Happy Chichester
Encyclopedia
Harold "Happy" Chichester is an American
singer-songwriter
and multi-instrumentalist, living in Columbus
, Ohio
.
. Touring with The Replacements, The B-52's
and others, the RC Mob released six albums and was even featured in Seventeen magazine
. After nine years with the band, Happy left to pursue a solo career. Happy was replaced by Ben Pridgeon, and the RC Mob continued touring, disbanding a few years later. They all remain friends and keep in touch.
used to open for the Royal Crescent Mob, Happy has often lent his talents to Greg Dulli's projects The Afghan Whigs and The Twilight Singers
. Happy provided vocals, songwriting and various instruments to Afghan Whigs releases Gentlemen (1993) and Black Love (1996) and he was also a founding member of The Twilight Singers. He appears heavily on their first album, Twilight As Played By The Twilight Singers (2000). Happy toured as a keyboardist with both the Afghan Whigs and the Twilight Singers as well. On Greg Dulli's 2005 solo album Amber Headlights, Happy provided drums to the song "So Tight."
Happy met bassist Jim Rico at Ohio University in Athens, with whom he started Howlin' Maggie in January, 1994. An early version of the band played its first show in Covington, KY on February 3 the same year. During the following months, guitarist Andy Harrison and drummer Jerome Dillon were added to the line up, and in 1995 the band signed a recording deal with Columbia Records, releasing the critically acclaimed, Honeysuckle Strange, on April 9, 1996. The band toured extensively with the Afghan Whigs, but by the late '90s, the original line up was dissolved.
Howlin' Maggie Version 2.0
Chichester bought himself out of his record deal with Columbia Records and he and his wife founded PopFly Records. In 2001, the label released its first CD, Howlin' Maggie's Hyde for which Happy recruited the talents of guitarist Lance Ellison, (former Royal Crescent Mob drummer) Carlton Smith, and bassist Christian Hurd. After two US tours in support of the album, Happy decided to take a solo approach and disbanded Howlin' Maggie for good. They played their last shows in the summer of 2002. Howlin' Maggie reunited for a one-off show in Columbus, Ohio on November 24, 2010, along with Columbus bands Earwig
, X-Rated Cowboys, Willie Phoenix Band, Watershed, and The Toll
. Proceeds for the show went to benefit CD101
for the Kids charities and the memorial fund established after the passing of legendary CD101 DJ Andy "Andyman" Davis.
invited Happy to support his band Brad
on their national tour and open all the shows. The experience was inspiring, and Happy began to periodically hit the road to see how audiences reacted to his new songs, while spending his days off the road in his studio to record his first solo album. Meanwhile, a performance at Portland's Aladdin Theater on March 28, 2003 (which was recorded for the price of a pint of beer) became an underground hit. He had recorded and produced a limited, numbered pressing of the show in Portland, copies of which were eventually selling on eBay
for $50.00. Eventually, the live album was officially released through PopFly Music.
Lovers Come Back, Happy's first full length studio solo album, was released by his label on February 14, 2007. In support of the album, he headed out on an extensive tour of the United States and Europe (while opening for RJD2
) to promote the album. He continues to tour and record as a solo artist. While on tour with RJD2
) if Happy is the opening act, Happy, Derek Dicenzo and John Brown back RJD2.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
and multi-instrumentalist, living in Columbus
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
.
Royal Crescent Mob
Happy's first band of note was the 1980s rock/funk group the Royal Crescent Mob in which he played bass. Formed in 1985, the Royal Crescent Mob were renowned for their live act and signed a major label deal with Sire RecordsSire Records
Sire Records is an American record label, owned by Warner Music Group and distributed through Warner Bros. Records.-Beginnings:The label was founded in 1966 as Sire Productions by Seymour Stein and Richard Gottehrer, each investing ten thousand dollars into the new company. Its early releases as a...
. Touring with The Replacements, The B-52's
The B-52's
The B-52's are an American rock band, formed in Athens, Georgia in 1976. The original line-up consisted of Fred Schneider , Kate Pierson , Cindy Wilson , Ricky Wilson , and Keith Strickland . Following Ricky Wilson's death in 1985 Strickland switched to guitar...
and others, the RC Mob released six albums and was even featured in Seventeen magazine
Seventeen (magazine)
Seventeen is an American magazine for teenagers. It was first published in September 1944 by Walter Annenberg's Triangle Publications. News Corporation bought Triangle in 1988, and sold Seventeen to K-III Communications in 1991. Primedia sold the magazine to Hearst in 2003. It is still in the...
. After nine years with the band, Happy left to pursue a solo career. Happy was replaced by Ben Pridgeon, and the RC Mob continued touring, disbanding a few years later. They all remain friends and keep in touch.
