Stanard "Stan" Ridgway (born April 5, 1954) is an American multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter, and film and television composer known for his distinctive voice, dramatic lyrical narratives, and eclectic solo albums. He was the original lead singer and a founding member of the band

Wall of Voodoo Wall of Voodoo was an American rock band from Los Angeles, California, United States. Though largely an underground act for the majority of its existence, the band came to prominence when its 1982 single " Mexican Radio" became a hit on MTV and ...

Early life

Stan Ridgway was born in

Barstow, California Barstow is a city in San Bernardino County, California, in the Mojave Desert of Southern California. Located in the Inland Empire region of California, the population was 25,415 at the 2020 census. Barstow is an important crossroads for the I ...

, in the "high desert", and raised in Los Angeles. He claims to have been a budding ventriloquist who spent his first night in jail at the age of 12 for stealing street signs. Ridgway also had a childhood fascination with folk music, pestering his parents until they bought him a banjo at the age of 14.

Wall of Voodoo

The band was named

by Ridgway before their first show, in reference to a comment made by a friend of Ridgway's, while recording and overdubbing a Kalamazoo Rhythm Ace drum machine, which was a gift from voice actor

Daws Butler Charles Dawson Butler (November 16, 1916May 18, 1988) was an American voice actor. He worked mostly for the Hanna-Barbera animation production company where he originated the voices of many familiar characters, including Yogi Bear, Huckleberry Ho ...

. While listening to some of the music that created in the studio, Ridgway jokingly compared the multiple-drum-machine- and

Farfisa Farfisa (Fabbriche Riunite di Fisarmoniche) is a manufacturer of electronics based in Osimo, Italy, founded in 1946. The company manufactured a series of compact electronic organs in the 1960s and 1970s, including the Compact, FAST, Professiona ...

-organ-laden recordings to

Phil Spector Harvey Phillip Spector (born Harvey Philip Spector; December 26, 1939January 16, 2021) was an American record producer and songwriter, best known for his innovative recording practices and entrepreneurship in the 1960s, followed decades later by ...

Wall of Sound The Wall of Sound (also called the Spector Sound) is a music production formula developed by American record producer Phil Spector at Gold Star Studios, in the 1960s, with assistance from engineer Larry Levine and the conglomerate of session m ...

, whereupon the friend commented it sounded more like a "wall of voodoo" and the name stuck. Wall of Voodoo's music was a mix of New Wave and

Ennio Morricone Ennio Morricone (; 10 November 19286 July 2020) was an Italian composer, orchestrator, conductor, and trumpeter who wrote music in a wide range of styles. With more than 400 scores for cinema and television, as well as more than 100 classica ...

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soundtracks of the 1960s. Adding to the music's distinctiveness was percussive and textural experimentation, i.e. mixing drum machines with unconventional instruments such as pots, pans and various kitchen utensils, raw electronics with interlocking melodic figures as well as twangy spaghetti-western guitar. On top of the mix was Ridgway's unusual vocal style and highly stylized, cinematic narratives heavily influenced by science fiction and film noir, sung from the perspective of ordinary people and characters wrestling with ironies inside the American Dream.

Solo career

Ridgway embarked on a solo career in 1983, shortly after Wall of Voodoo's appearance at the

US Festival The US Festival (''US'' pronounced like the pronoun, not as initials) was the name of two early 1980s music and culture festivals in southern California, held east of Los Angeles, near San Bernardino. Background Steve Wozniak, cofound ...

that same year. After collaborating on the song, "

Don't Box Me In "Don't Box Me In" is a collaboration between the Police drummer Stewart Copeland and former Wall of Voodoo vocalist Stan Ridgway, recorded as part of the soundtrack for the Francis Ford Coppola movie ''Rumble Fish'' and subsequently released as a s ...

" with

Stewart Copeland Stewart Armstrong Copeland (born July 16, 1952) is a Scottish-American musician and composer. He is best known for his work as the drummer of the English rock band the Police from 1977 to 1986, and again from 2007 to 2008. Before playing with th ...

from

the Police The Police were an English rock band formed in London in 1977. For most of their history the line-up consisted of primary songwriter Sting (lead vocals, bass guitar), Andy Summers (guitar) and Stewart Copeland (drums, percussion). The Police ...

for the soundtrack to

Francis Ford Coppola Francis Ford Coppola (; ; born April 7, 1939) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. He is considered one of the major figures of the New Hollywood filmmaking movement of the 1960s and 1970s. Coppola is the recipient of five A ...

