudden appearance of a bright, apparently "new" star (hence the name "nova", which is Latin for "new") that slowly fades over weeks or months. Causes of the dramati ...
in 1977 and 1978.
After leaving Nova, Parnell continued to play for various other bands and artists throughout the 1970s and 1980s including
Michael Des Barres
Michael Philip Des Barres (born 24 January 1948), the 26th Marquis Des Barres, is an English actor and rock singer. He appeared as Murdoc in the original '' MacGyver'', Nicholas Helman, Murdoc's mentor, on the new reboot of '' MacGyver'' (2016 ...
and
Lisa Dal Bello
Lisa Dal Bello (born 22 May 1959), also known as Dalbello, is a Canadian musician. She released three albums in the pop and pop/rock genre in her late teens, from 1977 through 1981 under her full name. In 1984, she re-emerged as Dalbello, wit ...
, as well as providing the drums for the
Toni Basil
Antonia Christina Basilotta (born September 22, 1943), better known by her stage name Toni Basil, is an American singer, choreographer, dancer, actress, and director. Her song "Mickey" topped the charts in the US, Canada and Australia and hit th ...
hit "
Mickey
Mickey is a given name and nickname, almost always masculine and often a short form (hypocorism) of Michael, and occasionally a surname. Notable people and characters with the name include:
People Given name or nickname Men
* Mickey Andrews (bor ...
" among other contributions. At one time,
Steve Perry
Stephen Ray Perry (born January 22, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He was the lead singer of the rock band Journey during their most commercially successful periods from 1977 to 1987, and again from 1995 to 1998. He also wrote/co ...
offered him a spot in
Journey
Journey or journeying may refer to:
* Travel, the movement of people between distant geographical locations
** Day's journey, a measurement of distance
** Road trip, a long-distance journey on the road
Animals
* Journey (horse), a thoroughbred ra ...
, but Parnell declined as he was preoccupied with his studio band at the time Zoo Drive, a decision he later regretted.
Parnell's big break came in 1984 when he played the role of
Mick Shrimpton
Spinal Tap (stylized as Spın̈al Tap, with a dotless letter ''i'' and a metal umlaut over the ''n'') is a fictional English heavy metal band created by American comedians and musicians Michael McKean (as lead singer and co-lead guitarist Dav ...
in the mockumentary ''
This Is Spinal Tap
''This Is Spinal Tap'' (also known as ''This Is Spınal Tap: A Rockumentary by Martin Di Bergi'') is a 1984 American mockumentary film co-written and directed by Rob Reiner (in his feature directorial debut). The film stars Christopher Guest, M ...
''. His character was one of a long line of unfortunate drummers who all perish from freak accidents, his own fate being
spontaneous combustion
Spontaneous combustion or spontaneous ignition is a type of combustion which occurs by self-heating (increase in temperature due to exothermic internal reactions), followed by thermal runaway (self heating which rapidly accelerates to high tem ...
.
"The first question they asked was, 'What do you think about a movie that's going to tear your career apart?' I said, 'You should have made this movie about 10 years ago.'
They then asked me what other bands I'd been in, and I said, 'Well, I was in a band called Atomic Rooster.' They looked at each other and said, 'Yep, that's it, you're our man.' "
Spinal Tap became a working band, recording a
soundtrack album
A soundtrack album is any album that incorporates music directly recorded from the soundtrack of a particular feature film or television show. The first such album to be commercially released was Walt Disney's ''Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs'' ...
and promoting the film with live shows and a 1984 appearance on ''
Saturday Night Live
''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves a ...
''. The character of Mick Shrimpton having died in ''This Is Spinal Tap'', Parnell assumed the role of his "twin brother" drummer Ric Shrimpton for the group's appearances subsequent to the film. This continued through the band's 1992 reunion album ''
Break Like the Wind
''Break Like the Wind'' is a 1992 album by the fictional heavy metal band Spinal Tap. The songs include a range of genres, from the glam metal anthem "Bitch School" down to the skiffle satire of "All the Way Home". The title, and the album's tit ...
'' and the associated concert tour. Parnell was not a part of more recent Spinal Tap activity.
While living in
Missoula, Montana
Missoula ( ; fla, label=Salish language, Séliš, Nłʔay, lit=Place of the Small Bull Trout, script=Latn; kut, Tuhuⱡnana, script=Latn) is a city in the U.S. state of Montana; it is the county seat of Missoula County, Montana, Missoula Cou ...
