Mannionversary: Five Years of Rich Blessings
Fri., Jun. 9. 2023 12:38pm EDT
ApologetiX keyboardist Rich Mannion just reached a significant milestone in his ApologetiX career. This week marks his five-year anniversary as a member of the band.
We initially made contact with Rich in April 2018 through the recommendation of ApX alum keyboardist/producer Bill Hubauer. Our first Mannion-handled parody was "L.S.F." Although that single wasn't released until July 9, 2018, he sent us his keyboards parts for it on June 5, 2018.
Since then, Rich has participated one way or another in the vast majority of our musical endeavors. If you count the two songs on our next single, he is featured on 184 ApX recordings. Of those, he played keyboards on 178, programmed electronic drums for 62, sang backing vocals on 47, and played guitars on six.
And that doesn't include six other parodies in progress for which he's already recorded parts.
During the time Rich has been with ApX, he's also been the keyboardist with the award-winning blues group Bobby Thompson and the Groove and the staff pianist for The Wheeling Jamboree in Wheeling WV. He also plays keyboards and sings for a new yacht-rock group called Yachtness Monster.
Furthermore, he writes and records an enormous amount of incredible original music; the man is a prog-rock prodigy. Even with all that going on, Rich always completes his ApologetiX assignments on time. In fact, he usually hands in his homework even earlier than expected. And he's definitely a straight-A student!
We can't imagine what the last five years would have been like without Rich, and if they ever make a dystopian sci-fi movie exploring that hypothetical situation, we don't want to watch it. We look forward to a fantastic future with him.
Thanks, Rich! We praise God for you!
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