Ricky May

{{about||the New Zealand harness racing driver|Ricky May (harness racing)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=January 2022}} {{Use New Zealand English|date=November 2012}} {{Infobox musical artist | name = Ricky May | image = Ricky May at the Colony Club, Nelson Street, 1961 (cropped).jpg | image_upright = | image_size = | landscape =  | alt = | caption = May performing in Auckland in 1961 | background = solo_singer | native_name = | native_name_lang = Māori | birth_name = Richard Ernest May | alias = | birth_date = {{Birth date|df=y|1943|11|22}} | birth_place = Onehunga, Auckland, New Zealand | origin = | death_date = {{Death date and age|df=y|1988|6|1|1943|11|22}} | death_place = Sydney, New South Wales, Australia | genre = {{flatlist| * Jazz * pop }} | occupation = {{hlist|Singer|musician|TV host|host|entertainer}} | instrument = {{flatlist| * Vocals * drums * piano }} | years_active = 1959–1988 | label = {{flatlist| * La Gloria * RCE * WEA * Festival * ABC }} | associated_acts = | website =  }}

'''Richard Ernest May''' (22 November 1943{{spaced ndash}}1 June 1988) was a New Zealand–born Australian jazz singer and musician, best known for singing cover versions of numerous pop songs or jazz standards. He moved to Australia in 1962 where he worked mainly in theatre and cabaret and had TV appearances on ''The Don Lane Show'', ''The Midday Show'' and ''Hey Hey It's Saturday'', as well as taking over hosting from Mike Walsh on pop music show ''Ten on the Town''<ref name="MTV" />

==Biography ==

May was born as '''Richard Ernest May''' in New Zealand in Onehunga, Auckland, of Māori descent.<ref name="Caroline">{{cite journal | archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20150709234851/http://www.awesomeentertainmentmagazine.com/index.php/about/item/233-ricky-may | url = http://www.awesomeentertainmentmagazine.com/index.php/about/item/233-ricky-may | title = Ricky May | last = Lady Caroline | journal = Awesome Entertainment Magazine | archivedate = 9 July 2015 | date = 29 July 2013 | url-status = usurped | accessdate = 3 April 2018 }}</ref> His father, Keith May, was a jazz band leader and played alto saxophone.<ref name="Caroline"/> May grew up with his siblings, and from the age of 15 he performed at Picasso, a café/nightclub in Auckland.<ref name="Caroline"/> Apart from vocals, May played drums and piano but generally worked as a variety entertainer. He would introduce unconventional vocalisations, improvisation, and the spoken word into performance.

In 1961, jazz pianist Ronnie Smith set up a group to play at the Sorrento Club, Wellington.<ref name="Caroline"/><ref name="Sergent">{{cite web | archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20091025173936/http://www.sergent.com.au/rickymay.html | url = http://www.sergent.com.au/rickymay.html | title = Ricky May | last = Sergent | first = Bruce | work = New Zealand Music of the 60's, 70's and a bit of 80's | archivedate = 25 October 2009 | accessdate = 3 April 2018 }}</ref> Smith's group had Tommy Tamati on bass guitar, and May joined on drums and backing vocals.<ref name="Sergent"/> May become a regular with the group and sometimes provided lead vocals.<ref name="Sergent"/> Bruno Lawrence, an English-born jazz musician who was regularly in the audience, often got up to play the drums when May sang lead.<ref name="Caroline"/><ref name="Sergent"/> The group worked for about a year and toured southern North Island.<ref name="Sergent"/>

At the end of 1961, May returned to Auckland and signed with Harry M. Miller's La Gloria label, which released his debut single in 1961, a cover version of the Chubby Checker hit "Let's Twist Again". He followed with "I Could Have Danced All Night" from ''My Fair Lady'' in 1962. During that year, he relocated to Sydney and primarily worked in cabaret. He recorded compositions of Nat King Cole and appeared on Australian TV shows ''The Don Lane Show'', ''Farnham and Byrne'' (co-hosted by John Farnham and Debra Byrne), and made regular appearances on ''The Midday Show''.

