Rick DePiro

Rick DePiro, (born May 30, 1967), known professionally as Ricky Dee, is an American country singer-songwriter, jazz pianist and organist, and a music producer who has recorded and produced over twenty-five albums. He is also the founder of RADCO Music Group, consisting of his label JaRic Records and Entertainment, Carol Lynn Designs, a jewelry design and manufacturing company, RADCO Media Group, a web design and internet company and the Play Music-Enjoy Life! piano series as part of Play Music Enjoy Life, a nonprofit company in California. His father was a steel industry executive and his mother was a jazz vocalist. His sister Jacki is a jazz vocalist and founding partner at JaRic. DePiro has been a National Artist for Matsushita/MCA (Universal Music Group), Technics, Roland Corporation as a National Artist and Product Specialist, participating artist and contributor of the I-AM workshop, and VP of KnoC Management-Hollywood.
He attended Daemen College and Akron University as a music theory, synthesis, and music business major. In 1982 with a qualifying IQ of 165 on an officially monitored exam, DePiro was made a member of Mensa
Early life
DePiro was born Richard A. DePerro in Cleveland, Ohio, spelling his name "Depero" on his first drivers license until he changed it to DePiro in 1990. In early years he used DePerro on his first recordings and later "DePero" on his legal account registrations for BMI and other accounts. He grew up in the Buffalo-Niagara Falls, New York area. He started performing by "sitting in" with jazz and rock bands in New York by invitation at age twelve. His first paying job was as a pianist at St. Matthew's Church in Buffalo, New York, at age twelve. By age sixteen he recorded two albums and was signed to Mark Records by owner and producer Vincent Morette. He performed his first solo piano-organ concert at age fourteen and began teaching privately at seventeen. Before he was eighteen, he had roughly thirty-five television appearances, local and national, airplay on over fifty radio stations nationwide, had written thirty songs, and had composed and performed the theme song for the weekly New York TV talk show Talk of the Town. He studied with his orchestra "idol" Don Costa as a protégée in Beverly Hills, performed at the Emmy Awards, was the opening act with his band and vocalist sister Jacki, won a Tri-State contest for a center stage concert at New York indoor amphitheatre, Melody Fair.
Career
DePiro became music director for the USWA/AFL-CIO Constitutional Conventions at age eighteen when he was contracted by Richard Davis, International EVP of the USWA. He then performed at eight USWA bi-annual international conventions until the age of thirty-two, often including his sister Jacki in concerts and events. His song "America My Home" was the first song in the convention's history to be performed and included as official business. He performed the song on the convention floor during the 1994 convention in Las Vegas. He produced a Christmas album in 1984 for vocalist Raine Austen and got his first national jingle contract writing and performing jingles with Austen for Rainbow Muffler.

In 1984, DePiro was signed to a second record contract, this time with Cosmic Records in Cleveland, Ohio. He stayed with Cosmic until after the death of friend and mentor Romeo Salerno (Cosmic Records owner and founder) in December 1991. Continuing after the death of Salerno, DePiro recorded new albums and released them under the Cosmic label (through an agreement and promise made to Salerno), with the assistance of Salerno's son Jon Salerno, until starting his label JaRic in 1997. He is a BMI writer and publisher and voting member of NARAS, the recording academy.
In the 1980s, DePiro became a music director of rock show band Sir Bentley. He toured the United States with the band for over a year. He became the for the Cleveland Indians baseball team after he won a tri-state audition, before which he spent an additional year performing six days a week as leader of a house band at the Bond Court in Cleveland, playing for local TV shows, concerts in the park, conventions, and political events; he played the organ at all home games at Cleveland Stadium for two seasons. In later years, DePiro played stadium organ as a guest for the Texas Rangers, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, and Chicago White Sox.
DePiro moved to the Los Angeles area to pursue his career in music in the late 1980s while playing organ for the Indians. He transferred his AFM membership from the Cleveland chapter to the LA/Hollywood chapter, Local 47. In Los Angeles, he was managed by David Parrish, who introduced him to music producer Chuck Sabatino. In his first two years in Los Angeles, with Sabatino, DePiro met and recorded several albums with Michael McDonald's band. He also took on a job as music director for Broadway and film actor Sy Kramer and through Kramer worked with Betty White, , Barbara Luna, Dom DeLuise, and Estelle Getty. He also worked with John O'Hurley and actress Eva LaRue, took acting lessons in Hollywood, and co-owned a recording studio in Lake Arrowhead, California. He was later managed by Jon Hichborn and Brendan Cahill (Universal Studios Film Music VP) who handled his career for the next three years when he recorded with Steve Shiff and Joe Julian, performed at the Greek Theater, got airplay on rock stations, and became a National Concert Artist for Matsushita/MCA - at Technics Musical Instruments through founder Nick Orlando. Orlando went on to mentor DePiro for several years after DePiro's contract signing. DePiro won National Keyboard Artist of the Year in 1992 and 1993.
