Biography

' I was once told that I picked a hard genre of music to break into (meaning the blues), if anything it chose me...' Richard Madden 2008

Richard's musical journey started way back in his first year of high school. 'Originally it was drums that first got me in, then I just started to identify with the guitar more and more' His first guitar was 'a hunk of wood with wire' but it didn't matter, he had caught the bug. Apart from a few guitar lessons early on, Richard remains fundamentally a self taught musician. He spent many hours of his formative years listening and learning from records, training his ear and developing his skill, picking out tunes, jamming with mates on the weekend. School began to take a back seat....and so the writing was on the wall.

Richard's first real serious band was a blues group called 'Sweet Nemesis'. 'They were already a gigging band and their guitar player was leaving for overseas, so I went to the audtion, 2 infact because they'd audtioned about 80 guitar players and narrowed it down to me and this other guy, needless to say I got the gig. They were real wild guys and I fit right in' Playing between 3 to 5 hours a night, 4 nights a week the band became a fixture on the local scene, however over time the band just naturally started to drift apart.

On the heels of the breakup of Sweet Nemesis, Richard recruited a bass player and drummer and formed his first band, the new power trio was originally dubbed 'Slice' and then a year latter changed their name to 'Badge', named after the Eric Clapton & George Harrison composition of the same name. 'Changing the band's name mid flight so to speak was not the smartest move because in a way you have to start all over again, but around that time when we were called Slice we did this radio interview and the DJ had this lisp and everytime he said 'Slice' he would just spray it rather than say it, it was embarrassing, so that was the reason for the change. We did lose our fan base for a while there but hey you live and learn' Badge recorded and released a self titled EP in 1997 but by late 1998 the band had run out of steam, with a lack of gigs and a serious lack of funds, Richard took exile from the music scene for the next few years...

Coaxed out of 'retirement' from old mate Curtis Martin, Richard joined 'Parker' in 2003. The band not only performed original material but were the house band for the first Led Zeppelin tribute nights held at the Basement in Sydney.

The origins of Richard Madden, the solo artist, began in late 2005 when good friend John Hardaker offered him a support slot at his record launch. It was the albatross that broke the camel's back. Armed with a handful of original songs and a little blind faith, Richard Madden & his band, cemented it’s live reputation early on as the word started to spread, a steady flow of gigs followed including supports for Steve Prestwich, Jim Moginie, Mal Eastick, Ian Moss to name but a few.

ROCKIN' THE VANGUARD

1. Drivin' South
2. One Way Out
3. I Want You Back
4. Drive On
5. Stranger Blues
6. Blues Nazi
7. Bron-Y-Aur Stomp
8. Come On (Part IV)

Recorded on August 2 2006 'live to disc' at The Vanguard. This EP is a warts and all performance capturing the essense of the band. Featuring Curtis Martin on drums and Andrew Challoner on bass, the band delivers a firey performance. Included in this set is a killer version of the Led Zeppelin 3 song 'Bron-Y-Aur-Stomp' which special guest John Cass on vocals. The disc was recorded by Felix Kulakowski and mastered by Brian Cachia, who has now started making inroads overseas with his movie soundtrack work.

FORCE OF NATURE

1. Believe In Yourself
2. Habits of a Lifetime
3. Cannonball
4. Blues Nazi
5. Convict's Dream #19
6. Drive On
7. One Way Out
8. I Want You Back
9. Stranger Blues
10. Weapons Of Mass Distraction

2008 saw the release of Richard's his much anticipated debut studio album, ‘Force of Nature’. The album which includes 10 original songs features a cast of special guests and a world class rockin’ trio, this time featuring Curtis Martin on drums and Cameron Potts (Dead Letter Chorus) on bass.

In September 2007 the band entered the studio and laid down the tracks. The project, which was independently funded and produced by Richard Madden, was recorded & engineered by Val Calocerinos. Some of the special guests include Clayton Doley (The Hands, Jimmy Barnes) on keyboards, Justin Buckingham on alto saxophone and Virgil Reality on trumpet. The album was mixed by Val and Richard at The Sound Basement and was mastered by Tony ‘Jack the Bear’ Mantz in Melbourne.

' I wanted a very organic sounding record, not to many production tricks and I think we achieved that. The songs themselves are quiet diverse and I think that also is part of the album's charm' 'Force of Nature' since it's release has received airplay nationwide and has received a number of glowing reviews...