Rick Price

When it comes to discussing a career in pop music, the term "overnight sensation" wouldn't seem to fit Rick Price, who has been working at his craft for well over a decade. For all those years of effort, Rick made a truly spectacular arrival in 1992: In less than twelve months, he rose from relative obscurity to become one of the biggest names in Australian pop music, dominating the upper reaches of that country's charts for most of the year and making a high-profile debut in several countries overseas. With Epic Records' U.S. release of Heaven Knows, Rick hopes to keep the fire burning.

"I'm really hoping that the album does well there," he says. "A lot of my musical heroes are American, and of course the album was largely written and recorded there as well. But I don't have all my hopes pinned on my first album becoming a huge hit in America. I'm going to make many more albums and hopefully many more songs that people can get into. As long as I can gain a foothold, I'll be happy."

No doubt Rick would be pleased to match the success he enjoyed in Australia, where in April of last year Heaven Knows entered the charts at No. 3 and remained in the Top 40 for the remainder of 1992. The album soared on the strength of its first two singles, both of which broke the Australian Top 5: the rousing "Not A Day Goes By," and the title track, an ethereal ballad with piano accompaniment that calls for the return of a lost love.

Songcraft and sensuality fuse together in Heaven Knows to portray a world of stormy and rapturous love, regret and rejuvenation. Whatever the mood, Rick Price is an insightful pop storyteller, able to turn a musical phrase and illuminate a simple but subtle truth. "What's Wrong with That Girl" is a bluesy outback rocker with biting guitars that seem to give warning of a "dangerous attraction," while "Life Without You" surges with the anguish of words left unsaid. "A House Divided" is propelled by its uplifting, gospel-tinged chorus; the haunting "Fragile" is an acoustic fireside ode to a distant angel in the night. Rick had a hand in co-writing every song on Heaven Knows with the sole exception of the tenth track, a cover of the Left Banke classic "Walk Away Renee."

Rick is now preparing to meet the challenge of promoting his music, a process with which he is already well familiar. In the wake of a month-long Australian tour last August, "Heaven Knows" was released as a single in 23 international territories and supported by literally hundreds of TV appearances, press interviews, and in-stores throughout Europe and Asia. Over a span of six months, Rick made three separate trips to Europe, as well as several side trips to Asia: In one 36-hour stopover in Manila, he squeezed in six TV spots, two radio interviews, and a handful of press interviews.

The results of this sustained public relations blitz were truly the stuff of dreams. In Malaysia, "Heaven Knows" held the top spot for four consecutive weeks, while "Not A Day Goes By" peaked close behind in the Top 5. In the Philippines, "Heaven Knows" sat at No. 1 for all of November and December while making strong chart showings in other Asian markets. The album charted in Norway and Switzerland, and Rick's inspiring rendition of "Walk Away Renee" breached the Top 40 in Germany.

"It was an exhausting experience," Rick recalls of the extensive touring, "but it was stimulating at the same time. It was all new to me, going to places I'd never been and doing things I'd never done, so I certainly didn't get tired of it. I particularly enjoyed going into radio stations around the world and just picking up my guitar and singing. I also played at a lot of press conferences in Asia. When you do these things on your own, they can be very intimidating--it throws you back on your skills as an entertainer. I learned a lot from it."

Rick closed 1992 on another high note when he won Australia's prestigious APRA award for Song of the Year with "Heaven Knows." Back on the artist's home turf, the album continues to garner sustained Australian sales--owing, in large part, to the warm reception given Rick's first full-length Australian tour last November.

As part of a new and hungry breed of dedicated, internationally conscious rock musicians, Rick Price maintains his position as one of the hottest acts in his homeland. He looks forward to gracing the American musical landscape with his inventive and sincere brand of pop rock. The story of Rick Price, "overnight sensation," is only just beginning with Heaven Knows.