Chris Reccardi – The bass man from behind the scenes
Chris Reccardi may not be a name you can recall instantly but his portfolio of work is most impressive, known for being the force behind The Ren and Stimpy Show, from Storyboard Artist to Composer and Bass Player to Writer and Director, Chris Reccardi wore many Ren and Stimpy hats.
Working mainly on Nickelodeon in his early career, he storyboarded and directed many shows for Nickelodeon including Samurai Jack, The Powerpuff Girls, Super Robot Monkey Team, Hyperforce Go!, SpongeBob SquarePants, and Tiny Toon Adventures.
Later in his career, Chris transitioned to feature-length animation and films, again as a storyboard artist, in films such as Shrek the Third, Shark Tale, Open Season 3 and a handful of Lego movies.
He was regarded as a fine artist and exhibited his work around the world. He also created a series of murals for the Linq Hotel’s High Roller in Las Vegas, regarded as the world’s largest observation wheel.
As a musician he composed the theme song for Ren and Stimpy as well as creating the show’s iconic song “Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy” He recorded an album, due for release this year, with his band Psellophane.
He died from a heart attack at age 54 whilst surfing in Ventura, California on 2nd May 2019. He left behind his wife of 25 years, Lynne Naylor, herself another established and award-winning artist, animator and designer.
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