He is also known as a skilled session and live performance musician, having worked with Michael McDonald, Joe Williams, John Stamos, The Four Freshmen, Johnny Cash, Gary LeVox (Rascal Flatts). Tim Miner, Brian Mcknight, Tony Danza, Shirley Horn, Alicia Keys, Joe Sample, Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, Kool and The Gang, Joe Perry, George Benson. He performed on piano for President George H.W. Bush in Florida in 1991 at a special event at Sawgrass Country Club in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. His involvement and contract with MCA/Universal lead him to bring in sister Jacki as a performer at special events where they befriended Chairman Lew Wasserman. Wasserman helped the DePiro's garner performances at Universal Studios for dozens of PAC and EIF functions and Special Studio Events and was a reference for their second performance at The White House for and by invitation of President Bill Clinton.
In 1999 and 2000, DePiro contracted with and wrote music software for Technote America and Style Station. and recorded his 14th - 21st CDs with seven CDs of instrumental cover music under contract with an independent label based in Los Angeles. In October 2000 he was signed as a National Product Specialist and Concert Artist with Roland Corporation through friend and colleague Dennis Houlihan, Roland company president-CEO and former Chairman, and was a contracted staff artist with Roland. DePiro was one of less than 100 professional music artists at that time to be endorsed officially by the Roland Corporation and was the first "staff artist" to be endorsed.
In September 1999, DePiro got engaged to his girlfriend Yvette Pamela Leon after proposing to her on a gondola in Venice, Italy. The couple got married in Laguna Niguel, California, in November 2000. In December 2000, he and Jacki were again invited to perform at The White House, in this instance for five-hundred invited guests at a governors and military reception, and additionally performed a private concert for the president and had a thirty-minute private audience with the president. Soon after the attacks of 9-11 in December 2001, DePiro was invited to perform his song "America My Home" for New York City mayor Rudolph Giuliani at the mayor's Man of the Year celebration.
From 2001 to present
DePiro started JaRic Records and Entertainment with his sister Jacki in 1997 to coincide with the release of their album All About Time. In 1998, he had over US$450,000 stolen from him by his former accountant and former attorney and business partner. His accountant forged a GPA in DePiro's name and left him nearly bankrupt. A federal lawsuit was filed by DePiro and for the next six years was assembled and fought in U.S. Federal Court, concluding with a judgment in DePiro's favor on October 8, 2004. Although the six-year period stalled the advancement of JaRic, DePiro performed in over 700 events, including two at the White House. Longtime friend and colleague Freddie Ravel joined JaRic in 2005 as a partner. Ricky Dee, Jacki DePiro, Freddie Ravel, Lindsay Jordan, Joe Walla, and Emily Davison have been signed to JaRic. DePiro and his team started the JaRic website in 2005.
DePiro is considered one of the most notable music executives in the industry He recorded his first solo country music album in 2006 titled Give Me a Chance under the JaRic label.
DePiro wrote the songs, performed on piano, organ, and lead vocals, and produced the album. The album included tracks from Michael MacDonald's band and co-produced by Dave Dunston, who is also DePiro music director.
DePiro, drummer Dave Beyer, and bassist Hussain Jiffry performed as DePiro's jazz trio on Jacki DePiro's first solo jazz album in 2006 released by JaRic titled Where I Hang My Hat Is Home Rick DePiro wrote the title cut and two additional songs, is credited with arrangements, performed on piano and vocals, and produced the album. He appeared on NBC's Las Vegas in 2007 under the direction of Peter Weller and in the motion picture Once Fallen with Weller, Michael Madsen, Brian Presley, and Ed Harris. He appeared in The Price Is Right, Breaking Bonaduce, Wheel of Fortune, Tony Danza Show, CNN, Inside Edition, ESPN, Democratic National Convention, and The Emmys. He and his label were given an the first exclusive distribution deal for a record label in QVC history in 2006 and DePiro's first appearances on QVC included a 15-minute solo performance spot and as a prime time guest performer in August 2006. He has performed at The Kennedy Center, The Greek Theatre, The Hollywood Bowl, MGM Grand, Caesars Palace, and Carnegie Hall. He performed with Peter Weller and a jazz quintet at the Grand Havana Room, a private club in Beverly Hills, California, several times a year. He has also performed with jazz accordionist Cory Pesaturo, Troy Aleman, MDRN, Michael Mancuso, Doreen Taylor, Joe Walla, Freddie Ravel, and Jacki DePiro.
