Having learned to play guitar at 9 years old, Ian McKay, went on to make his first live appearance at the age of 11 as part of an instrumental duo called Ian and Brian. Ian went to front to a number of rock ‘n’ roll and rockabilly bands at school singing lead vocals and playing lead guitar, the first of these was called Hawks 44 and then Big Dick and The Turpins in 1979/1980; none of these bands lasted long. Between 1980 – 1981 a further four bands followed which were, in order, The Sunsets, The Shades, In Step and Flipback. Apart from Brian Partridge who played bass in two of the bands and went on to join Rick in a country band many years later, the other musicians were different but all the bands featured Ian on lead guitar and lead vocals with the exception of Instep that had Tony Gadd on lead. Tony was Paul Gadd’s (better known as Gary Glitter) brother although in the band he took the name Paul Russell. Ian got his first paid gig with Instep when he was 15 and still at school.
Ian and Dave left Rock Therapy in 1986 (the band carried on with a new lineup until 2023) as they didn’t feel the band was pushing for work and Ian was keen to make a good living from music; together they formed a trio called Dynamite. The original lineup was Ian McKay (lead guitar and lead vocals), Dave Williams (bass) and Danny Rowlands – later replaced by Mark Light (drums). It was with Dynamite that Ian made is first recording with the release of an EP. While still playing with Dynamite, in 1987 Ian was offered the role of ‘Young Elvis’ in Barry White’s touring theatre production of Forever Elvis which had been playing since 1982. After accepting this role, Dynamite folded. In order to join the production, Ian had to join the British Actor’s Union Equity before he was allowed to work in theatres. There was already an Equity member called Ian McKay. The ‘Equity name’ or professional name is protected by the union to avoid confusion for casting, royalty distribution, and professional branding. If a chosen name is already taken or too similar to an existing member’s name, the member must choose a different one or alter their name by adding a middle name or changing a surname. This still remains the same today. Ian took his son’s name and became Ricky McKay.
The new show with Ricky which was launched in January 1987 featured three actors playing Elvis at different stages of his career. Ricky initially took on ‘Young Elvis’ (1954 – 1960) but in time, Dean Soloman who was ‘Movie Years Elvis’ left the show and Ricky took Elvis through to 1970 and ‘Las Vegas Elvis’ with Big Jim White. In 1989 Ricky and Jim White left the show to join a different theatre production called Elvis and the Rock ‘n’ Roll Years. Rick was initially reluctant to take on this roll as he didn’t want to get type cast as an Elvis impersonator but he eventually agreed that Jim White would be Elvis in later years with Billy Dean as the young Elvis. Rick’s role was to write the first half of the show which he would narrate and come on as other artists like Roy Orbison.
Ricky rejoined Forever Elvis at the start of the show’s 20-day tour of Russia in September 1989 when it became the first ever rock musical to tour the Soviet Union. This was all made possible by Mikhail Gorbachev’s wife Raisa after the show’s promoter Barry White arranged for a fax machine to be installed in the Gorbachevs’ office. This is said to be the first fax machine to be installed in Russia. Rick didn’t want to play Elvis anymore so rejoined as a ‘utility man’ who could play any instrument when required but also he acted as a narrator and support act opening the show with his own set as Ricky McKay. After the Russian tour, the show ended for good in February 1990 when the writer and producer of the show died and shortly after that, Ricky went back to live in Portsmouth with the intention of pursuing a solo career.
Between 1989 and 1992 Rick, as he was now called, toured the cabaret circuit, opening shows for such names as Mike Reid, Roy Walker, The Searchers, The Rockin’ Berries, and many others. He also released his first solo album, Beggars Can Be Choosy. The album contained 12 songs, 10 of which were written by Rick.
A reunion of The Silhouettes as a trio came in 1990 and, in 1992, Rick joined his first country band, Hicksville. The lineup was Phil March, (bass and lead vocals), Nick Evans (lead guitar, pedal steel guitar and mandolin), Rick McKay (lead and rhythm guitar and lead vocals) and Ray Lucking (drums). They played in clubs for about a year.
When the band broke up in 1992, Rick then formed a trio called The Jailbirds with the lineup Rick McKay (lead guitar, keys and lead vocals), ‘Shakin’ Jimmy Russell (bass) and Mark Bowles (drums). Mark had previously played drums in the second version of The Silhouettes. Rather than being a Country band they did a bit of everything but most important they did what they wanted to do rather than what people wanted them to do, Rick told me “it was a bit of a rebellion against the establishment”. They were not a touring band and only did a weekly gig in the Sir Loin Of Beef pub. They lasted until 1993 when Ian formed another trio, One Hand Loose, a revival of the second incarnation of The Silhouettes with Rick McKay (lead guitar, lead vocals drums, Tony Hinks (bass and vocals) and Mark Bowles (drums, lead guitar and lead vocals). This was an unusual band with the band members swopping between instruments so Rick would play drums while drummer Mark Bowles had learnt guitar.
