Although Rick Springfields music was frequently dismissed as vapid teen idol fare, his best moments have actually withstood the test of time far better than most critics would ever have imagined, emerging as some of the best-crafted mainstream power pop of the 1980s. A singer turned soap opera star turned singer, Springfield was born Richard Springthorpe on August 23, 1949, in Sydney, Australia, to a military man; the family moved around Australia and England a great deal during Ricks childhood, and he sought his escape from the difficulty of making friends in books and music. He formed a band in high school and eventually joined a 50s revival group called Rock House, moving on from there to join the teenybopper band Zoot in 1968. Zoot became one of the most popular groups in Australia until 1971, scoring several hits. Springfield went solo after the breakup and garnered his first U.S. success the following year with a re-recording of his Australian hit Speak to the Sky; the song reached number 14 in the U.S., but would prove to be his last major success for quite some time. Subsequent 70s albums stiffed, and record company difficulties prevented Springfield from recording after 1976.
