Richie B was born on the first day of 1980. The first noticeable
thing about baby Richie was that he was born without upper limbs.
This was due to a rare condidtion called Phocomelia. As you will learn,
he didn't let a little technicality like that get in his way.
Growing up in a semi-rural council housing estate with little to his
name, he had many hobbies and interests. Among them were fishing,
playing pool, carpentry and anything that had wheels and a motor.
He passed his driving test on the first attempt on April fools day.
Perhaps an indication of his deep love for comedy and self effacing
mockery which made it easier to point out the faults of others in his
own funny way.
Richie was, and still is a work horse. From a young age
he did any small jobs he could to earn pennies to spend on fishing
equipment and later boats. Something he also maintained for other
seafaring owners. Invariably his outgoing and lighthearted personality
led to a great interest in performing arts and he left school to study
that very subject.
Sadly, his father passed away when Richie was only 17 so
he had to take up the mantle of 'Man of the house'. To help give
him an edge he returned to college to study carpentry and joinery
where he astonished his tutors with his ability to carry out the
necessary tasks with his feet that even some others struggled to do
with their hands! Unfortunately finding a good job was impossible
because most employers were not prepared to take the insurance risks
that came with certain disabilities. Maybe they should have had the
confidence in him that his tutors did.
Unperturbed, Richie helped out his friend with a roofing job as well
as working on his Grandmother's farm. It's at this point that his interest
in cars really took hold of him and he bought a car that had been written
off in an accident and restored it. Along the way learning mechanical
engineering and welding.
Always looking for opportunity he used these new found skills to
buy, renovate and sell vehicles although not always for a profit.
Inevitably Richie started to carry out work for various charities,
doing motivational speaking among other things including cycling across
america, twice! and being an instructor for a disabled Bike and ATV club.
Richie has a number of claims to fame including featuring on a TV
programme called 'Pulling power' where he drove around with the likes of
Derek Bell and Eddie Kidd as his passengers.
Then there's Richie's interest in music which is what this page is all
about. He covered music at college, featuring in the line up of several
bands, stating one of his most memorable moments as performing live in
front of a crowd of 12,000 people at the 'Rox festival' as a vocalist in
a reggae band called 'Sticky Rhythms'. He performed many sets including
weddings, pubs, clubs and holiday camps and parks such as Bunn Leisure
where, during peak season, he often played to audiences of over 2,000.
As well as appearing with a college band at the Brighton Centre.
Always up for a challenge, Richie found himself applying to appear on
reality TV shows. He was picked from over 60,000 applicants to appear
on a BBC show called 'Beyond boundaries Africa'. A show where successful
applicants with various disabilites were taken on a journey through parts
of Africa and challenged in ways that tested their ingenuity and
endurance to the extreme. He also appeard in a follow up to that show
called 'Beyond Boundaries. Where are they now?'.
Back in the UK, Richie took his love of pool more seriously by signing
up to a local pub league team, achieving such accolades as best player
whilst helping his team to achieve victory in their regular fixtures.
Richie had a number of relationships and, after settling down he became
the father of two boys. Life has never been that straighforward for Richie
and fatherhood was no exception. At the age of 4 his eldest son suffered
seriously from Leukaemia and had to undergo 4 years of chemotherapy.
A very stressful time. Fortunately that son is now doing very well with
little to no complication.
During Covid times Richie decided to find himself again and joined
TikTok and has since attracted a decent following. Let's hope that
continues to grow.
Stay tuned for musical developments in the future. He has access to
a recording studio now and knowing Richie he will make sure he pursues
his artistic dreams of becoming a successful solo artist.