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RICHARD
MARX
OVER 30 MILLION ALBUMS SOLD
WRITER OF 13 #1 SONGS
For over 20 years, Richard Marx has consistently and powerfully made
his mark on the music industry. His debut single “Don’t Mean
Nothing” and self-titled debut album kicked off his career as a solo
artist in 1987 and went on to sell 3 million copies. His 1989
follow-up CD, “Repeat Offender,” became even more successful,
selling over 7 million copies worldwide. From 1987 to 1990, he
became the first male solo artist in history to have his first 7
singles reach the top 5 on Billboard’s singles chart, including the
1 hits “Hold On to the Nights,” “Satisfied” and the worldwide
classic, “Right Here Waiting.” This feat remains unchallenged.
He was nominated for Grammy awards 3 times and received an American
Music Award nomination for favorite male singer. In 1992, he was
awarded Best Selling Adult Contemporary Artist at the Billboard
Music awards, and received the International Song of the Year Award
at the Australian Music awards for his song, “Hazard,” from his
double platinum CD, “Rush Street.” 1994’s “Paid Vacation” CD also
went platinum and featured the single, “Now and Forever” which not
only went top 10 on the Billboard Pop Chart, but spent a nearly
record breaking 13 weeks at #1 on the Billboard AC Chart. In
addition to selling over 30 million records, and writing, as of
2009, thirteen #1 songs, he remained a fixture on pop and adult
contemporary radio for years, even as he emerged as a top producer
working with some of the biggest names in the music business. Among
those artists, *NSYNC, Barbra Streisand, Josh Groban, Vince Gill,
98°, Luther Vandross, Kenny Rogers, Sarah Brightman, Lara Fabian,
Sister Hazel, The Tubes and SHeDAISY. More recently, he has written
and produced records for Daughtry, Leann Rimes, Katherine Jenkins,
Travis Tritt, Emerson Drive, Natalie Cole, Keith Urban, Paulina
Rubio, Kenny Loggins, Chris Botti, Michael Bolton, and actor Hugh
Jackman.
As his career began in 1987, Richard immediately got involved with
many charitable organizations. By donating the royalties from his
1987 hit single, “Should’ve Known Better,” he helped build a room at
the NYU Medical Center where pediatric cancer patients can play
while at the hospital. In 1989, he wrote and recorded the song
“Children of the Night” about the plight of homeless children on the
streets and donated all the song’s royalties to the Children of the
Night Foundation, which houses and reforms street kids. To date, the
song has raised over $500,000. Additionally, he has performed
benefit concerts for many organizations, including the TJ Martell
Foundation, Toys For Tots, Make A Wish Foundation, the American
Cancer Society, Best Buddies, and the Special Olympics. In 2005,
Richard and his band flew to Kitzingen, Germany to perform for US
troops stationed there, and as of 2008, he hosts an annual event in
Chicago for the Ronald McDonald House Charities. The first event
featured a concert by Richard and the legendary Kenny Rogers.
Perhaps closest to Richard’s heart is the Cystic Fibrosis
Foundation, whom he aligned with in 2000. He organized what has
become an annual benefit concert to raise funds for research to cure
the disease. The multi act, all-star concerts have, thus far, raised
over $3 million.
In February 2004, Richard won the Song of the Year Grammy for “Dance
With My Father,” which he wrote with the late Luther Vandross. It
was a big night for several reasons. “It was the award itself,” says
Richard. “For me and more importantly for Luther. I was proud.”
2005’s “Better Life,” a song written by Richard and Keith Urban
which was included in Keith’s last CD, the triple platinum “Be
Here,” was the biggest hit single from the CD, spending 6
consecutive weeks at 1 on Billboard’s Country Singles chart.
In the summer of 2006, Richard was asked to join “Ringo Starr’s
All-Star Band” for a North American tour of 22 cities. Richard
played guitar in the band supporting Ringo and others, including
Billy Squier, and performed his own hits at each show. Ringo and
Richard recently co-wrote a song for Ringo’s upcoming CD in 2010.
In 2007, Keith Urban released another song co-written by Richard,
“Everybody” from his “Love, Pain and the Whole Crazy Thing” CD. The
song went top 5 on the Country charts.
In 2008, Richard began touring with Vertical Horizon lead singer,
Matt Scannell, as an acoustic duo. They released a CD, “Duo” on
iTunes, and played shows throughout the US. They continue to do
occasional shows together and are releasing a live CD in early 2010,
followed by an electric rock record as a duo.
On September 22, 2009, Richard will release a new solo CD,
“Emotional Remains.” The modern rock record, produced by Richard,
features contributions by Matt Scannell, Jennifer Hanson and Kenny
Loggins. Richard will be touring internationally to support the CD.
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Artist's Web Site
See a YouTube clip from Richard Marx
Presented in conjunction with NCBPAC & Landshark Entertainment
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