Richard P. Mulholland

August 25,1949 - July 5, 2023

By Peter Grimaldi

It’s an exciting time of year again, as we eagerly await the call for MAMA nominees from within the 209 area code. The ModestoView calendar serves as our guide, allowing us to note many events and performances throughout the year. This gives us a unique perspective when summer comes to an end and we start narrowing down the candidates for the top 10 vying for the coveted stainless steel carhop trophy. However, we don’t stop there. We want to hear from venue owners, promoters, and performers alike about who they think deserves to be part of the Modesto Area Music Awards.

Once we receive the nominations, we group them into categories narrowing them down to 10 nominees in each. As with the music scene itself, the Modesto Area Music Awards are fluid and ever-changing. The very first MAMA awards had only seven categories, which grew to over twenty over the years. However, last year we had only thirteen categories. We’re excited to see what the future holds, and whether categories such as Punk, Reggae, Rockabilly, and Metal will return to full strength or if new ones will be added, combined, or removed. It all depends on the number of nominees we receive for each category. Therefore, we urge you to send in your choices for as many categories as you feel comfortable submitting. You can find the full list from Alternative to Youth on our website www.modestoareamusic.com. The more nominations we receive, the richer the music scene we can represent. Moreover, we’d like to emphasize that the voting process is fair and transparent. You are the Academy and you choose the winners. This means that your voice matters, and we encourage you to participate in the voting process. Voting goes live in early September, until 11:59 pm on October 15th.

Finally, we’d like to invite all MAMA nominees and their guests to celebrate with us at the historic State Theatre on October 17th at 6 pm. We believe this is going to be an unforgettable night, and we’d like to share it with you. For those who are unable to attend, the event will be streamed live on the ModestoView website, so you can still be part of the excitement. Good luck, and we hope to see you at the MAMAs. www.modestoareamusic.com

Thank you for the music… I wish I had thanked him more often. I am stunned and saddened by Richard’s passing.

It is not that Richard Mulholland’s generosity and love for music was never mixed with his disciplined business sense, it was. But Richard recognized the promise of live music, its cultural benefits, and was always willing to consider his support for local arts projects, a risk most would not take. All those who have enjoyed live music in Modesto through the years, have taken from his generosity giving to the arts. An ardent supporter of Modesto’s State Theatre, Gallo Center, Prospect Theatre and Red Tie Arts, he would also dedicate his time and funding for local independent promotions, with a special love for jazz and world music. I was so fortunate that he took an interest in the popularity of Cajun Zydeco that in 1996 I proposed that the “New Orleans Creole vibe” would make a perfect soundtrack for a perfect daylong outdoor festival, with terrific food, beer, wine, and a perfect family friendly atmosphere. He agreed… and he knew the perfect location.

Richard, with the help of his late brother Moe Mulholland, APEX Painting Inc., and Zydeco Dance Party, put a talented team of volunteers together as partners with the

Tuolumne River Lodge to create the classic “Boogie on the Bayou, Music & Dance Festival.” Sounds of Cajun Zydeco, Blues, and Americana all blended with the scenic Tuolumne River to create an annual ritual for hundreds of packed dancers, every first Sunday in June. Festival headliners included Buckwheat Zydeco, CJ Chenier, Zydeco Flames, Danny Poullard and Roy Rogers. It was here that festival favorite, Tom Rigney and Flambeau first grew a legion of fans that follow him to this day.

Richard’s dedication and vision to produce “the Boogie” provided the guidance, infrastructure, and work force it took to make it happen. Deliveries of hospitality, radios, carts, tarps, hay bales, dance floors, state of the art sound system were all first class. It all worked under Richards organizational direction that brought out his dead pan humor, as he would say “…like herding cats.” From the chaos the result was magic, but as with all good things, the challenges were too many to keep this cooperative together past its ten-year run through 2006. I am overwhelmed by how fondly that event is remembered, how much it has been missed, but most of all, Richards personal pride in that event in all his achievements. Our musical community will miss Richard’s spirit. His philanthropy, musicianship and support for the Arts will be hard to replace where most find it hard to justify. Richard was a big-hearted soul, who loved to laugh, play, and listen to music, drink fine wine, eat great food, and willing to take a risk for it. Thanks Rich