Richard Marx

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Richard Marx
Marx in 2016
Background information
Birth name	Richard Noel Marx
Born	(1963-09-16) September 16, 1963 (age 57) Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Origin	Highland Park, Illinois, U.S.
Genres	Pop rock adult contemporary soft rock[1][2]
Occupation(s)	Singer songwriter
Years active	1980–present
Labels	Capitol EMI Manhattan Signal 21 Zanzibar Frontiers Kobalt Label Services
Associated acts	Dick Marx Fee Waybill Matt Scannell Luther Vandross Keith Urban Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band
Website	richardmarx.com

Richard Noel Marx (born September 16, 1963)^[3] is an American adult contemporary and pop rock singer and songwriter.

His self-titled debut album went triple-platinum in 1987, and his first single, "Don't Mean Nothing", reached number three on the Bilboard Hot 100 chart.^[4][5] Between 1987 and 1994, he had 14 top 20 hits, including three number one singles;^[6] his first seven singles all reached the top five.^[4] His singles during the late 1980s and 1990s included "Endless Summer Nights", "Hold On to the Nights", "Right Here Waiting", "Now and Forever", "Hazard", and "At the Beginning" with Donna Lewis. Marx has also written or collaborated on songs with other artists such as "This I Promise You" by NSYNC and "Dance with My Father" by Luther Vandross. The latter song won several Grammy Awards.^[7] Songs written or co-written by Marx have topped the charts in four different decades.^[8]

Early life[]

Marx was born in Chicago, Illinois,^[3] the only child of Ruth (née Guildoo), a former singer, and Dick Marx, a jazz musician and founder of a jingle company in the early 1960s. His father was of German Jewish descent.^[9][10] He attended North Shore Country Day School.^[11] He has three half-siblings from his father's previous marriage.^[12]

Music career[]

Marx began his career in music at age five, singing commercial jingles written by his father's company; its list of advertising hits includes Arm & Hammer, Ken-L Ration^[13] and Nestlé Crunch. Marx was 17 and living in Highland Park, Illinois when a tape of his songs ended up in the hands of Lionel Richie. Richie thought Marx had talent and told the teen, "I can't promise you anything, but you should come to L.A."^[14]

Debut album and stardom[]

Marx's self-titled debut album, released in June 1987, yielded four hit singles and went triple platinum.^[4][5] The debut single, "Don't Mean Nothing", about the potential pitfalls of the music business, had been released the previous month, and it climbed to No. 3 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 as well as No. 1 on Billboard'​s Album Rock chart. Marx became the first new artist played on 117 radio stations nationwide during his initial week on the charts. The next two singles, "Should've Known Better" and "Endless Summer Nights", reached No. 3 and No. 2, respectively.^{[citation needed]} The fourth single released from the album, "Hold On to the Nights", earned Marx his first No. 1 hit.^[6] The latter three of the album's singles were also hits on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart, beginning a long string of hits on that chart.

With the success of his self-titled album, Marx embarked on his first world tour, initially opening for REO Speedwagon, but quickly began headlining his own shows. His first tour kept him on the road for 14 months.^{[citation needed]}

In 1988, Marx was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rock Vocal Performance – Solo for "Don't Mean Nothing".^[15]

Repeat Offender, Marx's second album, was released in May 1989.^{[citation needed]} It rose to No. 1 on Billboard's album chart. It went triple platinum within a few months and eventually sold over 5 million copies in the United States alone. The first two singles, "Satisfied" and the platinum-selling "Right Here Waiting", both reached No. 1.^{[citation needed]}

"Right Here Waiting" was Marx's first No. 1 hit on the U.S. Adult Contemporary chart as well as his first big hit outside of North America, reaching No. 1 in several European countries and giving Marx his first top ten hit in the UK. It has been covered numerous times, most notably by Monica and 112 in a 1998 duet. Another single from the album, "Children of the Night", was written and composed in support of a Van Nuys-based organization for runaways. It became the sixth single from Repeat Offender.^{[citation needed]}

Marx performed the Beatles' "Help" at the Berlin Wall in late 1989. Marx also received his second Grammy nomination in 1990 for "Best Pop Vocal Performance – Male" for "Right Here Waiting".^[16]

1990s[]

In 1991, Marx released his third consecutive platinum album Rush Street.^{[citation needed]} The album saw artists such as Luther Vandross and Billy Joel appear as backing vocalists and guest pianists. The disc's first single, "Keep Coming Back", went to No. 12 on the Hot 100 and its second single, "Hazard", made it to No. 9. Both songs hit No. 1 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart for four weeks and one week respectively. "Hazard" became Marx's second UK top ten, reaching No. 3.^{[citation needed]}

In early 1994, as he and his family permanently left Los Angeles behind and returned to Chicago, Marx released Paid Vacation, and scored his fourth consecutive platinum album.^{[citation needed]} The acoustic ballad "Now and Forever" peaked at No. 7 on the Hot 100, his final top ten hit on that chart.^{[citation needed]}

The year 1997 saw the release of Flesh and Bone, Marx's final studio album on the Capitol imprint. The disc's first single, "Until I Find You Again", hit No. 3 on the U.S. Adult Contemporary chart and No. 42 on the Billboard Hot 100.^{[citation needed]}

Marx's Greatest Hits compilation was released in November 1997.^{[citation needed]} The 16-track album includes a variety of hit singles from his first five albums plus "Angel's Lullaby", a song written about his children originally appearing on For Our Children, Too, a compilation CD released in 1996 to benefit the Pediatric AIDS Foundation. Greatest Hits was released in Asia in November 1998 and included two new songs, "Slipping Away" and "Thanks to You", a tribute to his mother.^{[citation needed]} The album was certified Gold in the U.S.^{[citation needed]}

2000s[]

In 2000, Marx debuted his sixth studio album, titled Days in Avalon. This disc was released on the Signal 21 Records label founded by Marx and former Blood, Sweat & Tears drummer and record producer Bobby Colomby.^{[citation needed]}

Marx in 2005

After signing a new deal with his former label, Manhattan Records, Marx released the 2004 album My Own Best Enemy.^{[citation needed]}

In 2008, Marx released Duo, on which he collaborated with Vertical Horizon's lead singer Matt Scannell.^{[citation needed]}

On June 12, 2008, Marx was part of a PBS television series called Songwriters in the Round Presents: Legends & Lyrics. In Episode 102 of the first season, Marx appeared along with Kenny Loggins, Nathan Lee, and rock band Three Doors Down. This episode also featured an interview with singer-songwriter Diane Warren.^[17][18][19]

On October 31, 2008, "Emotional Remains" and "Sundown" were released, as digital downloads, on Marx's official site.^{[citation needed]}

On December 6, 2008, Marx headlined a fundraiser for cystic fibrosis research, "Newsapalooza", sponsored by WLS-AM's Roe Conn program, in which Marx both performed several of his hits with his band and accompanied Chicago broadcast news reporters and anchors covering rock hits.^[20]

In an interview published in Rolling Stone on June 26, 2009, Marx said he was "ashamed" of having been linked to a $1.92 million fine against single mother Jammie Thomas-Rasset by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Rasset had shared 24 songs on the file-sharing website Kazaa in 2005, and Marx's "Now and Forever" was one of them.^[21]

Marx played piano on the song "Here" and produced Matt Scannell's vocals on two tracks for Vertical Horizon's 2009 album, entitled Burning the Days.^{[22][better source needed]}

2010s[]

In March 2010, Stories To Tell was released during Marx's solo acoustic concerts. It was the first fully acoustic album he ever recorded or released, and it featured several songs from several of his previous albums. In November 2010, Stories to Tell album was released in Europe in support of Marx's European tour. The European release featured all the songs from the March release and new studio recordings of songs that Marx had written and or composed with, or for Josh Groban and Keith Urban.^{[citation needed]}

On May 3, 2011, Marx was invited on stage at the Curran Theater in San Francisco by Hugh Jackman. It was opening night of Hugh Jackman in Performance. When introducing the mystery guest, Jackman said that the person was instrumental in helping him put the show together and rehearse, and that he had been on at least 4 occasions in this person's living room practicing. The mystery guest was revealed to be Marx. They then sang "Right Here Waiting" together with Marx changing the lyrics on the last chorus to "Right here waiting for Hugh".^{[citation needed]}

Also on May 3, 2011, the reissue of Stories to Tell was released in the United States as a three-disc set exclusively through Walmart. The set included a "best of" disc, an acoustic disc of tracks, and a DVD of a live concert performance at the Shepherd's Bush venue in England.^{[citation needed]} The album was also made available for purchase on iTunes and Amazon, but without the bonus DVD and album booklet. "Everybody" was released as a single in Europe and "When You Loved Me" was released in the U.S., peaking in the Top 20 on the Adult Contemporary chart.^[23]

In the summer of 2011, Marx collaborated with the internet comedy duo Rhett and Link, producing a celebrity endorsement for a colon-cleansing spa in Sacramento, California. The ad spot and its "making of" was featured on an episode of Rhett and Link's Commercial Kings television series on IFC.^[24]

On November 1, 2011, Marx released The Christmas EP, a five-song collection of Christmas songs. "Christmas Spirit", written and composed jointly by Marx and Fee Waybill, was the first single released for radio airplay.^{[citation needed]} In October 2012, Marx followed up The Christmas EP with a full album of holiday tracks that he called Christmas Spirit.^{[citation needed]}

On July 8, 2014, Marx released his eleventh studio album, Beautiful Goodbye, through Kobalt Label Services. The album included three songs ("Suddenly", "Have a Little Faith", and "To My Senses") that had all previously appeared on Sundown in 2008.^{[citation needed]}

"Whatever We Started" was released as a digital single in May 2014. It peaked at No. 29 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart.

