Ricky Lancelotti (August 25, 1944 – April 7, 1980), also known as Rick Lancelot, was a singer best known for his work with

Frank Zappa Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American guitarist, composer, and bandleader. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa composed Rock music, rock, Pop music, pop, jazz, jazz fusion, orchestra ...

in 1973. Frank Zappa songs featuring Lancelotti's vocals can be found on the albums ''

Over-Nite Sensation ''Over-Nite Sensation'' is the twelfth album by The Mothers of Invention (credited as The Mothers), and the seventeenth album overall by Frank Zappa, released in September 1973. It was Zappa's first album released on his DiscReet label. Record ...

'', ''

The Lost Episodes ''The Lost Episodes'' is a 1996 posthumous album by Frank Zappa which compiles (with the exception of "I Don't Want to Get Drafted" and "Any Way the Wind Blows") previously unreleased material. Much of the material covered dates from early in his ...

'' and ''

Läther ''Läther'' (, or "''Leather''") is the sixty-fifth official album by Frank Zappa. It was released posthumously as a three-CD set on Rykodisc in 1996. The album's title is derived from bits of comic dialog that link the songs. Zappa also explaine ...

''.

Background

Under the stage name of "Rick Lancelot", Lancelotti released several unsuccessful singles for

RCA Records RCA Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside Columbia Records (its former longtime rival), Arista Records and Epic R ...

in 1965 and 1966. Simultaneously, Lancelotti occasionally appeared on the ABC-TV music series '' Shindig'' as the show's "in-house" singer (usually spotlighting the heavier R&B hits of the day). Lancelotti was featured as one of several uncredited lead vocalists on

Hanna-Barbera Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, Inc. ( ; formerly known as H-B Enterprises, Hanna-Barbera Productions, Inc. and H-B Production Co.), simply and commonly known as Hanna-Barbera, was an American animation studio and production company, which was acti ...

's 1968–1970 children's program ''

The Banana Splits ''The Banana Splits'' is an American children's television variety show produced by Hanna-Barbera, Hanna-Barbera Productions and featuring the Banana Splits, a fictional rock band composed of four costumed animal characters in red helmets with ...

''. His vocal performances also appeared on the Splits' lone album ''We're the Banana Splits''; released by

Decca Records Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis (Decca), Edward Lewis after his acquisition of a gramophone manufacturer, The Decca Gramophone Company. It set up an American subsidiary under the Decca name, which bec ...

in 1968. He also sang with the group Sky Oats, whose music was included in the 1970 surfing documentary '' Pacific Vibrations''.

Career

In 1964, the single " Sick Chick" / "Ain't That Soul" was released by Rick Lancelot and the Peppermint Sticks. Rick Lancelot was Ricky Lancelotti. The single was composed by himself and

Lolly Vegas Candido Albelando "Lolly" Vasquez-Vegas (October 2, 1939 – March 4, 2010) was a Native American musician of Yaqui, Shoshone and Mexican heritage. He played in numerous ensembles with his brother Pat, including Pat & Lolly Vegas, The Avantis, ...

. He was briefly the lead singer of the band Wolfgang, which featured

Leland Sklar Leland Bruce Sklar (born May 28, 1947) is an American bassist and session musician. He rose to prominence as a member of James Taylor's backing band, which coalesced into a group in its own right, The Section, which supported so many of Asylu ...

as their bass player. However they only ever recorded unreleased demo tracks.

Death

He died of an overdose on April 7, 1980, at 35 years old.United Mutations �
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lancelotti, Ricky 1980 deaths 1944 births 20th-century American singers 20th-century American male singers