Jonathan Richman in San Francisco

Jonathan Richman is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist, born in Natick, Massachusetts, in 1951. He formed the Modern Lovers in Boston and helped shape early proto-punk through direct, economical songs including “Roadrunner” and “Pablo Picasso.” His later work turned toward acoustic rock and folk, producing songs such as “That Summer Feeling” and “I Was Dancing in the Lesbian Bar.” During the late 1970s and 1980s, he performed as Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers before focusing on concerts under his own name. Since the 1990s, many of those shows have used a duo format: he sings and plays acoustic guitar while Tommy Larkins supplies the percussion.