Portrait of Ric Lee

Birthday profile

Ric Lee

Ric Lee, English drummer

Born
October 20, 1945
Age in 2026
81
Zodiac sign
Libra
Birth year
1945

About Ric Lee

Richard "Ric" Lee (born 20 October 1945) is an English drummer of the blues rock band Ten Years After. == Ten Years After == He was a founding member of his first band, The Falcons, and was also a drummer for Ricky Storm and The Mansfields, which he was persuaded to leave in August 1965. Soon he took over drumming duties for The Jaybirds, with guitarist Alvin Lee (no relation), and bassist Leo Lyons. In 1966 they arrived in London, where a keyboardist, Chick Churchill also joined the band. In 1967, Churchill got the band an audition at the Marquee Club in London under the name The Blues Yard, but quickly became the successful outfit, Ten Years After. With this group, Lee played at rock festivals including Woodstock in 1969 (where they performed the songs "Spoonful", "Good Morning Little Schoolgirl", "Hobbit", "I Can't Keep from Crying Sometimes", "Help Me", and "I'm Going Home"), and the Isle of Wight Festival on 29 August 1970 as well as appearances at the Newport Jazz Festival, the Miami, Atlanta and Texas Pop Festivals. Ten Years After continued touring after Alvin Lee's death (on 6 March 2013). Ric Lee has been in Ten Years After since the group was formed in 1966. He has played on all their records, including their best known tracks "Love Like a Man" (1970) and "I'd Love to Change the World" (1971), and still tours with them as of 2023 with original keyboardist Chick Churchill, and two new members: guitarist/vocalist Marcus Bonfanti (British Blues Awards winner) and bassist Colin Hodgkinson. This incarnation released its first studio album, A Sting in the Tale, in 2017.

Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.

Career and life highlights

Ric Lee timeline

  1. When Ten Years After disbanded in 1976, Lee formed March Music/Fast Western Productions undertaking music publishing, management and record production and signed acts such as the Incredible Kidda Band.
  2. However, in 1980, Lee instead became the drummer for Chicken Shack.
  3. This incarnation released its first studio album, A Sting in the Tale, in 2017.

The world when Ric Lee was born

Ric Lee was born in 1945. The year snapshot below places that birthday in its cultural and historical setting: the music and films people were following, the headlines shaping public life, and the everyday prices families encountered.

Culture in 1945

  • #1 song"Sentimental Journey" – Les Brown & Doris Day
  • Top movieThe Lost Weekend
  • Best-selling bookAnimal Farm – George Orwell

Headlines and milestones

  • Major sports momentDetroit Tigers win the World Series
  • Top headlineWorld War II ends after atomic bombs dropped on Japan
  • Technology milestoneAtomic bomb developed and detonated (Manhattan Project)
  • Defining fadV-J Day celebrations
  • Notable inventionMicrowave oven (accidental discovery)
  • World population2.40 billion

United States snapshot

  • U.S. leaderFranklin D. Roosevelt / Harry S. Truman
  • Sports championDetroit Tigers (World Series)
  • U.S. population139.9M

1945 versus 2026

These figures put everyday life in Ric Lee's birth year beside the site's latest United States snapshot.

Measure19452026
Gas$0.21$3.45/gal
Average home$5,900$435,000
Average income$4,100$67,500
Minimum wage$0.40$7.25/hr (federal)
Movie ticket$0.30$11.95
Postage stamp$0.03$0.73
Population139.9M341 million

Sources and editorial standards

This profile combines a biographical source with structured birthday and historical context. Sources recorded for this profile: Wikipedia, MusicBrainz. See our editorial policy for sourcing, corrections, and review standards.

Read the source biography on Wikipedia. Wikipedia text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.