By ANNIE LUXMORE
Special to South Valley Newspapers
GILROY
– You might spot Richard Spremich walking out of the local
Costco on a Saturday afternoon with his wife Melanie, their three
daughters, and a smile from ear to ear. You might think he’s the
typical American family man.
By ANNIE LUXMORE
Special to South Valley Newspapers
GILROY – You might spot Richard Spremich walking out of the local Costco on a Saturday afternoon with his wife Melanie, their three daughters, and a smile from ear to ear. You might think he’s the typical American family man.
But underneath his sunglasses and his sparkling whites is a man who has endured a lifetime of struggles and overcome obstacles. From being the drummer in a world-famous Latin rock band to hitting rock bottom, Spremich has been through it all and has emerged a man of spirit, dedication and strength.
Spremich grew up in San Francisco with his mother and four siblings. His parents divorced when he was very young and his abusive father left him with deep wounds. He would struggle with the words of his father for many years: “You are no good. You’ll never amount to anything.”
Fortunately, Spremich did have a loving mother, supportive uncles and a gift for music. He began playing the trumpet at a young age and soon moved on to the drums.
“My uncle helped me to purchase my first drum set,” he said. “As I began playing I realized that I had a natural ability.”
By 13, he was playing professionally.
When Spremich finished high school in the early 1970s, he was playing in a band called Naked Lunch. This group soon merged with the Malibus, a band lead by Carlos Santana’s brother Jorge. This group turned into the very successful Latin rock band, Malo, with hits like “Sauvecito” and “Cafe” (For pop fans, the melody from “Sauvecito” was borrowed for the song “Every Morning” by Sugar Ray). All of a sudden, Spremich was hangin’ with the big boys.
“We were touring, playing to thousands of people, and hanging out with bands that I idolized,” he said. “But still, the words of my father echoed in my head, and I was sure I was destined for failure.”
As Spremich’s insecurity grew, so did his drug addiction.
During his days with Malo, and with drugs, Spremich had three auto accidents. The last one blew two discs in his back and left him unable to play the drums.
Spremich’s drug abuse continued as he entered the professional world, starting his own businesses.
He was married to his first wife and had three young daughters. His career was taking off, but he was doing more and more drugs to keep up. He was destroying his family, his life and his career.
It continued until one day in 1991, when Spremich hit bottom.
“I was lying in my bed, looking at the ceiling, and thinking, ‘I don’t want to die. I don’t want to die,'” he said. “I decided at that point that I had to quit and change my life for good.”
Soon after, Spremich was walking by a church and heard the song, “Amazing Grace.” It had a thumping bass and was very different than he remembered. He then understood what would save him – faith and music.
Three weeks later, after 10 years without playing, Spremich was a drummer again.
“I called my brother to come listen to me play at church,” he said. “I told him I felt like I did 10 years ago.”
For years, Spremich played the drums in his garage and at church, but still struggled in other aspects of his life. He went through a divorce and tried to connect with his three daughters, and was forced out of a very good job, he said, because of a stand against Internet pornography.
This time was not all misfortune, though. Spremich met Melanie, fell in love, got married and began a new family.
In 1999, they moved to Morgan Hill, and a year and a half ago, they came to Gilroy. But just as his life was getting back on track, Spremich started having strange pains in his foot.
“The doctors couldn’t seem to figure out what was wrong,” he said. “My injury was misdiagnosed, treated incorrectly, and now I’m permanently disabled.”
The injury also left Spremich with very little money and a new family to support.
But one afternoon, Spremich and his family were walking out of the grocery store with a full cart of groceries. His young daughter looked up and asked him if they could stop for a hot dog. He reached in his pocket and had a $20 bill, plenty of money for a couple hot dogs.
“I started to tear up,” Spremich said. “We had everything we needed.”
Spremich said it was then that he realized his injury, which didn’t affect his drumming, happened for a reason – so he could get back to music as his livelihood. He began studying intensely, both the teachings of his faith and his favorite drummers.
Today, after much hard work, Spremich has wealth all around him. He’s not necessarily rich, but he’s found peace and happiness and believes whole-heartedly in himself and his endeavors.
Of course, he’s not without regrets. He has reconnected with one of the daughters from his previous marriage, and is still trying with the other two.
But, with the help of friends and family, he has begun three businesses and has written and produced his own album, “The Damascus Experience”.
Vincent Grimes has known Spremich for six years and was co-producer, pianist and vocalist for the project.
“Making this record was a wonderful experience,” Grimes said. “I’m very happy with the results. It’s unique, original, and a great blend of styles.”
Spremich’s songs on “The Damascus Experience,” are telling of his hardships, but also joyful, and even danceable.
Spremich is also teaching drummers at his TDX School of Music and has started his own Christian record label, Prince of Peace Records.
“I just wanted to create a safe environment physically and spiritually,” he said. “I wanted to create a place where Christian musicians of all skill levels could share ideas and inspire one another.”
Spremich’s final endeavor is a charitable foundation, Shield of Faith Ministries, created to help distribute a percentage of the profits of Prince of Peace Records to other organizations and individuals with similar goals.
“Richard is a man on a mission. He’s very centered and focused,” Grimes said. “He wanted a place to create music that’s wholesome and to give adults and children an alternative to what’s out there right now. And now, he’s accomplished that.”
Spremich hopes in a few years, his businesses will be successful. “I’d like to have a couple acres for my family and a full-service recording studio,” he said. “And I hope we have rock, funk, hip-hop, jazz, and even fusion playing on radio stations. I want to bring our praise to the world.”
