Rick Shutter is an American drummer and percussionist. He performed in the band for the original New York production of Godspell at the age of 19 and for the soundtracks of the play and subsequent film adaptation. He has also been credited as Ricky Shutter and Riki Shutter.[1]
Career
Shutter began playing the drums at the age of 8, and in 1964, at the age of 13, he joined The Young Executives (also known as The Executives), a trio of young teenagers from Malverne, New York. Entertainment manager Steve Paul described the musicians as "twelve-year-old kids dressed in business suits".[2] The band was signed by Mercury Records and its 1966 single, Everybody Do the Duck, broke into the national Billboard Hot 100 chart.[3] The B-side was "Come On In Baby".[4] The young band played shows and entertained in celebrity social circles in the New York City metropolitan area and the Hamptons. The teens played with or for such personalities as Leonard Bernstein,[5]Sammy Davis Jr.,[6]Andy Warhol,[7] and The Rolling Stones,[8] and in concerts and at clubs such as Steve Paul's The Scene,[7]Arthur, and Westhampton's The Barge[9] (where The Rascals were discovered in 1965.)[10] The band also appeared on the Clay Cole'sDiskotek television show.[11] The trio disbanded in 1966.[3][5]: 40–65
Shutter continued his career through his teen years. He worked club dates with Steven Scott Music, played the Catskills circuit, and backed up oldies acts such as Bo Diddley, The Shirelles, and Gary U.S. Bonds.
Godspell
In 1971 at the age of 19, Shutter began playing drums and percussion in the original four-piece band of the New York production of Godspell, whose score was created by Stephen Schwartz. Shutter then played in Godspell's Los Angeles company and on its national tour.[nb 1] He also played on the Godspell cast album and the soundtrack for the ensuing film adaptation.[13][14] While doing eight performances a week for the show, Shutter also did extensive session work that included demos, spec deals for record labels, and projects by singer-songwriters.[15]
The stage production of Godspell features soft-rock music in a variety of styles.[16]Paul Shaffer, music director of David Letterman's late-night talk shows, described Shutter's "big drums" as being "the defining sound" of the cast album. (Shaffer was the music director of Godspell's Toronto production and participated in the film soundtrack recording sessions).[17]Modern Drummer magazine described Shutter as bringing "serious rock power" to the music.[18]
The cast album was a commercial success, spending months as the only theatrical cast album in the top 100 in sales.[19] Boosted by the strength of its "gargantuan hit single"[18]Day by Day[nb 2] (which reached the top 10), the album's sales earned a Gold Record certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and ultimately reached the Platinum sales threshold.[22] The cast album also garnered 1971 Grammy awards for "Best Score From An Original Cast Show Album".[23][nb 3] The film soundtrack, released in 1973, was somewhat different from the cast album and was also a commercial success. The soundtrack reached the Top 40 and remained on the charts for almost a year, earning Gold Record status.[24]
After leaving Godspell, Shutter was a staff session player for various record companies and recording studios; he has been independent since 1984. Shutter has worked on a variety of projects, including commercials and film soundtracks, and has continued to record and perform with regional and national acts.[27][32][33][34] In 2018, Shutter joined Shaffer, Alice Ripley, Ben Vereen, and Don Scardino in a Godspell tribute at The Cutting Room music venue in New York City. The occasion was a benefit concert for the Orphaned Starfish Foundation, one of the charitable causes favored by Schwartz.[35] In 2021, Shutter started playing with The Drifters.
Shutter continues to work with regional projects and bands in New York.[27] In March 2024, he performed at the Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame preceding the induction ceremony honoring Schwartz. The band, led by Shaffer with Doug Quinn on guitar and Steve Manes on bass, accompanied Broadway vocalists including DeMarius R. Copes, Paul Kreppel, Dale Soules, Carrie St. Louis, Alysia Velez, and Teal Wicks.[36]
^As of 2010, according to Godspell recordings collector Tom Peters, "It [Day by Day] was the last showtune to chart as performed by the original cast."[20][21]
^In 2011, the Grammy awards category "Best Score From An Original Cast Show Album" was renamed "Best Musical Theater Album."
