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| Ricky May | |
|---|---|
| Name | Ricky May |
| Birth name | Richard Ernest May |
| Birth date | 1943 |
| Birth place | Auckland |
| Death date | 3 March 1988 |
| Death place | Sydney |
| Occupation | Singer, entertainer, musician |
| Years active | 1950s–1988 |
| Instruments | Vocals, percussion |
| Genres | Jazz, pop, swing |
Ricky May was a jazz and cabaret singer and entertainer who achieved prominence in New Zealand and Australia from the 1950s through the 1980s. He became known for his charismatic stage presence, scat singing, and comic patter, performing in nightclubs, concert halls, television studios, and radio studios. May worked alongside notable entertainers and appeared on major broadcast programs, contributing to popular music and variety entertainment in Australasia.
Born Richard Ernest May in Auckland in 1943, he was raised during the post‑war era that saw cultural exchange between New Zealand and Australia. His family background connected him to the local music scene in Auckland and to communities that engaged with jazz and popular music of the 1940s and 1950s. He developed early influences from touring international artists and regional performers appearing in venues associated with Auckland Town Hall and travelling shows. His formative years coincided with the rise of modern jazz movements and the spread of American and British popular culture into Australasia.
May launched a professional career as a vocalist in the late 1950s, performing in clubs and on the nightclub circuit that serviced cities such as Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, and later Sydney and Melbourne. He collaborated with bandleaders and ensembles that reflected the swing and big band traditions, sharing billing with touring acts from the United States and the United Kingdom. His repertoire drew on standards from composers and songwriters associated with Cole Porter, George Gershwin, Irving Berlin, and arrangers in the tradition of Count Basie and Duke Ellington. He recorded sessions and singles issued through Australasian labels that serviced artists working in cabaret and popular jazz idioms. He toured regional circuits and performed at festivals and charity galas, appearing with contemporaries from the Australian jazz and New Zealand music scenes.
May became a frequent face on television variety programs produced by networks in Sydney and Melbourne, appearing on shows alongside hosts and guests drawn from Australian television and international touring artists. He was a guest on radio programs broadcast by major stations in Auckland and Sydney, and contributed to live studio broadcasts that featured music, comedy, and interviews. His television appearances placed him alongside entertainers, presenters, and actors who were fixtures of televised variety, and he participated in special broadcasts and networked events that promoted touring seasons. He also performed in televised charity events and anniversary specials involving institutions and production companies active in Australasian broadcasting.
May's performing style combined jazz phrasing, scat improvisation, and light comedy patter, drawing on influences from American and British cabaret traditions and the swing era. His repertoire included interpretations of standards from the Great American Songbook and popular show tunes associated with composers and lyricists from Broadway and Tin Pan Alley, as well as contemporary pop arrangements reflecting trends in 1960s pop music and 1970s soul. He frequently worked with accompanists and small jazz combos that echoed the practices of pianists and arrangers associated with cabaret and nightclub performances, and he used rhythmic vocal percussion and phrasing reminiscent of scat innovators and swing singers.
May lived and worked across New Zealand and Australia, maintaining ties to performance communities in major cities including Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Sydney, and Melbourne. He engaged with fellow performers, club owners, and production personnel involved with the nightclub and broadcast industries. His social and professional networks connected him to musicians, presenters, and producers who were active in Australasian entertainment circuits and festival programs. Outside performance, he participated in charity events and community engagements that involved cultural institutions and service organizations.
May died in Sydney on 3 March 1988 while still active as a performer. His passing was noted across entertainment circles in Australia and New Zealand, with tributes from fellow artists, broadcasters, and venue operators. He is remembered in histories of Australasian cabaret and jazz as an entertainer who bridged club performance and broadcast media, influencing subsequent generations of vocalists and variety performers. His recorded legacy and televised appearances continue to be cited in accounts of New Zealand music and Australian television history, and retrospectives on nightclub culture and jazz singing in the region reference his contributions.
Category:New Zealand singers Category:Australian entertainers Category:Jazz vocalists Category:1943 births Category:1988 deaths