Rick Allan Price (born 6 July 1961) is an Australian singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and record producer.
At the APRA Music Awards of 1992 "Heaven Knows" won Song of the Year for Price and his co-writer, Heather Field.
[1] Rick Allan Price was born on 6 July 1961 in Beaudesert, a small country town 69 kilometres (43 mi) south of Brisbane.
At the age of nine he appeared touring with his family band, "Union Beau", performing at local bush dances in southern Queensland and northern New South Wales.
[2] At the age of 18, Price moved to Sydney, where he worked as a session and touring musician, playing bass guitar with various inner city outfits.
In September 1983 he was recorded on David Fennell's album Harbour Crossing, where he provided bass guitar and backing vocals.
His distinctive vocals were soon in demand – he was a backing vocalist for Marcia Hines, Jon English, Dragon, Kerrie Biddell and Jade Hurley.
[2][5] In 1988, he sang "Celebration of a Nation", with Keren Minshull (later a member of band Euphoria), the theme song for the Australian Bicentenary.
"[6] He also provided vocals on "You're not Alone" (April 1988) by the Australian Olympians – an ensemble of various local artists – as a theme song for the national Summer Olympics campaign.
It was performed on TV teen soap opera, Home and Away, by a fictitious group, Image, with Price providing lead vocals.
In 1991, Price signed a deal with Columbia Records and he travelled to Los Angeles to work with producer, Chris Lord-Alge (Elton John, Bruce Springsteen, Roxette).
[8] The track was placed on high rotation on radio with the associated music video presented on national TV.
In May of that year, he joined the Wizard of Oz showcase in Los Angeles, where he performed alongside Tina Arena and other Australian artists.
[9] Australian musicologist Ian McFarlane described the album as "a well-crafted blend of radio-friendly Adult Oriented Rock (AOR), pop and soul material" where Price had used "hot US session players who had collectively worked with everyone from Michael Jackson and Madonna to Steve Winwood and Barbra Streisand.
[5] Price explained to Nicole Leedham of The Canberra Times, "I could have made the album earlier but I didn't want to go ahead and sign the wrong deal, that can really destroy an artist's career.
[2][5] In November 1992, Price returned to Australia where he, and his co-writer Field, won the Song of the Year category for "Heaven Knows" at the APRA Music Awards.
In April, he was nominated for 3 ARIA Awards and on the night performed a tribute to Peter Allen with "Tenterfield Saddler".
[citation needed] In October 1993, Rick performed more concerts in Southeast Asia, which incorporated 7 shows in 9 days.
[citation needed] During 1994, Price spent the majority of time writing material for his anticipated follow-up album.
And that's the kind of music I've always been drawn to - people like James Taylor and Carole King, great songwriters who have the ability to say something really simple".
Special guests on the album include Tommy Emmanuel on guitar and Tina Arena on backing vocals, and the duet "Trust Me This Is Love".
[citation needed] In November and December 1995, following the album release, Price then toured with Australian guitarist Tommy Emmanuel.
"You're Never Alone", a song Price wrote for his son, was released in Australia while he travelled the country on further promotional tours throughout the year.
For the majority of the year, Price spent his time in Los Angeles and Nashville writing material for his next album.
Some of the collaborators Price has worked with included Steve Werfel and Pam Reswick on "Not a Day Goes By" (who has written songs such as "Chains" by Tina Arena), Jon Lind (who has written songs such as "Simple Life" by John Farnham, and "Crazy for You" by Madonna), and Randy Goodrum, a well-respected writer from Nashville.
Starting from around 2004 Price spent much of his time writing with and recording and producing for other artists such as Melinda Schneider, Tamara Stewart, Lisa Chappell and David Franj.
[17] In June 2021, Price announced the release of his forthcoming album and tour, Soulville, featuring songs form the 1960s.