Richard X. Heyman (born 1951) is an American singer-songwriter and musician. Heyman is a founding member of the

Doughboys "Doughboy" was a popular nickname for the American infantryman during World War I. Though the origins of the term are not certain, the nickname was still in use as of the early 1940s, when it was gradually replaced by "G.I." as the following gene ...

Biography

Heyman was born in 1951 and raised in

Plainfield, New Jersey Plainfield is a City (New Jersey), city in Union County, New Jersey, Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Nicknamed "The Queen City",

. He started banging on things when he was five, got a full drum kit when he was seven, and was an accomplished drummer by the time he was twelve. He picked up guitar and piano in his teens, which was also when he began writing songs. He was one of the original members of the 60s group, The Doughboys, who are considered to be a legendary New Jersey

garage rock Garage rock (sometimes called garage punk or 60s punk) is a raw and energetic style of rock music that flourished in the mid-1960s, most notably in the United States and Canada, and has experienced a series of subsequent revivals. The style is ...

band. He would later go solo, in his twenties, following the breakup of the original Doughboys. Heyman's influences are as varied as Bernstein to

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...

Richard Rodgers Richard Charles Rodgers (June 28, 1902 – December 30, 1979) was an American Musical composition, composer who worked primarily in musical theater. With 43 Broadway theatre, Broadway musicals and over 900 songs to his credit, Rodgers wa ...

to the Rascals, and the Blues to

The Byrds The Byrds () were an American Rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1964. The band underwent multiple lineup changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn (known as Jim McGuinn until mid-1967) being the so ...

. He has drummed for such artists as

Brian Wilson Brian Douglas Wilson (June 20, 1942 – June 11, 2025) was an American musician, songwriter, singer and record producer who co-founded the Beach Boys. Often Brian Wilson is a genius, called a genius for his novel approaches to pop compositio ...

Link Wray Fred Lincoln "Link" Wray Jr. (May 2, 1929 – November 5, 2005) was an American guitarist, songwriter, and vocalist who became popular in the late 1950s. His 1958 Instrumental rock, instrumental single "Rumble (instrumental), Rumble", reached the ...

Jonathan Richman Jonathan Michael Richman (born May 16, 1951) is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. In 1970, he founded the Modern Lovers, an influential proto-punk band. Since the mid-1970s, Richman has worked either solo or with low-key acoustic an ...

and the

Left Banke The Left Banke was an American baroque pop band, formed in New York City in 1965. They are best remembered for their two U.S. hit singles, " Walk Away Renée" and "Pretty Ballerina". The band often used what the music press referred to as "baroq ...

's Michael Brown, composer of "

Walk Away Renee Walking (also known as ambulation) is one of the main gaits of terrestrial locomotion among legged animals. Walking is typically slower than running and other gaits. Walking is defined as an "inverted pendulum" gait in which the body vaults over ...

". He also played keyboards for the legendary Ben E. King and guitar for the lead singer of

The Shangri-Las The Shangri-Las were an American girl group of the 1960s, consisting of Mary Weiss, her sister Elizabeth "Betty" Weiss and twin sisters Marguerite "Marge" Ganser and Mary Ann Ganser. Between 1964 and 1966 several hit pop songs of theirs docu ...

Mary Weiss Mary Louise Weiss (December 28, 1948 – January 19, 2024) was an American singer and interior designer, best known as the lead singer of the Shangri-Las in the 1960s. Their single "Leader of the Pack" went to number one on the ''Billboard'' Ho ...

. In live performance, Richard leads his own band on guitar and keyboards. From 2000-2019, Heyman played with the re-united Doughboys as their drummer and contributing songwriter. He and his wife, Nancy, live in Manhattan.

Discography

Heyman released his first

indie Indie is a short form of "independence" or "independent"; it may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media *Independent media, media free of influence by government or corporate interests *Indie art, fine arts made by artists independent of commer ...

EP, ''Actual Size'', a collection of six of his finest songs recorded on an 8-track Tascam machine in a home studio, in 1987, the same studio in which Richard would subsequently record his album ''Living Room!!'', released in 1988.

Albums

*''Living Room!!'' (1988) *''Hey Man!'' (1990) *''

Cornerstone A cornerstone (or foundation stone or setting stone) is the first stone set in the construction of a masonry Foundation (engineering), foundation. All other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entir ...

'' (1998) *''Basic Glee'' (2002) *''Rightovers'' (2003) *''Actual Sighs'' (2007) *''Intakes'' (2009) *''Tiers and Other Stories'' (2011) *''X'' (2013) *''Y'' (2014) *''Incognito'' (2017) *''Pop Circles'' (2019) *''Copious Notes'' (2021) *''67,000 Miles An Album'' (2022)

EP's

*''Actual Size'' (1986) *''Heyman, Hoosier & Herman'' (2001)

Singles

*''Vacation" b/w "Takin' My Chances'' (1980)

Others

As a composer, Heyman is co-writer of "My Love for You" on track 3 of

Smokey Robinson & the Miracles The Miracles (later known as Smokey Robinson and the Miracles from 1965 to 1972) were an American vocal group formed in Detroit, Michigan in 1955. They were the first successful recording act for Motown Records and are considered one of the most ...

, ''

The Tears of a Clown "The Tears of a Clown" is a song written by Hank Cosby, Smokey Robinson, and Stevie Wonder and originally recorded by Smokey Robinson & the Miracles for the Tamla Records label subsidiary of Motown, first appearing on the 1967 album '' Make It ...

'' (1970). The song also appears on track 4 of

Ramsey Lewis Ramsey Emmanuel Lewis Jr. (May 27, 1935 – September 12, 2022) was an American jazz piano, jazz pianist, composer, and radio personality. Lewis recorded over 80 albums and received five RIAA certification, gold records and three Grammy Awards ...

' '' Funky Serenity'' (1973).

References

External links

Richard X. Heyman's Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Heyman, Richard X. Songwriters from New Jersey American male singers Singers from New Jersey 1951 births Jangle pop musicians Living people Musicians from Plainfield, New Jersey Sire Records artists American male songwriters