BORN: September 16, 1963, Chicago, IL
The world has known Richard Marx for over a decade, when his first single, “Don’t Mean Nothing,” and his self-titled debut album kicked off his career as a solo artist in 1987. But Richard has been working in the music business for much longer, since singing commercial jingles written by his father when he was five years old. In the past 12 years, Richard’s five studio albums and Greatest Hits collection sold millions worldwide.
His 17 singles were routinely found at the top of the charts and continue to be mainstays on pop and adult contemporary radio. But beyond his tremendous success as a singer/songwriter, Richard has earned a reputation as a sought-after producer, working behind the scenes with some of the biggest names in the music business. While continuing to write songs for his own albums, Richard has worked with a diverse list of artists, from Lionel Richie, Kenny Rogers, Chicago, Poco, and John Farnham to Luthor Vandross, Billy Joel, and Bryan White. In 1999 Richard completed two successful tours of China, started his own record company, and built a state-of-the-art recording studio, all while writing and recording songs for his sixth studio release and donating his time and talents to a long list of worthy causes. Richard’s work with other artists in 1999 included writing and producing songs for opera singer Sarah Brightman, Barbra Streisand and Vince Gill, pop group *NSYNC, and country stars SHeDAISY and Shane Minor.