In 1966, May released another single, "This Little Boy's Gone Rockin'", via RCA (Bluebird Records).<ref>[http://www.showworld.com.au/stars_files/ricky_may.html "Ricky May – Entertainer one in a million"]</ref><ref name="rca">[http://www.milesago.com/industry/bluebird.htm "Record Labels – Bluebird"], Singles/ Cat. #101643 /Date:1965/ Artist:/Ricky May with Latin Quarter Discotheque Combo under direction of Jimmy Sloggett / Title(s):"This Little Boy's Gone Rockin'" (Darin-Curtis) "Spanish Harlem" (Leiber-Stoller), Australasian Music & Popular Culture 1964-1975, MILESAGO</ref> From March of that year, he hosted the Sydney teen pop music TV series ''Ten on the Town'' on TEN-10.<ref name="MTV">[http://www.memorabletv.com/australia/tvat.htm ''Ten on the Town''], 10 Network / x30m-e / 1965-66 black and white/Producer/Director: Kevin Ryder/Teen themed pop music show hosted by Mike Walsh and then for season two Ricky May.</ref> It ran in direct competition with ''Bandstand'' on TCN-9 and ''Col Joye'' on ATN-7.<ref name="Learning"/> Walter Learning of ''The Canberra Times'' compared the three shows, which "vie for the younger audience" and found that "''Bandstand'' must win hands down" as ''Col Joye'' "has no life" and May's show "suffers from over effort on the part of all concerned."<ref name="Learning">{{cite news | url = http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article105893519 | title = Television: A 'pill' worth sugarcoating | last = Learning | first = Walter | newspaper = The Canberra Times | volume = 40 | issue = 11,425 | date = 25 March 1966 | accessdate = 3 April 2018 | page = 15 | via = National Library of Australia }}</ref>

He issued no further recordings until 1973: a double album with the Julian Lee Orchestra, ''Fats Enough'', on ABC records.

In 1974, ABC decided to release a second double album, ''Just Foolin' Around – A Tribute to Louis Armstrong''. In 1983, the first half of this album was re-released on CD as ''A Tribute to the Greats''. 1981 saw the J&B release an album, ''Ricky May'', while ABC Records issued a compilation, ''The Best of Ricky May'', on CD. He issued a duet single with Jonathan Coleman, "Built for Comfort (I Ain't Built for Speed)"/"Off the Record", as the Big Boys in 1983. In 1986, RCA released a Christmas album, ''It's the Christmas Man''. Beyond this point, he concentrated on live cabaret performances and television work. He later appeared regularly on ''Hey Hey It's Saturday''.

In November 1988 there was a golf tournament held in May's honor.<ref>{{Cite web|title=SCORES AND STATISTICS|url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/straitstimes19881118-1.2.55.20?ST=1&AT=filter&K=Lyndsay%20Stephen&KA=Lyndsay%20Stephen&DF=&DT=&Display=0&AO=true&NPT=&L=&CTA=&NID=&CT=&WC=&YR=&QT=lyndsay,stephen&oref=article|access-date=2021-01-27|website=eresources.nlb.gov.sg}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|date=1988-11-21|title=Major win for Merriman in May classic|pages=32|work=Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 – 1995)|url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article110615320|access-date=2021-01-14}}</ref>

==Awards==

In 1988, May received the Benny Award from the Variety Artists Club of New Zealand, the highest honour available to a New Zealand variety entertainer.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.vacnz.com/bennyaward/|title=Variety Artists Club of NZ Benny Award Recipients|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20131016033941/http://www.vacnz.com/bennyaward/|archivedate=16 October 2013}}</ref>

