Musicians - Richard Manitoba

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	Musicians - Richard Manitoba

Richard 'Handsome Dick' Manitoba (born Richard Blum in The Bronx, New York, January 29 1954) is an American musician and radio personality, best known for his 30-year stint as lead singer of the proto-punk New York City band, The Dictators.

Manitoba started out his music career as a roadie for The Dictators. As legend would have it, after some 'equipment was stolen and some vehicles damaged, the band thought it would be safer to have Manitoba on stage where they could keep an eye on him. Manitoba made his "official stage debut" with the Dictators, at Popeye's Spinach Factory, in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, in 1975. On their first major label album, The Dictators...Go Girl Crazy (Epic Records, 1975), Manitoba was listed as "Secret Weapon". This is because he sang some lead, and some background, but was still considered as a sort of "mascot". Manitoba sang more lead on The Dictators second offering, Manifest Destiny, a 1977 release on the Asylum label. On Bloodbrothers, the third and final Dictators recording from the 1970's,(also on Asylum, 1978) Manitoba sang lead on almost all the tunes.

The Dictators disbanded in late 1978, but played reunion gigs occasionally until 1996, when they started to play again regularly. In 1989, Manitoba -- along with Andy Shernoff (bass, songwriter), JP 'Thunderbolt' Patterson (drums) and a man known as the "fifth Ramone", Daniel Rey (guitar) -- put an album out under the moniker, Manitoba's Wild Kingdom, on MCA records. Ross the Boss, the original lead guitarist for The Dictators, eventually replaced Rey. In 2001, The Dictators released their first studio album in twenty-three years, D.F.F.D, on their own label, The Dictators Multimedia. A live album, Viva! Dictators, was released on the Escapi Music label in 2005.

In 2004, Manitoba threatened to sue indie artist Dan Snaith, who at the time operated under the moniker of "Manitoba". Snaith was forced to change his performing name to "Caribou".

Since February 2005, Manitoba has been singing lead with The MC5, a legendary Detroit pre-punk rock and roll band. Manitoba also has his own show, "The Handsome Dick Manitoba Program" on Little Steven Van Zandt's Underground Garage channel, on Sirius Satellite Radio. Manitoba's, a New York City rock n' roll bar on the Lower East Side, was opened by Manitoba on January 14 1999.

Richard Manitoba

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