Richard Marx Biography

Richard Marx's nearly three-decade career as a singer, composer, and producer has been filled with high points. Starting with his self-titled debut, which reached No. 8 and generated four Top 5 singles, including the chart-topping Hold on to the Nights, the Chicago native has sold more than 30 million records, with Don't Mean Nothing garnering him a Grammy nod for Best Rock Vocal Performance-Male. Repeat Offender, released in 1989, was even better, debuting at No. 1 and reaching triple platinum, with two No. 1 singles in Satisfied and Right Here Waiting. Marx had a seven-year streak of victories that matched any in pop-rock music history when both Rush Street (with two No. 1 AC songs in Keep Coming Back and Hazard) and Paid Vacation (with its No. 1 AC smash, Now and Forever) went platinum. He went on a 24-hour, five-city blitz on MGM Grand Airlines to promote the release of Rush Street in 1991, playing at every stop, a record that has yet to be broken. He is still the first male artist in history to have his first seven singles rank in the Top 5 on Billboard. For most artists, that would be enough, but Richard Marx went on to have a second, extremely successful career as a songwriter and producer, with songs like To Where You Are, the first big single from Josh Groban's first album and the NSYNC smash, This I Promise You. He went on to win a Grammy for co-writing Luther Vandross' Dance with My Father in 2004 and then accompanied Celine Dion live on piano for her prime-time televised performance of the winning song. He has written songs for a wide range of artists, including Barbra Streisand, Vince Gill, LeAnn Rimes, Natalie Cole, Travis Tritt, Daughtry, Lifehouse, and actor Hugh Jackman. Richard had a No. 1 Country single with Keith Urban's Long Hot Summer last year, his second with the Australian singer-songwriter after Better Life, off his triple-platinum CD Be Here, spent six weeks at the top. Marx achieved the uncommon achievement of having songs he created or co-authored reach No. 1 in four decades. Richard has lately collaborated on songs with everyone from Jennifer Nettles and Sara Bareilles of Sugarland to Chad Kroeger of Nickelback, demonstrating his impressive musical versatility. Marx has a total of 14 No. 1 singles across all platforms as a performer and songwriter/producer, making him a genuine multi-talented danger. When You Loved Me was a Top 20 AC success from his previous album, Stories to Tell, released in 2010. Richard continues to play live, having just embarked on a solo acoustic tour that has already brought him across the United States, as well as to China, Russia, and Europe. He toured North America for 22 gigs with Ringo Starr's All-Star Band in 2006, playing guitar and performing his own songs. In 2008, he toured as an acoustic duo with Matt Scannell of Vertical Horizon. Richard Marx: A Night Out with Friends, a PBS special that aired last summer as part of the network's acclaimed Front Row Center music series, featured Hugh Jackman's duet with Richard on a rocking version of the Box Tops' classic hit, The Letter, and is now available on CD/DVD. Richard also has a sizable fan base on Facebook (240k) and Twitter (32k), where his often-acerbic Tweets have earned him a favorite among his devoted followers, whom he will continue to update on his escapades. Despite his numerous achievements, Marx has long wanted to produce a Christmas album to fulfill a promise he made to his late grandmother, who was an essential part of his family growing up and died in 1989. He has made good on his promise with Christmas Spirit, which was released by TourDForce through INgrooves Fontana. The album includes a number of traditional holiday songs, as well as two originals co-written with Dave Grusin and Fee Waybill, as well as a number of special guests, including Kenny Loggins, Sara Watkins of Nickel Creek, frequent collaborator Matt Scannell, and Sara Niemietz, who performed with Marx on his PBS special after Richard's children discovered her on YouTube. Richard has also made a commitment to a number of causes, including donating the royalties from his hit single, Should've Known Better, to help build a room at NYU Medical Center for pediatric cancer patients, and his 1989 recording of Children of the Night, which raised more than $500,000 for the Children of the Night Foundation. Marx has also given benefit performances for the TJ Martell Foundation, Toys for Tots, Make a Wish Foundation, American Cancer Society, Best Buddies, and the Special Olympics over the years. Richard and his band have entertained US troops in Germany, and he has organized an annual event in Chicago for the Ronald McDonald House Charities since 2008, the first of which featured a concert by Richard and Kenny Rogers. Richard also hosts an annual all-star benefit event for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, which has raised over $4 million for illness research. I'm in a wonderful spot right now since my motivation isn't my image, fan base, or even record sales, which has allowed me to pursue things I like, which is what makes it fun, confesses Marx.

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