, Parnell co-hosted an 8-midnight radio program, ''Spontaneous Combustion'', on
KDTR
KDTR (103.3 FM, "Trail 103.3") is a commercial radio station licensed to Florence, Montana, and serving the Missoula, Montana area, owned by Missoula Broadcasting Company, LLC. KDTR airs an Adult Album Alternative
Adult album alternative (als ...
Trail 103.3 FM. Parnell was an avid golfer and frequently played golf when not employed playing the drums.
Parnell died on 1 May 2022 in Missoula, Montana at the age of 70.
Discography
* Horse - ''Horse'' (1970)
*
Atomic Rooster – ''
Made in England'' (1972)
* Atomic Rooster - ''
Nice 'n' Greasy
''Nice 'n' Greasy'' is the fifth studio album by British rock band Atomic Rooster.
In the US, the record was issued on Elektra in a different sleeve (pictured) to most territories and retitled ''Atomic Rooster IV'', as their first album, '' ...
'' (1973)
* Ibis - ''Sun Supreme'' (1974)
* Stars - ''Stars'' (1976)
*
Nova
A nova (plural novae or novas) is a transient astronomical event that causes the sudden appearance of a bright, apparently "new" star (hence the name "nova", which is Latin for "new") that slowly fades over weeks or months. Causes of the dramati ...
– ''
Wings of Love
''Wings of Love'' is a 1976 album by The Temptations for the Gordy ( Motown) label.
Background
Producer Jeffrey Bowen preferred Dennis Edwards to the rest of the group, and wanted to produce an Edwards solo album instead of a group album. As a ...
'' (1977)
* Nova - ''Sun City'' (1978)
*
Michael Des Barres
Michael Philip Des Barres (born 24 January 1948), the 26th Marquis Des Barres, is an English actor and rock singer. He appeared as Murdoc in the original '' MacGyver'', Nicholas Helman, Murdoc's mentor, on the new reboot of '' MacGyver'' (2016 ...
– ''I'm Only Human'' (1980)
*
Toni Basil
Antonia Christina Basilotta (born September 22, 1943), better known by her stage name Toni Basil, is an American singer, choreographer, dancer, actress, and director. Her song "Mickey" topped the charts in the US, Canada and Australia and hit th ...
– ''
Word of Mouth
Word of mouth, or ''viva voce'', is the passing of information from person to person using oral communication, which could be as simple as telling someone the time of day. Storytelling is a common form of word-of-mouth communication where one pe ...
'' (1982)
*
Spinal Tap – ''
This Is Spinal Tap
''This Is Spinal Tap'' (also known as ''This Is Spınal Tap: A Rockumentary by Martin Di Bergi'') is a 1984 American mockumentary film co-written and directed by Rob Reiner (in his feature directorial debut). The film stars Christopher Guest, M ...
'' (1984)
*
Jon Anderson - ''
3 Ships'' (1985)
* Spinal Tap - ''
Break Like the Wind
''Break Like the Wind'' is a 1992 album by the fictional heavy metal band Spinal Tap. The songs include a range of genres, from the glam metal anthem "Bitch School" down to the skiffle satire of "All the Way Home". The title, and the album's tit ...
'' (1992)
*
The Deviants - ''Barbarian Princes (Live in Japan 1999)'' (1999)
*
Deniz Tek - ''Detroit'' (2013)
* Donovan's Brain – ''Shambaholic And Other Love Songs'' (2014)
* Donovan's Brain – ''Heirloom Varieties'' (2015)
* Cloud Over Jupiter – ''Jupiter Rising'' (2015)
* The Dukes of 1987 – ''Retroderelict'' (2016)
* Deniz Tek – ''Mean Old Twister'' (2016)
* Telestrion – ''Blazing In The Sky'' (2018)
* Deniz Tek – ''Lost For Words'' (2018)
* PHILIDOR -– Woodpushers (2019)
Filmography
*''
This Is Spinal Tap
''This Is Spinal Tap'' (also known as ''This Is Spınal Tap: A Rockumentary by Martin Di Bergi'') is a 1984 American mockumentary film co-written and directed by Rob Reiner (in his feature directorial debut). The film stars Christopher Guest, M ...
'' (1984) – as Mick Shrimpton
*''
Masters from the Vaults'' (2003)
*''The Devil's Due at Midnight'' (2004)
*''Saving For The Day'' (2018) - as Ricardo
References
External links
*
*
Missoulian.comTell Us Something Storytelling Podcast (27 April 2015)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Parnell, Ric
1951 births
2022 deaths
English rock drummers
Musicians from London
Atomic Rooster members
People from Missoula, Montana
English expatriates in Italy
English expatriates in the United States
The Deviants (band) members