BIOGRAPHY - RICHARD BASSETT
Pro Songwriter, Producer
www.reverbnation.com/RichardBassett
Born on the island of Bermuda, Richard Bassett is a fourth-generation musician where his grandfather played piano, his father played drums, he plays keyboards, and his son now plays the drums and guitar. While he grew up around music on the island, Richard did not confine the creation of his songs to the traditional island flavors of reggae and calypso. Bassett’s passion for storytelling and the unrestrictive constructive songwriting style in the country music genre attracted him to the music industry in Nashville. With Bassett’s broad cultural exposure, he introduced a unique style to Country, Pop, Christian, R&B, and Adult Contemporary styles of music in his catalog. His radio-friendly and commercial-suitable music captivate television viewers, supports a films' emotional journey, and creates a lasting soundtrack impact.
Bassett began writing songs as an Electrical Engineering Graduate student at the University of New Brunswick in Canada. The nostalgia of being away from home got him into songwriting while listening intently to the musical creation from two sides of the world; the USA and the UK. Once he returned to Bermuda, he, focused his passion on storytelling and songwriting while working a day job at a Telecommunications company. Those moments served as a preparation for this rare and accomplished Songwriter. Since then, he has been using his wide repertoire of musical cultural exchanges and storytelling to write songs with Nashville-based professional Staff Songwriters for several Musical Publishing Companies.
The arc of Richard’s award-winning Songwriter success began with what he calls "voyages of discovery" to Los Angeles, California. There he met John and JoAnn Braheny of the Los Angeles Songwriters Showcase (LASS), and Michael Laskow, founder of TAXI, the then World's Leading Independent A&R Company. Taking cues from his newly formed associations, he signed Music Placement and Publishing deals with Dan Hodges Music, Heavy Hitters Music Publishing in LA, Defacto Music International (California), and Crucial Music International. Bassett has created countless instrumental songs positioned for recognition and popularity as a whole. Bassett's distinctive pro songwriting style made him exceptional among Recording Artists, Artist Managers, Music Supervisors, and Music Producers along Nashville's Music Row, and Songwriting competitions, in Hollywood, and in New York.
Bassett’s wide-ranging catalog has garnered placement deals and has been featured in various TV productions, including ABC’s “One Life to Live”, CBS’ “The Young and The Restless”, MTV’s Shows, The Seven, Moving In, Jersey Shore, and Ten On Top, E! News, Giuliana & Bill on Style, My Destination TV, and Travel in Style. His Song ‘This Cigarette’ was performed by Universal Recording Artist Canaan Smith as part of acoustic sets during the Sugarland, ‘In The Hands of Their Fans’ tour in 2012. Richard also produced and recorded the song ‘Mama Don’t Cry’ by Independent Recording Artist Ian Raynor. He also gained ISC recognition in 2004 for his Pop/Country "I Like It Like That (Tic Tac Toe)" and an award in the 2006 Unisong Songwriting Competition for his highly personal Christian song, "Don't Try to Push the River" written after the passing of his Father. In 2002, Richard co-produced the musical score in Errol Williams’ - When Voices Rise; a documentary that won the Bermuda International Film Festival Audience Choice Award. Bassett also composed original music and sound effects for the stage musical production of Escaping from The Mob Part II.
Building on his early successes, Bassett got actively involved to make an impact and bring world-class songwriting exposure to Bermuda. In 1994, he founded the island’s first Songwriters Association. As an avid songwriter with a strong predilection to share resourceful knowledge through his award-winning songwriting talents, Bassett has facilitated several online Songwriting workshops including the “Fundamentals of Hit songwriting” and “Successful Songwriting Techniques and Strategies”. Richard Bassett is currently the President of Renascent Music Publishing (SOCAN). His remarkable range of musical styles catalog can be found on (www.renascent.org).
