Richard Frier

Not much is known about the early life of Richard Frier, which is exactly how he would like it. Careful to maintain the distinction between his public and his private life, the only times Frier ever publicly commented on his youth was when he was publicly asked. He was born to Duncan and Mary, both meteorologists, in Scotland. They often traveled around northern Great Britain for work, taking Frier with them before he started schooling. By his own admission, Frier was something of a rapscallion, often facing discipline at school or at home.

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The Friers moved to Blackpool in the decade after the war, where Frier found it difficult to adjust to life after the transition. However, Frier would became fast friends with Roger Brugin, After a difficult academic career, he found work in construction for the remaining years until he joined the Plutos (By his own admission, he was involved in the construction of Anapest Records' "rival" studio, Eagle).

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However, despite having no musical background or instrument experience, he was the principal actor in the formation of the Plutos. The crucial ability of his that catalyzed it was simply being able to get on with most everyone he met. He was an avid listener of many local acts, including Goldie & the Lodestones and Prince Edward & His Islands, which Cliff Martin and James Davy were respective members of. He and Davy became good friends at the end of the 1950s, and after becoming acquaintances with Martin shortly thereafter, he brought the two of them together at an Irish wake, and the rest is history.

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Both Frier and critics alike were unconvinced of his drumming ability on the Plutos' debut album in 1962, and indeed it had only been just under two years since he'd been encouraged to join the Plutos by Brugin, who - fortunately for the rest of us - saw musical potential in a man who's musical knowledge rivaled that of an anteater. However, over the course of the 1960s, Frier's skills improved greatly through sheer osmosis and proximity to the other members.

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At the beginning of the Plutos' hiatus in the middle of the decade, Frier met his future wife Abigail, and the two would marry in the autumn of 1966, weeks before the release of "Honesty", which would propel the Plutos back into the critical and popular spotlight, and cement their legacies as an all-time act.

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While leaving the songwriting duties to his compatriots, Frier does have one songwriting credit on record: "Caledonienne" on Your Cup of Tea, though he would later admit: "I mostly just wrote the words. I was inspired by something Cliff wrote, I don't think it got made into a song [...] We have that sort of effect on each other. Being able to quietly prod the others to bloody do something that they fundamentally couldn't do before. I think it comes from being friends first, before there's any question of being artists."