DePiro and his JaRic team signed a development deal with David Baram and his management team at Bridge Entertainment in 2010 for a reality television show about the problems in the music industry and how their team (and label) are beating the odds and succeeding. In 2009, after donating his performance for a July 4 Music Concert at Warner Center Park, California, headlining for more than 50,000 people, he was given an award by the City of Los Angeles for contributions to the city. In 2010, he signed a multi-year deal with BrassStar Productions in Los Angeles to supply music exclusively for videos that BrassStar was creating for the Metrolink System, Homeland Security for anti-terrorist training videos, the National "See Something-Say Something" campaign for public awareness and threat assessment, and the Los Angeles Sheriffs Department. In 2012, he and his executive team were given a feature article in Art and Living in respect and tribute to the Charity PLAY MUSIC-ENJOY LIFE! that DePiro founded. The IRS approved 501c3 is a Music and Wellness Charity that gives Piano lessons to Cancer Survivors, Alzheimer's patients, their caregivers and disaster relief victims all exclusively through donations. The Charity is a California corporation.
In March 2010, DePiro and his attorney and partner acquired fifty percent of the Carol Lynn Jewelry Design company. In 2011, he and his partners started RADCO Music Group, consisting of consisting of the companies, JaRic Records and Entertainment, RADCO Music Learning Centers, RADCO Media Group, and Carol Lynn Designs.
Discography
* Artist Series - Vol 1 1992 (Cosmic #CMR 47353-92)
* Classic Rock Hits 2003 (JaRic #5410-403i)
* Cleveland Rocks Tribute 1987 (Cleveland Indians Properties)
* Contemporary Hits 2003 (JaRic #5410-403a)
* Country Hits 2003 (JaRic #5410-403f)
* Favorite Standards 2003 (JaRic #5410-403h)
* Great Ballads 2003 (JaRic #5410-403e)
* In Tribute to Frank 2003 (JaRic #5410-403d)
* It Had to be You 1990 (Cosmic #CMR 45902-90)
* Latin Moods 2003 (JaRic #5410-403b)
* Live at the Atelier 2011 (JaRic #5410-403j)
* Mellow Haze 1983 (Mark #MC 20063)
* Mellow Standards 2003 (JaRic #5410-403c)
* Some Like It Mellow 2013 (JaRic #5410-403l)
* Somebody New 2002 (JaRic #5410-403a1)
* Steals the Night 1990 (Cosmic #CMR 45113-90)
* The Duke at 100 2003 (JaRic #5410-403g)
* We'll Meet Again 2012 (JaRic #5410-403k)
* Ricky Dee, Give Me a Chance 2008 (JaRic #JR 01575-806)
* Rick DePiro-Chuck Sabatino with Michael McDonald Band, Old Habits - Romeo and Juliet (single), 1991 (Cosmic #CMR 46435-9 )
* Rick DePiro-Joe Jullian & Steve Shiff, Eternally, 1993 (Cosmic #CMR 44256-93)
With Jacki DePiro
* All About Time 1997 (JaRic #JR4022-997)
* Christmastime 1993 (Cosmic #CMR 48678-93)
* How High the Moon 1993 (Cosmic #CMR 48656-93)
* Crooner's Night 1994 (Cosmic #CMR 51093-96)
* Jazz Standards 4 1996 (Cosmic #CMR 51096-96
* When Love Walks In 1997 (JaRic #4013-297
* Where I Hang My Hat Is Home 2008 (JaRic #JR 01525-406
With others
* Raine Austen, My Christmas to You, 1988 (Cosmic #CMR 46243-88)
* Johnny Cash, Unchained, 1996 (American Recordings, Sony)
* Alan Sweet Project with Rick DePiro and Jacki DePiro, Dig-It-Al, 2001 (ASP)
* Walter Haden - Rick DePiro, Songs of Life, 1997 (JaRic #JR 13110 )
* Lindsay Jordan, Down Home Heart, 2008 (JaRic #JR 01550-905)
* Michael Mancuso, All That Matters Now, 2016 (JaRic #JR 01575-815)
* Michael Mancuso, Should We Ever Meet Again, 2017 (JaRic #JR 01595-819)
* Michael McDonald, No Lookin Back, 1986 (Warner Bros. #9 25534-4)
* Joe Walla, She Showed Up, 2009 (JaRic #JR 01695-809)

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