Rick Moranis' biggest claim to fame is not as a recording artist, but as a comedic actor...
He was born on 18 April 1953 in Toronto, Canada. While still in High School he began writing for CBS radio and made appearances on Canadian televison programs like The Alan Hamel Show (Alan Hamel is also known as "Mr Suzanne Somers") or 90 Minutes Live. While these career choices weren't exactly "making things happen," a 1980 change of venue provided Mr. Moranis the sort of break every performer dreams of...
Rick joined the cast of the Second City TV, a popular broadcast "spin off" of the even more popular Second City Players, home of such TV comedy luminaries as Chevy Chase, Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, and countless other comedic (and dramatic) actors.
It was while at SCTV that he and Dave Thomas, another cast member, developed a couple of characters and a skit about two beer drinking brothers named Bob & Doug McKenzie, or "The MacKenzie Brothers." They decided to produce an album based on the brothers and the LP The Great White North Album followed. It sold amazingly well (for coming from a TV show whose ratings could've been better), reaching the top 10 on the album charts and was even nominated for a Grammy. The success of the McKenzie Brothers gave Rick another big break. He and Dave Thomas co-wrote and co-directed their first film, Strange Brew, based on the brothers... Pretty cool, eh?
After this, Rick was in high demand, not so much as a leading man, but more often than not as the "nerdy" foil, the doting dad, or the put-upon sidekick. His most notable roles have been as the lead in Little Shop Of Horrors and as the dad in all three of Disney's Honey... films. Other parts of note are Barney Rubble in the first Flintstones movie, Dark Helmet in Mel Brooks' Spaceballs as well as parts in Big Bully, Ghostbusters and countless others. He was originally cast in City Slickers, but had to pull out when his wife became ill, eventually succumbing to cancer. Daniel Stern (Home Alone) took the role in his place. In recent years Mr. Moranis has kept a low profile, raising his children and purportedly running his own production company in New York...
YOU, ME, THE MUSIC AND ME
Produced by Marc Giacomelli
Music by Kerry Crawford, Jonathan Goldsmith, Syd Kessler and Bill Carpenter
Lyrics by Rick Moranis, Marc Giacomelli, Syd Kessler and Bill Carpenter
Album Notes by Gerry Todd
Musicians:
Kerry Crawford, Jonathan Goldsmith, Brent Barkman, Steve
Webster, Vern Dorge, John Johnson, Ron Allen, Dave
Nichol,
Bob DiSalle, Mike Francis, Greg Adams, Dave Piltch, Bob Piltch,
Dick Smith, Syd Kessler and Bill
Carpenter
Special Guest:
Eugene Levy as Floyd the Barber (cut 8)
Track Listing:
While websites devoted to RICK MORANIS are fairly plentiful. The most notable are below: