Ricky Fanté

Ricky Fanté is an American R&B singer.

Biography

A demo of his two-man group, produced by his partner ex-rocker Scott Rickett, called "Soul Surfers" fell into the hands of A&R executive Josh Deutsch, leading to a development deal in 2001. In 2002, Fanté met with Norah Jones' collaborator Jesse Harris, and began co-writing and recording for his debut record.

Fanté was then signed by Virgin Records and released Rewind in July, 2004. Fanté gained critical acclaim for the song It Ain’t Easy. The song appeared on his 2004 album, Rewind, and was performed on NBC’s long-running late night talk and variety show, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Although the song was not considered a “hit,” the album garnered moderate success in the U.S. and abroad. The song reached No. #8 on Italian music charts.

Fanté’s vocal sound has been compared to Wilson Pickett, Sam Cooke, Al Green and Otis Redding. In 2005, Ricky Fanté recorded the title song Shine for the film Robots, and the upbeat tune That’s All I Need for the HBO film Lackawanna Blues. He has also appeared in the television series American Dream and the successful ABC made-for-television movie Their Eyes Were Watching God. In the same year he duets with the Italian singer "Giorgia Todrani" for her Mtv Unplugged.

Fanté sings in a movie that stars Dennis Quaid and Rene Russo titled Yours, Mine and Ours. He sang Major Harris’s “Love Won't Let Me Wait” during the pivotal love scene of the movie. He also sings the theme song for the television series Shark Tank. Ricky also play Marvin Gaye in the movie "The Temptations."

He took a break from singing to return to school. Fante also served in the United States Marine Corps.

Discography

Albums

• Soul Surfers (2002)
• Rewind (2004)

Other contributions

• WFUV: City Folk Live VII (2004) - "I Let You Go"

External links

• "THE BRICK CITY ENTERTAINMENT REVIEW"
• Ricky Fanté at the Internet Movie Database
• "Pop Goes Ricky Fante" - Forbes.com