Today we’d like to introduce you to Dickie English
Hi Dickie, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
The Molly Ringwalds are an 80s Tribute Experience that have been a staple in the music scene for a little over 25 years. Hailing from Sheffield, England, but based out of New Orleans, LA, they currently tour mostly the southeast region of the U.S., but have played the East and West coast, and even had a venture to Germany in the last 10 years. Their humble beginnings started in Baton Rouge, LA, around 1998 as an original band called “Krush U.K.”. “The Molly Ringwalds” were created as an 80s cover act by the same members to help supplement the original band by having “Krush U.K.” essentially open for itself. When “Krush U.K.” unfortunately dissolved with the departure of members, “The Molly Ringwalds” held on by changing up the lineup, and have since remained a very successful unit that has seen packed crowds everywhere they play. It has been the same consistent lineup since 2003, and the members are as follows: Sir Devon Nooner (Lead vocals, guitar, keyboards), “Platinum” Randi Wilde (Lead Guitar, Vocals), Dickie English (Keyboards, Vocals), Lord Phillip Wang (Bass Guitar, Vocals), and Sir Liam Thunders (Drums, Percussion, Vocals).
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It’s been a fairly smooth road. Every band has certain struggles, but we’ve put a lot of hard work and dedication into the band. The largest obstacle that we ever had to overcome was the Covid pandemic when the entertainment industry was practically shutdown, and all performances throughout the rest of 2020 were cancelled. The band did it’s best to put together “Live” social media performances on our social platforms to keep the momentum going, smaller socially distanced acoustic shows, and even filmed a broadcast entitled “An Evening With The Molly Ringwalds” on a local venue stage which was released on YouTube and Facebook, and it won a Silver Telly Award in 2021. When the pandemic was lifted, the band proceeded to pick up where it left off, and we’ve been going strong ever since. We considered the “time off” as a reset button for everyone, a sort of wake up call to knowing what could happen when the thing you enjoy the most could be taken away, and we haven’t looked back since.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
We are The Molly Ringwalds, and we consider ourselves more of an “80s Experience” rather than a cover band. We strive to make the show an all out 80s immersion that gifts the fans that lived through the 80s a sense of nostalgia while at the same time turning the younger fans on to the music allowing them to experience all the things they missed before they were old enough to enjoy it in real time. We’re very proud of how far the project has come since its inception, and we’re mostly proud of the amazing fanbase that we have across the country. There is an incredible love felt between the band and the audience. We communicate with them, and we make them feel as though they are family and just as much of a part of the band as we are.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
Some of our favorite moments and shows over the past 20+ years are as follows: when we were invited to play for New Orleans Saints Quarterback Drew Brees’ 40th birthday party; opening for Huey Lewis and the News as well as The Go-Go’s; sharing the stage with the legendary Michael McDonald as his back up band for a few songs; sharing the stage with Cyndi Lauper; and our most unforgettable moment was having Dave Grohl and Taylor Hawkins of Foo Fighters join us on stage to jam a few tunes!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.themollyringwalds.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/molly_ringwalds/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheMollyRingwalds/
- Twitter: https://x.com/Molly_Ringwalds
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheMollyRingwalds
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4pMxARbKRmoQwjXq1wTtX7
Image Credits
Brian Edward Smith
