| Richard Marx | |
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Richard Marx
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Richard Noel Marx [1] |
| Born | September 16, 1963 [1] |
| Origin | Chicago, IL, United States[1] |
| Genre(s) | Pop rock, rock, soft rock |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter, musician, record producer |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, keyboards, piano, guitar |
| Years active | 1982 - present |
| Label(s) | Capitol Records, EMI, Manhattan Records, Signal 21 Records, Zanzibar Records |
| Website | richardmarx.com |
Richard Noel Marx (born September 16, 1963 in Chicago, IL) is an adult contemporary and pop/rock singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. He had a string of hit singles in the late 1980s and 1990s, including "Endless Summer Nights", "Right Here Waiting", "Now and Forever", and "Hazard". Although most of his major hit songs were slow ballads like these, many of his songs had a classic rock style, such as "Don't Mean Nothing," "Should've Known Better," "Satisfied," and "Too Late To Say Goodbye". Marx placed himself in the record books by being the first solo artist to have his first seven singles hit the Top 5 on the US charts. [2]
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Marx is the only child of Ruth, a former singer, and Dick Marx, a jazz musician and founder of a successful jingle company in the early 1960s.
Marx began his career in music at the age of 5, singing commercial jingles written by his father, Dick Marx's list of "commercial" hits includes Arm & Hammer 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 said he thought Marx had the talent to make it big, saying "I can't promise you anything, but you should come to L.A." [3] So after graduating from high school, Marx moved to Los Angeles and visited Richie. "He was recording his first solo album and having trouble with the background vocal," Marx recalls. "He tells me, ‘Come try this part.’ It worked and I ended up singing on his album." Marx contributed backing vocals to Richie’s hits "You Are", "Running with the Night", and the chart-topping "All Night Long", on Lionel's follow-up album.
In those early years, Marx would find any excuse possible to labour in the recording industry. His enthusiasm and his presence in the studio landed him several jobs as a background singer for artists like Madonna and Whitney Houston, and, eventually, as a songwriter. He was singing for Kenny Rogers in 1984 when he overheard Rogers say he needed a new song. Within days, Marx gave him a demo of "Crazy." Rogers recorded it, along with another of Marx’s songs, "What About Me?", which also featured James Ingram and Kim Carnes. The trio recording hit #1 Adult Contemporary and #15 on Billboard's Hot 100 (while just scraping onto the Country and R&B charts) in late 1984 while "Crazy" hit #1 Country and #5 AC the following year. Soon after, Marx began working with producer David Foster and writing songs for the group Chicago and R&B singer Freddie Jackson.
While working as a songwriter and doing background vocals, Marx continued to pursue a record deal of his own. His demo tape was rejected by every label in Hollywood until, finally, four years after moving to Los Angeles, the president of EMI/Manhattan Records, Bruce Lundvall, heard Marx's demo and knew he had a star on his hands. He gave Marx a record deal and the opportunity to write and record whatever he wanted. Marx contacted his good friend Fee Waybill of The Tubes, and some very talented musicians, including Joe Walsh, and Randy Meisner of the Eagles, and created a ten-track album that put Marx on the path to success.
Marx's self-titled debut album, released in June 1987, yielded four hit singles and sold nearly 4 million copies in the US. The debut single, "Don’t Mean Nothing", had been released the previous month and climbed to #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 as well as #1 on Billboard's Album Rock charts. 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 #3 and #2, respectively. The fourth single release, "Hold on to the Nights", earned Marx his first #1 single.
With the success of his self-titled album, Marx became the first male artist to reach the Top 3 with four singles from a debut album. He embarked on his first world tour, initially opening for REO Speedwagon, but quickly began headlining his own shows. Marx's first tour kept him on the road for 14 months while the album remained on the charts for more than a year and a half.
In 1988, Marx was nominated for a Grammy Award for 'Best Rock Vocal Performance - Male' for "Don’t Mean Nothing" [4]
Marx later revealed in an interview on VH-1 Classic that his favorite song that he performed from his first, self-titled album was "Have Mercy".
Repeat Offender, Marx’s second release (May 1989) hit pole position and pushed Prince out of the #1 spot on Billboard's Album chart. It went triple platinum within a few months and eventually sold over 5 million US copies. Repeat Offender was the result of the energy generated from over a year and a half on the road and was written or co-written entirely by Marx. "Some people might think that it would be easier this time around, that I could just kick back," Marx said at the time, "but the truth is, it’s harder, I’ve got more to prove."