The Afghan Whigs and Twilight Singers
Having been friends with Greg Dulli since the days when The Afghan WhigsThe Afghan Whigs
The Afghan Whigs were a soul-influenced American rock band from Cincinnati, Ohio. PopMatters described the band as "beyond simple genre categorization, and though lauded by the music press, never got their just due."-Band history:...
used to open for the Royal Crescent Mob, Happy has often lent his talents to Greg Dulli's projects The Afghan Whigs and The Twilight Singers
The Twilight Singers
The Twilight Singers is an American indie rock band. The group was initially formed as a side project of The Afghan Whigs leader Greg Dulli in 1997...
. Happy provided vocals, songwriting and various instruments to Afghan Whigs releases Gentlemen (1993) and Black Love (1996) and he was also a founding member of The Twilight Singers. He appears heavily on their first album, Twilight As Played By The Twilight Singers (2000). Happy toured as a keyboardist with both the Afghan Whigs and the Twilight Singers as well. On Greg Dulli's 2005 solo album Amber Headlights, Happy provided drums to the song "So Tight."
Howlin' Maggie
Howlin' Maggie Version 1.0Happy met bassist Jim Rico at Ohio University in Athens, with whom he started Howlin' Maggie in January, 1994. An early version of the band played its first show in Covington, KY on February 3 the same year. During the following months, guitarist Andy Harrison and drummer Jerome Dillon were added to the line up, and in 1995 the band signed a recording deal with Columbia Records, releasing the critically acclaimed, Honeysuckle Strange, on April 9, 1996. The band toured extensively with the Afghan Whigs, but by the late '90s, the original line up was dissolved.
Howlin' Maggie Version 2.0
Chichester bought himself out of his record deal with Columbia Records and he and his wife founded PopFly Records. In 2001, the label released its first CD, Howlin' Maggie's Hyde for which Happy recruited the talents of guitarist Lance Ellison, (former Royal Crescent Mob drummer) Carlton Smith, and bassist Christian Hurd. After two US tours in support of the album, Happy decided to take a solo approach and disbanded Howlin' Maggie for good. They played their last shows in the summer of 2002. Howlin' Maggie reunited for a one-off show in Columbus, Ohio on November 24, 2010, along with Columbus bands Earwig
Earwig (band)
Earwig is an indie rock band from Columbus, Ohio. They release music on their own "micro-indie" LFM Records label. Playing as a trio, a staple of the band's sound are verses where the guitar drops out and the bass dominates the melody...
, X-Rated Cowboys, Willie Phoenix Band, Watershed, and The Toll
The Toll
The Toll was a rock band from Columbus, Ohio in mid 1980s to early 1990s. It consisted of vocalist Brad Circone, guitarist Rick Silk, bassist Greg Bartram, and Brett Mayo on drums. Many of their songs contained spoken narratives....
. Proceeds for the show went to benefit CD101
WWCD
WWCD —currently branded CD101 @ 102.5—is a commercial modern rock radio station licensed to Baltimore, Ohio and serving the Columbus metro area....
for the Kids charities and the memorial fund established after the passing of legendary CD101 DJ Andy "Andyman" Davis.
Solo
After Howlin' Maggie, Happy continued to write songs and play live. In 2002 Shawn SmithShawn Smith
Shawn Smith is a Seattle-based songwriter, vocalist and musician in several bands and also as a solo artist. He was born in Spokane, Washington.Smith has cited Freddie Mercury, Prince and KISS as early influences...
invited Happy to support his band Brad
Brad (band)
Brad is an American rock band that formed in Seattle, Washington in 1992. Brad's sound is influenced by the wide variety of influences brought by its members, including Stone Gossard of Pearl Jam, Regan Hagar , Shawn Smith , and Jeremy Toback...
on their national tour and open all the shows. The experience was inspiring, and Happy began to periodically hit the road to see how audiences reacted to his new songs, while spending his days off the road in his studio to record his first solo album. Meanwhile, a performance at Portland's Aladdin Theater on March 28, 2003 (which was recorded for the price of a pint of beer) became an underground hit. He had recorded and produced a limited, numbered pressing of the show in Portland, copies of which were eventually selling on eBay
EBay
eBay Inc. is an American internet consumer-to-consumer corporation that manages eBay.com, an online auction and shopping website in which people and businesses buy and sell a broad variety of goods and services worldwide...
for $50.00. Eventually, the live album was officially released through PopFly Music.
Lovers Come Back, Happy's first full length studio solo album, was released by his label on February 14, 2007. In support of the album, he headed out on an extensive tour of the United States and Europe (while opening for RJD2
RJD2
RJD2 is an American music producer, singer and musician. RJD2 was born in Eugene, Oregon, and raised in Columbus, Ohio. He currently resides in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was signed to the Definitive Jux label where he released two largely instrumental hip hop albums and has produced tracks...
) to promote the album. He continues to tour and record as a solo artist. While on tour with RJD2
RJD2
RJD2 is an American music producer, singer and musician. RJD2 was born in Eugene, Oregon, and raised in Columbus, Ohio. He currently resides in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was signed to the Definitive Jux label where he released two largely instrumental hip hop albums and has produced tracks...
) if Happy is the opening act, Happy, Derek Dicenzo and John Brown back RJD2.