Born on December 22: Rick Nielsen, Cheap Trick's guitarist with the most unlikely sweaters

He was born in Rockford, Illinois, in 1948, a small town whose name was predestined for the future six-string madman.

In the Nielsen family, father and mother, both opera singers, were more interested in the performances of baritone Thomas Stewart than in the first wailings of Chuck Berry or Little Richard. During his childhood, Rick Nielsen's family owned a musical instrument store in Rockford. That's how he became familiar with everything he could get his hands on: wind instruments, keyboards and strings. Everything aroused his curiosity. Soon, however, it was the guitar that won him over. 

After an impressive series of small bands, he replaced Todd Rundgen in Nazz for a while, but always dreamed of founding his own combo with his buddies Tom Peterson, the implacable bassist, and drummer Bun E. Carlos In 1975, with the addition of Robin Zander, a.k.a. the pretty face of the band, they embarked on the Cheap Trick adventure. From the outset, with his funny hats, brightly-colored sweaters and famous five-sleeve guitar, Rick played the role of jester. But he's no joker, for it's Rick who composes most of the band's songs. His incisive guitar playing also defines the contours of an edgy hard pop that will give birth to “I Want You To Want Me” on their second album “In Color” in 1977. More pop, this anachronism in the repertoire is nevertheless the refrain that thousands of little Japanese girls will dream of Robin singing just for them. Within a few months, the 4 Cheap Trick (but especially Robin) were elevated to the rank of deities in the Land of the Rising Sun. The result: scenes of collective hysteria worthy of Beatlemania and a mythical live album “At Budokan” (the concert hall in the center of Tokyo) in 1978.

Obviously, it's difficult to emerge totally unscathed from such a tsunami. Still very much inspired by England's Slade (for energy) and even the Beatles (for certain vocal harmonies), the next two albums, “Dream Police” (1979) and “All Shook Up” (1980), maintained the course with a few bravura tracks like “Need Your Love”, “Gonna Raise Hell” and “Love Comes Tumblin'Down”, but the magic had faded. A dozen albums followed until 'In Another World' in 2021, without ever finding the same success. For the record, let's not forget “Rockford” (2006), Rick's ode to his hometown, and the inevitable (and equally dispensable) “Christmas Christmas” in 2017.

Happy birthday Rick and... Merry Christmas!

(Stéphane Soupart - Tr.: MH - Photo: © Etienne Tordoir)
Photo: Rick Nielsen with Cheap Trick on stage at Forest-National, Brussels (Belgium), September 2, 1979.