Following the demise of One Hand Loose in 1993 Rick went back to working solo for a while and then put together a new band called Rick McKay and Freeway. The lineup Rick McKay (lead vocals and rhythm guitar), Dave Carmichael (lead guitar and vocals), Tony Hinks (bass and vocals) and Ray Lucking (drums and vocals) his band mate from Hicksville. This lineup is featured in my video from 1994 which you can see here at the bottom. Freeway got off to a great start but only toured for a few months. Rick made a trip to Nashville in 1994 and was spotted by an independent record label owner who signed him to GMC Records. Rick moved to Nashville on 1 June 1994, shortly after this video was made. Freeway had intended to carry on with Frankie Riedel replacing Rick but this didn’t happen and the band folded. Having moved to Nashville Rick was told “We’ve got hundreds of Rickys but no Ians” so he reverted to Ian McKay working in The Carousel Club in Printer’s Alley, when he wasn’t writing songs and recording.
He moved back to England in the middle of 1995 and over the next couple of years he moved between England and Nashville, working on his career here, while trying to get his US career back on track. He put his band together again now known as the Rick McKay Band with Phil March and Ray Lucking from Hicksville and Brian Partridge (bass) who he hadn’t seen since he was at school and had played in two of his school bands. There were a number of other musicians but Phil March bowed out in order to bring in lead guitarist Mark Jacobs who was considered one of the best lead players in the business and still is. The band eventually came off the road after Brian and Ray decided to leave. Rick started doing solo gigs again
Throughout 1998, Rick toured with Dave Inglis in the duo, North and South following the demise of Dave’s Blue Rose Band. North and South were based in the north of England but Rick wanted to move back south and this brought and end to the duo. Having moved south he started working solo again and also started arranging the well known jam sessions at Hemsby which led to several other late night jam sessions. It was at this time that Rick met Glen and Jodie Mitchell. Pedal steel guitarist Tony Ryan wanted to leave Glen’s band so he and Tony formed the second incarnation of the Rick McKay Band. Rufus Ruffel came in on lead guitar and they worked as a trio without a drummer. The band toured until the end of 2000 when Rick wanted to fold the band as they weren’t sufficient bookings for him to go full time. By this time Jodie and joined the band replacing Rufus and Rick had changed from rhythm to lead guitar. Both Rick and Jodie were unhappy with having to cater for a line dance audience. They left but Tony Ryan wanted to carry on so he teamed up with Ray Peters and they became The Ray Peters Band.
Rick then returned to theatre shows touring the UK in the role of Garth Brooks in The Thunder Rolls, a tribute to the music and career of Garth Brooks. Rick left the show in 2001 due to his belief that Garth’s music was not being shown the respect it deserved. The show, he told me, was under rehearsed, and suffered from a lack of commitment by some of those involved. ‘The Thunder Rolls’ only lasted for two more shows and then folded.
In 2002 Rick co-formed the duo Pure Country with Jodie Mitchell. Jodie was born into a country family in Essex. Her dad was Steve Mitchell and his band Shiloh was one of the most popular bands on the British circuit in the 1980s and into the 90s. Steve’s son Glen joined Shiloh in 1985 when he was 13 and in 1991 he formed his own band The Troubleshooters with Bob Keeley. After three years with the band, Glen moved on to a solo career releasing two albums and winning 3 UK Country Music Awards including BCMA Rising Star. Glen also formed a duo with his sister Jodie called The Mitchells and later The Glen Mitchell Band. The band was quickly very popular and supported John Permenter as the main support act for Billie Jo Spears. Billie Jo brought in the Rick McKay Band as her touring band along with John Permenter and Glen. Glen left England and moved to Nashville in 2001 to pursue his career as a country singer / songwriter. In 2013 he teamed up with Texan SaraBeth Swagerty and they formed the duo Royal South. They were married in 2024 and their duo and band regularly tours in the UK.
Pure Country Duo always paid tribute to the more traditional country music both old and new. The duo toured extensively and gave Jodie the opportunity to expand her vocal talents, as well as her abilities as a musician. In 2002 there was also a four-piece collaboration between Pure Country and Kalibre which was called Nightshift.
Rick and Jodie were married in August 2006. As well as touring with Jodie in Pure Country, Rick has been involved with a number of theatre productions including Hank, Cash and Cline. Three legendary names in the world of country music are brought together in one show. Hank Williams was played by Marc Robinson, Johnny Cash was played by Rick McKay and Patsy Cline was played by Sue Lowry. They performed their greatest and best loved hits, supported by The Driftwood Cowboys. Buddy Holly’s Winter Dance Party is based on the Winter Dance Party tour which claimed the lives of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper in 1959. Since October 2013, Rick has been performing Johnny Cash Revisited which is his tribute to the legendary ‘man in black’, Johnny Cash. The show includes all the biggest hits and more from all 5 decades of Cash’s career. Rick has performed this show solo or duo featuring Jodie as June Carter or with a fully live backing band.
These days Rick and Jodie still occasionally perform as Pure Country and until covid, they were concentrating on the Johnny Cash Revisited theatre show singing the music of Johnny Cash and June Carter. The show came back once live music returned to theatres but Rick now does the show solo to allow Jodie an opportunity to build her career as a singer / songwriter. She is hoping to release The Colour In You, her first album of all self penned songs by the end of 2025.
Research by Nick Catford.