==Death==

On 1 June 1988, Ricky May had a fatal heart attack at the Regent Hotel, Sydney, after getting a standing ovation on the opening night of a new cabaret show.<ref name="LA Times">{{cite news | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121024002716/http://articles.latimes.com/1988-06-03/news/mn-4467_1_australian-jazz | url = https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-06-03-mn-4467-story.html | title = Ricky May; Australian Jazz Singer | date = 3 June 1988 | quote = Ricky May, 44, a leading Australian jazz singer. The New Zealand-born performer was stricken with what appeared to be a heart attack Wednesday minutes after being given a standing ovation at the opening night of his new show at the Regent Hotel in Sydney. He was pronounced dead on arrival at a hospital | work = Los Angeles Times | archive-date = 24 October 2012 | url-status = live | access-date = 3 April 2018 }}</ref> He was pronounced dead on arrival at a hospital.<ref name="LA Times"/> He was 44 years of age.<ref name="Love">{{cite news | url = https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/120319683/ | title = Legal Notices: Estate of Richard Ernest May | last = Love | first = Colin W | work = The Sydney Morning Herald | page = 40 | date = 21 June 1995 | accessdate = 3 April 2018 }}</ref> His wife, Colleen Ann May, died on 17 August 2017, aged 75,<ref name="Love"/><ref name="The Ryerson Index">{{cite web | url = http://ryersonindex.net/search.php | title = The Ryerson Index | publisher = Ryerson Index Inc | accessdate = 8 December 2017 }}. Note: User must add 'May' into the Surname search parameter and 'Colleen' into the Any Given Name(s) parameter.</ref> leaving behind the couple's daughter, Shani, who later spoke about her mother's involvement with the Falun Gong new religious movement after her father's death in a 2020 interview with ABC News.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Campbell |first=Eric |last2=Cohen |first2=Hagar |date=2020-07-20 |title=Insiders reveal the opaque world of Falun Gong |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-07-21/inside-falun-gong-master-li-hongzhi-the-mountain-dragon-springs/12442518 |access-date=2026-03-24 |work=ABC News (Australia) |language=en-AU}}</ref>

==Discography== ===Albums=== {| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" |- !rowspan="2"| Title !rowspan="2"| Album details !colspan="1"| Peak chart positions |- !style="width:3em;font-size:75%"|AUS<ref name=aus>{{cite book|last=Kent|first=David|authorlink=David Kent (historian)|title=Australian Chart Book 1970–1992|edition=illustrated|publisher=Australian Chart Book|location=St Ives, N.S.W.|year=1993|isbn=0-646-11917-6|page=195}}</ref> |- ! scope="row"|''Entertainer of the Year'' | *Released: October 1980 *Label: J&B (JB-057) | 99 |- ! scope="row"|''Fats Enough'' (with the Julian Lee Orchestra) | *Released: 1983 *Label: ABC (L-60011) | — |- ! scope="row"|''It's the Christmas Man'' | *Released: 1986 *Label: Festival (L-38686) | — |- ! scope="row"|''Just Foolin' Around – A Tribute to Louis Armstrong'' (With Bob Barnard and The Julian Lee Orchestra) | *Released: 1987 *Label: ABC (L-60027) | — |- |}

==Awards== ===Mo Awards===

The Australian Entertainment Mo Awards (commonly known informally as the Mo Awards), were annual Australian entertainment industry awards. They recognise achievements in live entertainment in Australia from 1975 to 2016. Ricky May won three awards in that time.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.moawards.com.au/awardwinners|title=MO Award Winners|website=Mo Awards|access-date=14 March 2022|archive-date=7 March 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220307064432/https://www.moawards.com.au/awardwinners|url-status=dead}}</ref> {{awards table}} (wins only) |- | 1979 | Ricky May | Entertainer of the Year | {{won}} |- |rowspan="2"| 1988 | Ricky May | John Campbell Fellowship Award | {{won}} |- | Ricky May | Entertainer of the Year | {{won}} |- {{end}}

==References==

==External links== *{{IMDb name|0562108}} *{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20100215075145/http://www.musicpophits.com/MainPages/MaleStars/RickyMay(nz_Au).htm Ricky May]}}, recordings. *[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UrFDa6w52nQ Hey Hey Its Saturday Ricky May tribute package, 1988]

{{DEFAULTSORT:May, Ricky}} Category:1943 births Category:1988 deaths Category:New Zealand jazz singers Category:New Zealand Māori male singers Category:New Zealand male stage actors Category:New Zealand television personalities Category:20th-century New Zealand male actors Category:Musicians from Auckland Category:New Zealand expatriates in Australia Category:20th-century New Zealand male singers Category:Musicians who died on stage Category:Daly-Wilson Big Band members