's, ''

Rumble Fish ''Rumble Fish'' is a 1983 American drama film directed by Francis Ford Coppola. It is based on the 1975 novel ''Rumble Fish'' by S. E. Hinton, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Coppola. The film stars Matt Dillon, Mickey Rourke, Vincent Span ...

'', starring

Mickey Rourke Philip Andre "Mickey" Rourke Jr. (; born September 16, 1952) is an American actor and former boxer who has appeared primarily as a leading man in drama, action, and thriller films. During the star of the 1980s, Rourke played supporting roles i ...

Matt Dillon Matthew Raymond Dillon (born February 18, 1964) is an American actor. He has received various accolades, including an Oscar and Grammy nomination. Dillon made his feature film debut in '' Over the Edge'' (1979) and established himself as a te ...

and

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, he released his first proper solo album, ''The Big Heat'' (1986), which included the top 5 European (including UK) hit "

Camouflage Camouflage is the use of any combination of materials, coloration, or illumination for concealment, either by making animals or objects hard to see, or by disguising them as something else. Examples include the leopard's spotted coat, the ...

". This was followed by numerous other solo recordings: ''Mosquitos'' (1989),
''Partyball'' (1991), ''Black Diamond'' (1995), and ''Anatomy'' (1999), ''The Way I Feel Today'' (1998), a collection of big band standards, and ''Holiday in Dirt'' (2002), a compilation of outtakes and previously unreleased songs. Ridgway's album ''Snakebite: Blacktop Ballads and Fugitive Songs'' (2005), features the narrative song, "Talkin' Wall Of Voodoo Blues Pt. 1", a history of his former band in song. Ridgway's album ''Holiday in Dirt'' was a quasi-cinematic project, with the release of the album accompanied by a showing of 14 short films by various independent filmmakers, each film a visual interpretation of one of the songs on the album. A compilation DVD of the films was released in February 2005. Stan Ridgway

In 1994, Ridgway began work on a new project in the form of a trio called Drywall, the other members of the trio being Ridgway's wife, keyboardist/vocalist Pietra Wexstun of the band Hecate's Angels (who had previously worked with Ridgway on ''Mosquitos'' and ''Partyball''), and former

Rain Parade The Rain Parade is a band that was originally active in the Paisley Underground scene in Los Angeles in the 1980s, and that reunited and resumed touring in 2012. History Rain Parade in the 1980s (1981–86) Originally called the Sidewalks, the b ...

drummer Ivan Knight. In 1995, Drywall released its first album (first of a "trilogy of apocalyptic documents"), titled ''Work the Dumb Oracle''. A short film directed by Carlos Grasso titled ''The Drywall Incident'', was released the same year. An extended, instrumental soundtrack album for ''The Drywall Incident'' was released in 1996. Ridgway and Wexstun also collaborated and forayed into new musical territory, composing a suite of mostly instrumental and orchestral pieces to accompany an exhibition of

postmodern Postmodernism is an intellectual stance or mode of discourseNuyen, A.T., 1992. The Role of Rhetorical Devices in Postmodernist Discourse. Philosophy & Rhetoric, pp.183–194. characterized by skepticism toward the " grand narratives" of moderni ...

surrealist Surrealism is a cultural movement that developed in Europe in the aftermath of World War I in which artists depicted unnerving, illogical scenes and developed techniques to allow the unconscious mind to express itself. Its aim was, according to l ...

artist

Mark Ryden Mark Ryden (born January 20, 1963) is an American painter who is considered to be part of the Lowbrow (or Pop Surrealist) art movement.Ken Johnson"Mark Ryden: ‘The Gay 90s: Old Tyme Art Show" ''The New York Times'', May 6, 2010. Retrieved 2013 ...

's paintings after being introduced by a mutual friend, Sean P. Riley, who toured with Wall Of Voodoo on their 1982 "Call of the West – Tour of Virtue" as the band's merchandiser. The album was released on CD in 2003 as ''Blood – Miniature Paintings of Sorrow and Fear'' in a unique 3-panel packaging design by the artist, which quickly sold out of its limited pressing of 7,500. Ridgway plays banjo and harmonica in Wexstun's group Hecate's Angels. Stan Ridgway and Drywall regrouped in 2006 to release the album ''Barbeque Babylon'', the third "apocalyptic document" with the single "The

AARP AARP (formerly called the American Association of Retired Persons) is an interest group in the United States focusing on issues affecting those over the age of fifty. The organization said it had more than 38 million members in 2018. The magazin ...

