I was going to title this post “Summer of 69,” but for some reason people often confuse Rick Springfield with other artists so I didn’t want to add to the confusion.
But as most RS fans can attest to, August 23 is practically a national holiday on our calendar as we celebrate the arrival of our favorite rock star into the world. And as fans know, he likes to celebrate his birthday, sometimes as early as mid-July, during concerts when he encourages the audience to sing him “Happy Birthday.”
But it’s not all about him. Each year he asks that in lieu of gifts, fans should donate to charity. His charity of choice is usually the Linda Blair Worldheart Foundation, which helps rescue dogs. Here’s his note this year:
So if you’re able to help, I’m sure RS and the dogs would appreciate it!
His fans’ annual birthday charity campaign will be starting soon, too. The campaign has raised more than $100,000 for charity since it started in 2007. This year’s campaign is in conjunction with the above campaign, which means it is all for the dogs. Word on the street (or Facebook actually), is that the campaign starts Aug. 15.
There’s also another Rowdy Ron birthday special coming up: The “Happy 69th Birthday Rick Springfield Special,” where DJ/comedian Rowdy Ron plays hours and hours of Rick Springfield music starting at 9 p.m. ET on Aug. 25. If you’re a new RS fan or rediscovering him after a few decades, it’s a great place to catch up: rowdyradio.listen2myshow.com.
In other RS news, check out this cool article on indystar.com that addresses how RS really feels about his well-publicized “Star Wars” collection: ‘Rick Springfield talks Tinder, ‘Star Wars’ toys and the blonde in the ‘Jessie’s Girl’ video.’
My Rick Springfield crush 