Ric Formosa

Riccardo Formosa (born 1 September 1954) is an Italian-born Australian musician and composer. He was the lead guitarist of the pop band Little River Band from 1975 to 1976 and recorded their first two albums, Little River Band and After Hours.

Ric Formosa
Birth nameRiccardo Formosa
Also known asRick Formosa
Born (1954-09-01) 1 September 1954
Rome, Italy
GenresPop, classical
Occupation(s)
  • Musician
  • composer
  • arranger
Instrument(s)Slide guitar, guitar, piano
Years active1974–present
Formerly ofLittle River Band

Early life

Formosa was born in Rome, Italy, but grew up in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He migrated to Australia in 1974 and worked as a music arranger and studio musician.[1] He joined the Little River Band shortly after arriving in Australia.[2]

Little River Band
Main article: Little River Band

The original Little River Band (LRB) lead guitarist, Graham Davidge, played only on LRB's first recording session, a cover of The Everly Brothers' song When Will I Be Loved. Formosa replaced Davidge shortly after.[3][4]

Formosa played on the first two LRB albums, Little River Band and After Hours, including the long guitar solo on It's a Long Way There on the former.[5] For the latter, he wrote the song "Bourbon Street" and co-wrote "Another Runaway" with fellow member Beeb Birtles.[6] Formosa toured Australia with LRB, playing 311 shows in 1975–1976. He was replaced by David Briggs in August 1976.[3][7]

On 19 August 1980, Formosa joined an ensemble of pop artists in a memorial concert for Andrew Durant, the former Stars' guitarist-songwriter who had died earlier that year. Formosa played slide guitar, guitar and piano. A live double-LP, The Andrew Durant Memorial Concert, was released on Mushroom Records in 1980.[8]

Composer

Formosa was awarded an Australia Council fellowship in 1983 and studied with Franco Donatoni at the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome and at the Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Siena. He also attended masterclasses in conducting with Franco Ferrara.[9] On returning to Australia, Formosa worked for Victorian College of the Arts, the Victorian Arts Studio and Musica Viva. Formosa works as an arranger, conductor and studio musician for recordings, radio and television.[1] He also has an extensive catalogue of compositions.[10]

Awards

Formosa has won awards and commendations during his career, including:

Year Award Organisation
1988 John Bishop Memorial Prize[1] University of Adelaide
1991 Gold Lion Award[1] Cannes Advertising Festival
1991 Best International Television Commercial (Music)[1] Mobius Advertising Awards
2003 Best Music for Children's Television[11] APRA Screen Music Awards

Family

Formosa's daughter Antonella is a successful singer who performs and records as A-Love.[12]

References
  1. "Riccardo Formosa". Represented Artist Profile. Australian Music Centre. 2009. Retrieved 9 June 2010.
  2. Birtles, Beeb (2007). "LRB Timeline". Birtles.com. Archived from the original on 13 November 2009. Retrieved 9 June 2010.
  3. Holmgren, Magnus. "Little River Band". Australian Rock Database. Magnus Holmgren. Archived from the original on 27 October 2000. Retrieved 10 June 2010.
  4. Au, Frankie (2003). "The History of Little River Band". lrb.net. Archived from the original on 21 July 2011. Retrieved 9 June 2010.
  5. "How "It's a Long Way There" Introduced the Little River Band". Something Else. 18 November 2020. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
  6. "After Hours". Music Australia. National Library of Australia. 11 January 2005. Retrieved 9 June 2010.
  7. Goble, Graeham (2008). "Live Shows". Graeham Goble. Retrieved 9 June 2010.
  8. Holmgren, Magnus. "The Andrew Durant Memorial Concert". Australian Rock Database. Magnus Holmgren. Archived from the original on 22 June 2000. Retrieved 10 June 2010.
  9. Formosa, Ric (September 1992). "Biography" (PDF). Deakin University. Retrieved 9 June 2010.
  10. "Works by Riccardo Formosa". Australian Music Centre. Retrieved 9 June 2010.
  11. "Winners – 2003". Australasian Performing Right Association. 2003. Retrieved 9 June 2010.
  12. "A-Love – Ace of Hearts". pbsfm.org.au. 2010. Archived from the original on 3 October 2009. Retrieved 10 June 2010.

Further reading

[1]

  1. Moon, Jackson. "Ric Formosa @ Jack's Place Australian Music". Jack's Place Australian Music. Jackson Moon. Archived from the original on 15 December 2021. Retrieved 9 August 2018.
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