Is After Me". The new Drywall lineup features Rick King on guitars and bass and Bruce Zelesnik on drums and percussion. In 2008, Ridgway and Wexstun released "Silly Songs for Kids Vol. 1", a collection of children's songs that feature the duo and also saxophonist and woodwind player

Ralph Carney Ralph (pronounced ; or ,) is a male given name of English, Scottish and Irish origin, derived from the Old English ''Rædwulf'' and Radulf, cognate with the Old Norse ''Raðulfr'' (''rað'' "counsel" and ''ulfr'' "wolf"). The most common forms ...

. Ridgway has also contributed to albums and projects by producer

Hal Willner Hal Willner (April 6, 1956 – April 7, 2020) was an American music producer working in recording, films, television, and live events. He was best known for assembling tribute albums and events featuring a wide variety of artists and musical sty ...

Frank Black and the Catholics Charles Michael Kittridge Thompson IV (born April 6, 1965) is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He is best known as the frontman of the alternative rock band Pixies (band), Pixies, with whom he performs under the stage name Bl ...

the Flesh Eaters The Flesh Eaters are an American punk rock band, formed in Los Angeles, California, United States, in 1977. They are the most prominent of the bands which have showcased the compositions and singing of their founder, punk poet Chris Desjardin ...

, the

Divine Horsemen The Divine Horsemen were an American punk/roots band founded in 1983 by Chris D. (Desjardins), formerly of L.A. punk rock band the Flesh Eaters.The Ray Campi Quartet,

the Fibonaccis The Fibonaccis were an American art rock band formed in 1981 in Los Angeles. The band consisted of songwriters John Dentino ( keyboards) and Ron Stringer (guitar), Magie Song (vocals), Joe Berardi (drums) and later Tom Corey (bass). Formation Th ...

, and

Roger McGuinn James Roger McGuinn (born James Joseph McGuinn III; July 13, 1942) is an American musician. He is best known for being the frontman and leader of the Byrds. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for his work with the Byrds. As a ...

Discography

* ''

The Big Heat ''The Big Heat'' is a 1953 American film noir crime film directed by Fritz Lang starring Glenn Ford, Gloria Grahame, and Jocelyn Brando about a cop who takes on the crime syndicate that controls his city. William P. McGivern's serial in ''The ...

'' (1986) * ''

Mosquitos Mosquitoes (or mosquitos) are members of a group of almost 3,600 species of small flies within the family Culicidae (from the Latin ''culex'' meaning "gnat"). The word "mosquito" (formed by ''mosca'' and diminutive ''-ito'') is Spanish for "litt ...

'' (1989) * '' Partyball'' (1991) * '' Songs That Made This Country Great'' (1992) * '' Black Diamond'' (1996) * '' The Way I Feel Today'' (1998) * ''

Anatomy Anatomy () is the branch of biology concerned with the study of the structure of organisms and their parts. Anatomy is a branch of natural science that deals with the structural organization of living things. It is an old science, having its ...

'' (1999) * '' Holiday in Dirt'' (2002) * ''

Snakebite A snakebite is an injury caused by the bite of a snake, especially a venomous snake. A common sign of a bite from a venomous snake is the presence of two puncture wounds from the animal's fangs. Sometimes venom injection from the bite may occu ...

'' (2004) * '' Neon Mirage'' (2010) * '' Mr. Trouble'' (2012) * ''Priestess of the Promised Land'' (2016)

Film scores

* ''

'' (1983), directed by

(end title song "Don't Box Me In" with

) * ''

Terminus Terminus may refer to: * Bus terminus, a bus station serving as an end destination * Terminal train station or terminus, a railway station serving as an end destination Geography *Terminus, the unofficial original name of Atlanta, Georgia, United ...

'' (1987), directed by Pierre-William Glenn (title song "End Of The Line") * '' Slam Dance'' (1987), directed by

Wayne Wang Wayne Wang (; born January 12, 1949) is a Hong Kong Americans, Hong Kong–American Film director, director, Film producer, producer, and screenwriter. Considered a pioneer of Asian-American cinema, he was one of the first Chinese Americans, ...

