Richard Manitoba

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Richard 'Handsome Dick' Manitoba (AKA The Handsomest man in Rock n' Roll) (born Richard Blum in The Bronx, New York, January 29, 1954) is an American musician and radio personality, best known for his 30-year stint as lead singer of the proto-punk New York City band, The Dictators.

Manitoba started out his music career as a roadie for The Dictators. Manitoba made his "official stage debut" with the Dictators, at Popeye's Spinach Factory, in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, in 1975. On their first major label album, The Dictators...Go Girl Crazy (Epic Records, 1975), Manitoba was listed as "Secret Weapon". This is because he sang some lead, and some background, but was still considered as a sort of "mascot". Manitoba sang more lead on The Dictators second offering, Manifest Destiny, a 1977 release on the Asylum label. On Bloodbrothers, the third and final Dictators recording from the 1970's,(also on Asylum, 1978) Manitoba sang lead on almost all the tunes.

The Dictators disbanded in late 1978, but played reunion gigs occasionally until 1996, when they started to play again regularly. In 1989, Manitoba -- along with Andy Shernoff (bass, songwriter), JP 'Thunderbolt' Patterson (drums) and a man known as the "fifth Ramone", Daniel Rey (guitar) -- put an album out under the moniker, Manitoba's Wild Kingdom, on MCA records. Ross the Boss, the original lead guitarist for The Dictators, eventually replaced Rey. In 2001, The Dictators released their first studio album in twenty-three years, D.F.F.D, on their own label, The Dictators Multimedia. A live album, Viva! Dictators, was released on the Escapi Music label in 2005.

In 2004, despite not having released music under the name himself, Manitoba sued indie/electronica artist Dan Snaith who at the time had released two albums under the moniker of "Manitoba", after the Canadian province. Unable to afford to contest the litigation, Snaith instead decided on a new name, and has since been known as "Caribou".

Since February 2005, Manitoba has been singing lead with The MC5, a legendary Detroit pre-punk rock and roll band. Manitoba also has his own show, "The Handsome Dick Manitoba Program" on Little Steven Van Zandt's Underground Garage channel, on Sirius Satellite Radio. Manitoba's, a New York City rock n' roll bar on 99 Ave B (btwn 6th & 7th St) NYC: Lower East Side, was opened by Manitoba on January 14, 1999.