Rik Fox

Rik Fox, born 'Richard Suligowski', is a Polish-American guitar player.

Rik Fox was born in Amityville, L.I., and raised in the heavily Polish neighborhood of Greenpoint, Brooklyn. While in high school, Fox was intersted in photography, choosing as his subjects the flashy personalities of the New York glam scene of the 1970s. He photographed the New York Dolls, among others. During this period, Rik dated the younger sister of early KISS drummer Peter Criss. Fox and Criss became friends, and Fox was there to watch the formation of KISS from the very beginning.

After moving to Los Angeles in 1982, Fox played guitar in several bands, including Steeler, SIN, and W.A.S.P.. Although he was only briefly associated with W.A.S.P, he claims to have named the band. The idea occurred to him after he stepped on a wasp in the courtyard where he lived with his fellow bandmember Blackie Lawless. This story is retold in the book Bang Your Head : The Rise and Fall of Heavy Metal by David Konow, where it is confirmed by W.A.S.P. bassist Randy Piper. Blackie Lawless reportedly denies Rik Fox's participation in W.A.S.P., but he's clearly shown in photographs taken by Don Adkins during the band's first photo session. Adkins went on to photograph bands like Motley Crüe.

Fox's music career ended after he left his last band, Thunderball, in the early 1990s. After that, he dabbled in acting and took several film roles. Through acting, he became involved with the Rennaissance Faire scene, where he actively sought to bring Polish history into the forefront. Fox has been referred to as a 'pioneer' in this venture. Apart from being a musician Rik is the First Polish-American of noble ancestry, who represents the Polish winged hussars in U.S. History.

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