Sometime shortly after early humans began to walk erect, it occurred to one of them to sing and bang rocks together in rhythm. Ralph knows that song, and every song written since then. That is, up to 1962. In 1962 Ralph turned off the radio. He claims to have heard a few things since, particularly bands "with horn sections". A couple of years ago he even picked up a Santana record and thinks that this kid Carlos has a bright future ahead of him. Yes, Ralph is a '50s guy through and through, with an encyclopedic memory for groups, songs, years, group members and even what high schools they went to.
Ralph is the sole remaining member of the original Risky Business, which was formed in 1986. Before that he sang with several groups including the Traditions, the Regals and the El-Jays. To whatever degree this band can be "led", Ralph is the one leading us. He and Tommy have an elaborate system of hand signals worked out so that he can signal the next song from out in the crowd. Occasionally Tom gets confused and steals third base instead.
When there are a few days between gigs (pretty rare lately) Ralph can usually be found a hundred miles from anywhere, mowing or plowing, depending on the season.
Ralph has a very versatile tenor voice, tackling doo-wops, standards and R & B. He is the band's principal front man but has no trouble giving up the spotlight to one of the other singers. Well, no trouble except for trying to match Ed's dance routines while he's singing background.
Send E-Mail to Ralph at risky43@aol.com
We don't know when you'll be reading this, but rest assured that right now, somewhere, Ed is singing, dancing or telling a story. We hear rumors that he sleeps occasionally, but we don't put much stock in them. Ed is a born entertainer. Richie, our guitarist, plays his instrument pretty compulsively also, but there are times in his life when he simply isn't near a guitar. Ed always has his "gear" with him, including a large repertoire of accents, characters, facial expressions and postures. We think he joined Risky Business mostly because his last group had already heard most of his stories.
Ed handles Bass and Baritone chores for the group, does on-the-spot choreography and is our Ambassador in charge of "working the room". He steps out front to do a very low-pitched monologue during the first eight (or nine, or eleven) bars of "Kiss and Say Goodbye" and "adds some bottom" when Willie cues him in "Dance to the Music". And he makes it his personal mission to make sure that everyone in the audience laughs, sings along, claps and generally has a great time. His performing experience includes the a cappella group the Traditions (with Ralph), more recently Sheer Magic, and of course, anytime there are people around...
Send E-Mail to Ed at ed@risky-biz.com
Chris is that rare sort of singer that can make an audience stop and pay attention, no matter what they may have been doing before. He has a gritty, intense style and although he's an R&B natural, he can be relied on to inject a little soul into any kind of music.
Chris came to us straight from twenty years of a cappella, leading the group Yesterday's Today, which played in famous venues all over the NY area. He has even played the piano at Carnegie Hall. It was hours before the audience arrived, but Chris swears that the maintenance crew was very impressed.
Sal is an anomaly. The rest of our vocalists and musicians have long musical histories; playing, singing and toting heavy objects all around the NY area since they were youngsters. Sal comes to us with a passion for singing and a surprising knack for performing, but very little adult experience. He sang lead and even played keyboards in some local bands as a very young man, but afterwards his talents remained mostly hidden.
Sal is also a real music fan, with a knowledge of music that is older than his "tender years" would suggest. In fact, he is now the "least old" member of the group. He has embarked on the Risky Institute of Technology on-the-job training program and is making good progress. We have been especially impressed by his ear for background harmonies. Come check out the new "student" in action!