ALL ABOUT

Rick Worrall was born in Toronto Canada but began his musical career in Calgary Alberta in 1976.  A fixture on the Calgary pub scene, he focused much of his time on writing and a demo he had recorded, caught the attention of Attic Records.  Attic was one of Canada’s most successful independent record labels and was home to The Irish Rovers, Triumph and The Nylons to name a few.  

His first album, “Night Madness” was recorded in 1978 and released in February of 1979 receiving much critical acclaim with the title song charting on radio stations across Canada.  A second album was recorded in 1980 with famed Canadian producer Jack Richardson, (Bob Seger, The Guess Who).  

In 1982, Worrall formed his own record label and released his first independent album “Just a Child’ in the spring of 1983.  Several singles were released and received extensive radio play, with the single “You’re the Right One for Me”, charting.  

In 1984, he teamed up with his brother Steve to form the rock duo Worrall with their sites set on pursing a new record deal.  To facilitate their writing and recording, together they built a twenty-four-track recording studio, Sessions West in Calgary.  As well as their ongoing project, they recorded several album projects for other artists as well as recording voice overs and tracks for a number of local producers and CFCN Television productions.   

Feeling a need to be closer to family and perform in a larger market, the boys relocated to Toronto. Which they hoped would garner record companies’ attention. Continuing to write and demo their new material they eventually caught the attention of Spy Records, a label distributed by A&M records.  An album was recorded over an eleven-week period, in Memphis Tennessee at Kiva Studios, owned by ‘the Eagles, Joe Walsh.  Jim Gaines, who had produced artists such as Santana and Stevie Ray Vaughn, was brought in to produce.  The album also featuring backup vocals by Jim Jameson of Survivor, the Memphis Horns, and Felton Pilot from MC Hammer on keys and backup vocals, lending their talents to the project.  

The self-titled album Worrall was released in 1991 with the first single “Heat of the Night” becoming a top twenty hit and a video of the song in regular rotation on Much Music and MTV Europe.  Several more singles were released from the album with Worrall touring until 1992.  At this point the brothers disbanded to  pursue solo careers.  

When Worrall, disbanded, Rick took on the challenge of producing shows for a number of Cruise lines in Scandinavia.  Designing shows around concepts he had developed and with himself as a principal performer.  This continued for ten years and helped him hone his production skills.  During this time song writing was still a main focus of his, with an eye on recording as soon as possible. 

In 1998 he teamed up with Lance Anderson, an exceptional performer and writer who had worked with many of Toronto’s premiere blues bands and musicians. Together they wrote and worked on a project that would be Rick’s next album released on his newly created independent label, Hummer Records.  When Love is Right was recorded in Toronto and featured some of Canada’s most recognizable names, including, Domenic Troiano from James Gang and The Guess Who, Juno award winner and Gospel phenom Jackie Richardson, Diane Brooks, Richie Hayward of Little Feat and host of other notables.  The album was engineered, mixed and mastered by Nick Blagona.  Released in 2000, the album continues to garner audiences throughout the world having sold in Germany, Italy, Scandinavia and here in Canada.

In 2009, Rick pursued another direction within the arts community, musical theatre.  He landed several roles in local theatre productions and also began working behind the scenes as a set designer and builder.  But on stage is where he is most comfortable and at home and has gone on to star in Les Misérables, South Pacific, Fiddler on the Roof to name a few and has loved the challenges that live musical theatre bring.  

In 2017, through a circumstance of chance he filled in for a vocalist in a production the Okanagan Symphony Orchestra was staging which instilled in him a want and need to return to his own productions.  

John Denver was an artist he had grown up listening too and had cut his guitar playing teeth on.  He considered Denver to be one of the major influences of his writing and performance career.  Rick decided to put together a musical celebration concert featuring Denver’s music.  He teamed up with John Denver’s original arranger/conductor Lee Holdridge to create Rocky Mountain High – An Evening of John Denver.  

Under Mr. Holdridge’s direction, Worrall transcribed Lee’s original conductor scores into Sibelius which essentially rescued Denver’s library of songs.  In one of their first conversations, Holdridge had explained that John’s manager at the time of John’s death, had the orchestra scores destroyed, not wanting to spend the money to store them.  

Steve rejoined Rick for this production and together with Lee Holdridge, a cast of exceptional band members comprise the core of the production.  Enlisting the services of symphonies across Canada, the production continues to tour and bring the positive messages of JD’s songs to existing fans and a generation of new fans.