Rick Springfield

Rick Springfield (born Richard Lewis Springthorpe; 23 August 1949) is an Australian singer-songwriter, musician, and actor. As a musician, he is known for the 1981 #1 single "Jessie's Girl", which became a blockbuster of 1980s pop rock music and helped establish the emerging music video age. As an actor, Springfield is known for playing Dr. Noah Drake on the daytime drama General Hospital. He originated the character from 1981–2003 and then returned to play him again from 2005-2008. Springfield was born in Sydney, Australia, the son of an Australian army career-officer. In 1967, he dropped out of high school to begin his professional music career. His first appearance in a band was as a singer/guitarist in the band Rock House. In 1968, the band changed the name to MPD, Ltd, then embarked on a tour of Vietnam to entertain the troops stationed there. In 1969, Springfield replaced guitarist Roger Hicks in the Australian rock band Zoot, a position he held until the band's break-up in 1971. The 22-year-old Springfield relocated to Hollywood, California in 1972. His debut single "Speak To The Sky" was a major pop hit, peaking at #14 in Billboard and his debut album "Beginnings" became the first of seven top 40 album successes.[citation needed] However, follow-up success was hampered by rumours that the record company, Capitol Records, was paying people to purchase it, leading some radio stations to boycott his music.