The first two singles, "Satisfied" and the platinum-selling "Right Here Waiting," both reached #1, completing a string of three consecutive No. 1 singles. When the third single from Repeat Offender, "Angelia" climbed to #4, Marx became the first solo artist to reach the Top 5 with his first seven singles.
Another song from the album, "Children of the Night," was written in support of the Los Angeles-based organization for runaways. It became the fifth single from Repeat Offender, and all royalties were donated to the charity.
Marx's second world tour began in the spring of 1989 and took him to Australia, Singapore, Japan, Europe, Canada, and the United States, lasting through August 1990. Highlights of that tour included a performance in the prestigious Royal Albert Hall in London and an invitation from Tina Turner to tour Germany.
Marx also had the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to perform 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”. [5]
Marx went on to release a number of other albums. In 1991 he released his third consecutive multi-platinum album Rush Street. This 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 #12 pop as well as #1 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary charts for 4 weeks running. "Hazard", which depicted a man being wrongfully accused of murder in a fictional version of Hazard, Nebraska, went #1 in charts around the world. Two more Top 10 singles were culled from Rush Street with "Take This Heart" (AC #4, Hot 100 #20) and "Chains Around My Heart" (AC #9, Hot 100 #44). In August of 2001 Marx admitted that the track "Superstar," from the Rush Street album was about pop star Madonna.[6]
In early 1994, as Marx and his family permanently left Los Angeles behind and returned to Chicago, Marx released Paid Vacation, and scored his fourth consecutive platinum album. The acoustic ballad "Now and Forever" peaked at #7 on the Hot 100 and spent 11 weeks in the Top 10 (also #12 in the UK) and also held the #1 position on Billboard's Adult Contemporary charts for 11 weeks - at the time just one week short of the all-time record. The follow-up single, "The Way She Loves Me," climbed to #3 on the US AC chart and #20 on the Pop charts.
1997 saw the release of Flesh And Bone - Marx's final studio album on the Capitol imprint. This album sold 250,000 copies in the United States. "Until I Find You Again" hit #1 in several countries and #3 in the US.
Marx's first Greatest Hits compilation was released in November 1997. The 16-track album includes all of the 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 touching tribute to his mother. Marx’s dedication and support of numerous charities has continued throughout his career.
In 1999, Marx built "Renegade Studios," a state of the art recording facility located in Marx's hometown of Chicago, Illinois.
In 2000, Marx debuted his sixth album 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. However, its title track, "Days In Avalon" was picked up by Adult Contemporary radio and spent 12 weeks in the chart's Top 30. The album was also quite successful in other parts of the world, particularly Asia and Australia. The label became the vehicle for the release of this disc, and folded shortly thereafter.
After signing a new deal with his former label, EMI/Manhattan, Marx released the 2004 album My Own Best Enemy. It featured the two hit singles "When You're Gone" and "Ready To Fly."
In 2008, Marx released Duo with Vertical Horizon's lead singer Matt Scannell. This album features select acoustic versions of Marx and Vertical Horizon's hits, plus one they co-wrote and recorded together, "Always On Your Mind." This disc was not released under any label. It is only available for retail through Marx's website and at concerts featuring Marx and Scannell together.
On October 13, 2008, Marx's website named "Emotional Remains" and "Sundown" as the titles for his upcoming album releases. On October 31, 2008, "Emotional Remains" and "Sundown" were released via digital download on Marx's official site. Hard copies of the CD are set for release on December 1, 2008. [7]
In addition to his parents, Marx names recording artists like Sam Cooke and Elvis Presley as his biggest musical influences, along with Donny Hathaway, Steven Tyler, Elton John, Kenny Loggins, Peter Gabriel, Daniel Lanois, Annie Lennox, U2, Dave Grusin, and includes John Farnham, Billy Joel, Rod Stewart, The Eagles, Luther Vandross, Earth, Wind & Fire, and Gladys Knight in his list of favorites.[8]
On January 8, 1989, Marx married singer/dancer/actress Cynthia Rhodes.[1]. Rhodes acted and sang in 1982's Staying Alive, 1983's Flashdance, and most notably in the 1987 blockbuster Dirty Dancing. Rhodes is also former lead singer for 1980's pop band Animotion. The couple have three sons: Brandon (born 1990), Lucas (born 1992), and Jesse (born 1994). They reside in Lake Bluff, Illinois