Milan Radenkovich (December 15, 1941 â€" March 14, 1971), who was
always credited mononymously as Milan, was an American record
producer, songwriter and recording artist on numerous songs made
throughout the 1960s, mostly though not exclusively in the garage rock
genre. He released an LP and numerous singles for seven different
national record labels and other independent labels (a total of more
than 30 songs) under a variety of names, including Milan with His
Orchestra, Milan, The World of Milan, Milan (The Leather Boy), and The
Leather Boy, and also worked under the name Rick Rodell. As a
producer, arranger and/or songwriter, Milan oversaw many other
releases by a variety of artists ranging from the pop singer Lou
Christie to the psychedelic rock band the Head Shop.Greg Shaw placed
Milan's song "I'm a Leather Boy" as the opening track on two different
albums in the Pebbles series: the Pebbles, Volume 10 CD and the
earlier Pebbles, Volume 11 LP (which was also the first album to be
released on his AIP record label). He has written of Milan as being "a
cryptic artist who made a series of high image records offering
himself as some leather-clad, bike-riding rebel, but so stylized he
might've been imagined by Andy Warhol. . . . The only name to be found
on these records is Milan, a name that also shows up as
writer/producer on a big pile of records, from the early 60s right
thru the end of the decade. . . . But who was he? No further clue has
ever emerged. This is one guy whose story really cries out to be
told."In the promotional material for the 2009 retrospective album
Hell Bent for Leather, Milan was described in this way: "From his
earliest incarnation in the record industry as a Xmas twister, the
enigmatic Milan has changed his name and re-invented himself several
times: a teen idol with a cute hairdo and a preppy look, a garage
gonzo savage, an all dressed-in-black biker stud, a psychedelic
screamer in love with satellite sounds, and other characters known or
waiting to be discovered. One thing is for sure: Few people can claim
so many identities in less than a decade."Milan was born Milan
Radenković, anglicized as Milan Radenkovich, though the surname is
rarely if ever shown on records attributed to him. However, he changed
his name to Richard (Rick) Rodell while he was still in high school in
Florida, and was often known by that name in the recording industry.
Milan's father performed as Rasha (or Rascha) Rodell, and was a folk
singer and guitarist who performed in the late 1950s at the Eden Roc
Hotel in Miami Beach, Florida. Milan's older brother, Petar
Radenković, is a former Yugoslavian-Serbian goalkeeper with the
football (soccer) team, TSV 1860 München of Munich, who won the
German Bundesliga title in 1966 and the German Cup in 1964.
always credited mononymously as Milan, was an American record
producer, songwriter and recording artist on numerous songs made
throughout the 1960s, mostly though not exclusively in the garage rock
genre. He released an LP and numerous singles for seven different
national record labels and other independent labels (a total of more
than 30 songs) under a variety of names, including Milan with His
Orchestra, Milan, The World of Milan, Milan (The Leather Boy), and The
Leather Boy, and also worked under the name Rick Rodell. As a
producer, arranger and/or songwriter, Milan oversaw many other
releases by a variety of artists ranging from the pop singer Lou
Christie to the psychedelic rock band the Head Shop.Greg Shaw placed
Milan's song "I'm a Leather Boy" as the opening track on two different
albums in the Pebbles series: the Pebbles, Volume 10 CD and the
earlier Pebbles, Volume 11 LP (which was also the first album to be
released on his AIP record label). He has written of Milan as being "a
cryptic artist who made a series of high image records offering
himself as some leather-clad, bike-riding rebel, but so stylized he
might've been imagined by Andy Warhol. . . . The only name to be found
on these records is Milan, a name that also shows up as
writer/producer on a big pile of records, from the early 60s right
thru the end of the decade. . . . But who was he? No further clue has
ever emerged. This is one guy whose story really cries out to be
told."In the promotional material for the 2009 retrospective album
Hell Bent for Leather, Milan was described in this way: "From his
earliest incarnation in the record industry as a Xmas twister, the
enigmatic Milan has changed his name and re-invented himself several
times: a teen idol with a cute hairdo and a preppy look, a garage
gonzo savage, an all dressed-in-black biker stud, a psychedelic
screamer in love with satellite sounds, and other characters known or
waiting to be discovered. One thing is for sure: Few people can claim
so many identities in less than a decade."Milan was born Milan
Radenković, anglicized as Milan Radenkovich, though the surname is
rarely if ever shown on records attributed to him. However, he changed
his name to Richard (Rick) Rodell while he was still in high school in
Florida, and was often known by that name in the recording industry.
Milan's father performed as Rasha (or Rascha) Rodell, and was a folk
singer and guitarist who performed in the late 1950s at the Eden Roc
Hotel in Miami Beach, Florida. Milan's older brother, Petar
Radenković, is a former Yugoslavian-Serbian goalkeeper with the
football (soccer) team, TSV 1860 München of Munich, who won the
German Bundesliga title in 1966 and the German Cup in 1964.
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