Ric Parnell, who portrayed Mick Shrimpton, the drummer of SPINAL TAP in the film “This Is Spinal Tap”, has died at the age of 70.
Parnell also spent some time with the 1970s British hard rock/psychedelic band ATOMIC ROOSTER.
Ric sat behind the drum kit on solo albums for RADIO BIRDMAN’s Deniz Tek, who remembered Parnell in a social media post on Sunday (May 1), writing: “Ric Parnell died early this morning.
“From day one, meeting him, I found him to be engaging, warm, and delightfully funny. We hit it off as pals immediately. He had a cheerful spirit that made you feel good, just being around him.
“Ric’s amazing history in the music world is well known. I had the great good fortune to work with Ric on three albums. Studio time was casual, fun, and scattered with stories and humor. Ric never actually prepared for a session, but would come up with the beat and the arrangement on the spot. He would say ‘How does this next song go?’ I’d play it to him on a guitar, and he’d think about it for a minute. Then he would say ‘Right! Got something.’ Then he would nail it in one or two takes, and it was as perfect as it gets.
“Ric was one of a kind. He lives on in his music, and in our hearts.”
Parnell remained with SPINAL TAP after the film when they became an actual touring band, recording a soundtrack album and performing with the band live, including a 1984 appearance on “Saturday Night Live”. Being that the character of Mick Shrimpton died in “This Is Spinal Tap” (the first in a long line of drummers who keep spontaneously combusting), Parnell took on the role of his “twin brother” drummer Ric Shrimpton for the group’s live appearances.