Who was/is Ricky Shayne ? - CDs, Vinyl LPs, DVD and more
Obituary: Ricky Shayne (June 4, 1944 – November 8, 2024)
Farewell to a Pop Rebel and Cultural Icon
We’ve only just learned that Ricky Shayne passed away in Berlin on November 8, 2024, at the age of 80 after a long illness. With him, the music world loses a singer, actor, and icon who defied conventions and left a mark on European pop history.
Born George Albert Tabett in Cairo on June 4, 1944, Ricky was the son of a Lebanese-American oil manager and a French painter. After World War II, the family moved to Lebanon. At the age of 15, he left for Paris to study—where he first encountered modern music and the world of entertainment. He quickly became a youth icon with a rebellious rocker look.
In 1963, he moved to Italy. There, Shayne’s magnetic personality caught the attention of producers Sergio Bardotti and Alberigo Crocetta, who signed him to RCA Italiana in Rome. Bardotti, also artistic director of ARC (a small RCA sublabel), connected Shayne with manager Paolo Tagliaferri. His first winter tour in 1964–65 featured the young Roman band The Jaguars. The 1965 single Uno Dei Mods, written by Franco Migliacci and Gianni Meccia, marked his breakthrough. The accompanying concept album told the story of the rivalry between Mods and Rockers in suburban London and was an instant success.
Riding this wave, Shayne released Vi Saluto Amici Mods in 1966, though it failed to catch on with its slow orchestral style. He then toured with a new band, The Skylarks, releasing the album Ricky Shayne and The Skylarks—featuring not only his latest hits but also Rock 'n' Roll classics like We Say Yeah, Apron Strings, and Mean Woman Blues.
Due to Shayne’s English skills and stage presence, the band was often mistaken for being British—an impression even promoted by the press. The Skylarks saw several lineup changes before disbanding in spring 1967.
In parallel, Shayne starred in several music films (Musicarelli), such as La Battaglia Dei Mods (1966), Z2 Operazione Circeo, and Una Ragazza Tutta D’Oro, where he performed songs like Number One, No, No, She Don’t Love Me, and Stanotte. He participated twice in the Cantagiro music festival (1967 and 1968), performing hits like Come Moby Dickand Con Una O Dieci Chitarre. Later, he left RCA/ARC and signed with Miura Records, releasing singles such as There’s Always Me and Goodnight Maria.
As his popularity declined in Italy, Shayne moved to West Germany. He had already made an impression in 1966 with an appearance in Udo Jürgens’ film Siebzehn Jahr, blondes Haar. With Ich sprenge alle Ketten (1968), he became a teenage idol in Germany. Music magazines celebrated him, and BRAVO even ran two full-size poster spreads (Starschnitte).
TV soon followed. Shayne appeared in the films Hurra, wir sind mal wieder Junggesellen! (1971), Olympia – Olympia(1971), the crime series Derrick (1976), and Endlich Samstag! (2008). In 2019, director Stephan Geene dedicated a semi-autobiographical miniseries to him titled Shayne, in which Ricky starred alongside his sons Imran and Tarek.
Since the mid-1980s, Shayne and his wife lived in Düsseldorf, where they designed and sold fashion. As a hobby, he also ran a kiosk. Ever approachable, Shayne remained one of Germany’s most accessible pop stars. He occasionally performed live—like in 1990 on the Italian show Una Rotonda Sul Mare, singing Uno Dei Mods once more.
Ricky Shayne bridged cultures, genres, and generations. He was a rebel with style, a voice of an era, and a presence that resonated far beyond the charts.
Farewell, Ricky. You truly were “Number One.”
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