(song "Bing Can't Walk") * '' Pump Up the Volume'' (1990), directed by Allan Moyle (song "Talk Hard") * ''Future Kick'' (1991), directed by Damian Klaus (score) * ''Floundering'' (1994), directed by Peter McCarthy (title song & "My Drug Buddy" (later renamed "Amnesia" when released on Holiday in Dirt)) * ''

September Songs – The Music of Kurt Weill ''September Songs – The Music of Kurt Weill'' is a music video of 94 minutes recorded on VHS in 1994 for Rhombus Media, ZDF (Germany), CBC (Canada) and RTP (Portugal). It was produced and directed by Larry Weinstein, and written by Weinstein ...

'' (1994), directed by Larry Weinstein (singer Cannon Song). * ''

Box of Moonlight ''Box of Moonlight'' is a 1996 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Tom DiCillo and starring John Turturro, Sam Rockwell, Lisa Blount and Catherine Keener. Synopsis Al Fountain is a methodic and somewhat neurotic engineer. On the ...

'' (1996), directed by

Tom DiCillo Thomas A. DiCillo (born August 14, 1953) is an American film director, screenwriter and cinematographer. Early life He was born in Camp Le Jeune, North Carolina. His father was Italian and his mother was from New England. He studied creative wri ...

(writer: "Mexican Radio" – as Stanard R. Funsten) * ''

Melting Pot The melting pot is a monocultural metaphor for a heterogeneous society becoming more homogeneous, the different elements "melting together" with a common culture; an alternative being a homogeneous society becoming more heterogeneous throug ...

'' (1997), directed by Tom Musca (score) * ''Death Smokes a Big Cigar'' (1997), directed by Franco Riccardi (score) * ''Error In Judgment'' (1998), directed by Scott Levy (score) * ''Desperate But Not Serious'' (1999), directed by Bill Fishman (score) * ''Speedway Junky'' (1999), directed by Nick Perry (score) * ''The Keening'' (1999), directed by Alex & Andrew Smith (score) * ''Simpatico'' (1999), directed by

Matthew Warchus Matthew Warchus (born 24 October 1966) is a British theatre director, filmmaker, lyricist, and playwright. He has been the Artistic Director of London's The Old Vic since September 2015. Personal life Warchus is married to American actress Lau ...

(end title song) * ''$pent'' (2000), directed by Gil Cates Jr. (score) * ''Vengeance'' (2001), directed by Brian Belefant (songs) * ''Desert Saints'' (2002), directed by Richard Greenberg (song)

Related artists

Pete McRae Pete McRae is an American rock music, rock guitarist. Born Robert F. McRae, Jr. in Austin, Texas in 1955, McRae and his family moved to California when he was aged ten. Pete graduated from Terra Linda High School, in Marin County, in 1973. He b ...

The Flesh Eaters The Flesh Eaters are an American punk rock band, formed in Los Angeles, California, United States, in 1977. They are the most prominent of the bands which have showcased the compositions and singing of their founder, punk poet Chris Desjardin ...

Divine Horsemen The Divine Horsemen were an American punk/roots band founded in 1983 by Chris D. (Desjardins), formerly of L.A. punk rock band the Flesh Eaters.The Fibonaccis The Fibonaccis were an American art rock band formed in 1981 in Los Angeles. The band consisted of songwriters John Dentino ( keyboards) and Ron Stringer (guitar), Magie Song (vocals), Joe Berardi (drums) and later Tom Corey (bass). Formation Th ...

References

External links

Stuck In The 80's – Stan Ridgway Interview 2006

* ttp://www.stanridgway.com/ Official Stan Ridgway Site
Essays and Reviews on Stan Ridgway, by Prof. Sam Umland

Stan Ridgway Profile

Complete Discography

"Beyond Tomorrow" fan site

Trouser Press entry
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ridgway, Stan 1954 births Living people People from Barstow, California American banjoists American film score composers American male film score composers American experimental guitarists American male guitarists American male singer-songwriters American rock guitarists American rock singers American rock songwriters Rock harmonica players I.R.S. Records artists 20th-century American guitarists Male new wave singers Wall of Voodoo members 21st-century American keyboardists Singer-songwriters from California