Jonathan Richman

Jonathan Richman’s earnest, boyish singing and unwavering purity of heart have always set him apart. Born in Boston in 1951, Richman was a teenage Velvet Underground fanatic who followed the band from gig to gig before forming his melody-driven proto-punk outfit The Modern Lovers, whose influential, self-titled 1976 album was produced partly by VU alum John Cale. But the rumbling guitar and organ of anthems like “Roadrunner” soon lost their appeal for Richman, and the band’s next incarnation foregrounded his increasingly gentle and playful lyrics. After saluting the wholesome joys of shopping malls and ice cream over beachy guitar-pop, he retired the Modern Lovers name in the late ’80s. Richman appeared as a narrative device in the 1998 comedy There’s Something About Mary and continued to tour widely into the 21st century with drummer Tommy Larkins while releasing albums that flirt with Latin rhythms and Indian ragas alike.