2020s[]

Marx's next album, Limitless, was released on February 7, 2020.^[25][26] Its lead-off single, "Another One Down", hit No. 14 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart, giving Marx a span of 32 years at the format.^{[citation needed]}

In 2021, he appeared in the Family Guy episode "Young Parent Trap".^{[citation needed]}

In July 2021, Marx released his autobiography Stories to Tell.^[27]

Collaborations[]

• 1986 – Marx contributed backing vocals on Madonna's True Blue album and can particularly be heard on the track "White Heat".
• 1991 – Marx contributed backing vocals on Cher's Love Hurts album and can particularly be heard on the track "A World Without Heroes".
• 1993 – Marx played piano on John Farnham's 1993 song "The Reason Why".
• 1997 – Marx recorded "At the Beginning" with Donna Lewis for the 1997 film Anastasia.
• 1997 – Marx recorded "Surrender to Me" with Lara Fabian for the 1997 album Flesh and Bones International Ed.
• 1999 – Marx built "Renegade Studios", a state of the art recording facility located in his hometown of Chicago, Illinois. Artists such as Philip Sayce, Keith Urban, and Emerson Drive have recorded material at this location.
• 2000 – Marx wrote and produced "This I Promise You", a single by NSYNC.
• 2002 – Marx collaborated with Mexican singer Paulina Rubio on her sixth studio album and first English debut album, writing the song titled 'Border Girl' which led to the album's name titled Border Girl.
• 2004 – At the 46th Grammy Awards on February 8, 2004, Marx won a Grammy for Song of the Year for "Dance with My Father", which he wrote and composed in collaboration with Luther Vandross. On that same night, he played the piano accompanying Celine Dion in performing "Dance with My Father", since Vandross was not present at the ceremony for health reasons. (Vandross died the following year.)
• 2006 – During summer 2006, Marx toured with Ringo Starr & His All Starr Band. Other members of that year's All Starr Band included Edgar Winter, Sheila E, and Billy Squier.
• 2006 – Marx appeared on the Fox network's TV show Celebrity Duets in September 2006. Other singers to take part in the series included Smokey Robinson, Dionne Warwick, Cyndi Lauper, Kenny Loggins, Patti LaBelle, Randy Travis, Jesse McCartney, and Gladys Knight.
• 2007 – In 2007 Marx released a new ballad titled "Your Goodbye" and a new version of his classic love song "Hold On to the Nights" on a Phil Ramone compilation production called New Music from an Old Friend. This compilation was released on the Target label Spotlight.

Personal life[]

On January 8, 1989, Marx married singer, dancer, and actress Cynthia Rhodes, who appeared in Staying Alive, Flashdance and Dirty Dancing.^[3] Rhodes appeared as the female lead in Marx's first video, "Don't Mean Nothing". The couple has three sons – Brandon (born 1990), Lucas (born 1992), and Jesse (born 1994) — and previously resided in Lake Bluff, Illinois. He currently resides in Malibu, California. In April 2014, the couple announced they were divorcing after 25 years of marriage.^[28]

On December 23, 2015, Marx married entrepreneur and former MTV VJ Daisy Fuentes in Aspen, Colorado, as confirmed on his official Facebook page.^[29]

On December 21, 2016, it was reported that Marx helped Korean Air flight attendants pacify an unruly, possibly intoxicated passenger while he and his wife were aboard a flight bound from Hanoi to Seoul,^[30][31] even providing photographic evidence of the incident.^[32][33][34] He also criticized the airline company towards what was considered to be an inept handling of the situation. In response to this, Korean Air said in a press conference that they will be more assertive about passengers exhibiting similar violent behavior, even to hiring more male flight attendants and "readily use stun guns" in case of more serious behavior.^[35]

Discography[]

Studio albums[]

• Richard Marx (1987)
• Repeat Offender (1989)
• Rush Street (1991)
• Paid Vacation (1994)
• Flesh and Bone (1997)
• Days in Avalon (2000)
• My Own Best Enemy (2004)
• Emotional Remains (2008)
• Sundown (2008)
• Christmas Spirit (2012)
• Beautiful Goodbye (2014)
• Limitless (2020)

Filmography[]

Awards and nominations[]

ASCAP Pop Music Awards

Grammy Awards

Billboard Music Awards

Other awards

References[]

External links[]

• Official website
• "Richard Marx". Artists. VH1. Archived from the original on March 12, 2012. Retrieved October 13, 2006.
• "Richard Marx". Artists. MTV. Archived from the original on March 17, 2016. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
• Richard Marx at IMDb