History of Richard Marx in Timeline
Richard Marx is a highly successful American singer-songwriter known for his work in the adult contemporary and pop rock genres. With a career spanning several decades, he has achieved global recognition, selling over 30 million albums worldwide.
September 16, 1963: Birth of Richard Marx
Richard Noel Marx was born on September 16, 1963. He would become a successful American adult contemporary and pop rock singer-songwriter.
1984: First Number One Hit as Songwriter
In 1984, Richard Marx achieved his first number one success as a songwriter with "What About Me?", recorded by Kenny Rogers, Kim Carnes, and James Ingram.
1985: Co-writes "Crazy" with Kenny Rogers
Richard Marx co-wrote the song "Crazy" with Kenny Rogers in 1985, which went on to top the Hot Country Songs chart.
1986: Harmony Vocals for Gordon Lightfoot's "Anything for Love"
Richard Marx and Vesta Williams contributed harmony vocals to Gordon Lightfoot's song "Anything for Love", written by Lightfoot and David Foster, for Lightfoot's 1986 album "East of Midnight".
June 1987: Release of Debut Album and Success of "Don't Mean Nothing"
Richard Marx's self-titled debut album, released in June 1987, featured the hit single "Don't Mean Nothing," which reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 1 on Billboard's Album Rock chart.
1987: Richard Marx Releases Self-Titled Debut Album
Richard Marx's self-titled debut album, featuring the hit single "Don't Mean Nothing," was released in 1987, achieving triple-platinum status.
1988: Grammy Nomination and "Surrender to Me" in "Tequila Sunrise"
Richard Marx received a Grammy nomination for "Don't Mean Nothing" and co-wrote "Surrender to Me" for the film "Tequila Sunrise" in 1988.
January 8, 1989: Marriage to Cynthia Rhodes
On January 8, 1989, Richard Marx married singer, dancer, and actress Cynthia Rhodes.
May 1989: Release of "Repeat Offender"
In May 1989, Richard Marx released his second album, "Repeat Offender," which topped Billboard's album chart and achieved triple-platinum status.
1989: Performance at the Berlin Wall
Richard Marx performed the Beatles' "Help" at the Berlin Wall in late 1989.
1990: Grammy Nomination for "Right Here Waiting"
In 1990, Richard Marx earned another Grammy nomination, this time for Best Pop Vocal Performance – Male for his song "Right Here Waiting".
1991: Release of "Rush Street"
Richard Marx released his third consecutive platinum album, "Rush Street," in 1991, featuring guest appearances by Luther Vandross and Billy Joel.
1994: Richard Marx Achieves String of Top 20 Hits
Between 1987 and 1994, Richard Marx had an impressive run of 14 top 20 hits, including three singles that reached number one.
1994: Release of "Paid Vacation" and Move to Chicago
Richard Marx released his fourth platinum album, "Paid Vacation," in early 1994, marking his return to Chicago after living in Los Angeles.
1996: Release of "For Our Children, Too" Compilation
The compilation album "For Our Children, Too," featuring Richard Marx's song "Angel's Lullaby," was released in 1996 to benefit the Pediatric AIDS Foundation.
November 1997: Release of "Greatest Hits" Compilation
Richard Marx's "Greatest Hits" compilation was released in November 1997, featuring songs from his previous albums and the new track "Angel's Lullaby."
1997: Release of "Flesh and Bone"
Richard Marx released "Flesh and Bone," his last studio album with Capitol Records, in 1997.
November 1998: Asian Release of "Greatest Hits"
The Asian release of Richard Marx's "Greatest Hits" album in November 1998 included two bonus tracks: "Slipping Away" and "Thanks to You".
1998: Monica and 112 Cover "Right Here Waiting"
Monica and 112 released a duet cover of Richard Marx's "Right Here Waiting" in 1998.
2000: Debut of "Days in Avalon"
Richard Marx released his sixth studio album, "Days in Avalon," in 2000, marking his debut with the Signal 21 Records label.
2003: Wins Grammy Award for Song of the Year
Richard Marx won a Grammy Award for Song of the Year in 2003 for "Dance with My Father".
2004: Release of "My Own Best Enemy"
Richard Marx released the album "My Own Best Enemy" in 2004 under his former label, Manhattan Records.
2005: Jammie Thomas-Rasset Shares Music Online
In 2005, Jammie Thomas-Rasset shared 24 songs, including Richard Marx's "Now and Forever," on the file-sharing site Kazaa, leading to legal action by the RIAA.
June 12, 2008: Appearance on "Songwriters in the Round Presents: Legends & Lyrics"
On June 12, 2008, Richard Marx appeared alongside Kenny Loggins, Nathan Lee, and Three Doors Down on the PBS television series "Songwriters in the Round Presents: Legends & Lyrics."
October 31, 2008: Digital Release of "Emotional Remains" and "Sundown"
Richard Marx released "Emotional Remains" and "Sundown" as digital downloads on his official website on October 31, 2008.
December 6, 2008: Performance at Cystic Fibrosis Fundraiser
Richard Marx headlined "Newsapalooza," a cystic fibrosis research fundraiser, on December 6, 2008, performing his hits and accompanying Chicago news reporters on rock covers.
2008: Collaboration on "Duo" with Matt Scannell
Richard Marx collaborated with Matt Scannell, the lead singer of Vertical Horizon, on the album "Duo," released in 2008.
June 26, 2009: Richard Marx Expresses Discontent Over RIAA Case
In an interview published on June 26, 2009, Richard Marx expressed his disapproval of being associated with a $1.92 million fine the RIAA imposed on Jammie Thomas-Rasset for sharing 24 songs online.
2009: Contribution to Vertical Horizon's "Burning the Days"
Richard Marx played piano on "Here" and produced Matt Scannell's vocals for two songs on Vertical Horizon's 2009 album "Burning the Days."
March 2010: Stories to Tell Album Release
In March 2010, Richard Marx released 'Stories to Tell,' his first fully acoustic album.
May 3, 2011: Performance with Hugh Jackman
On May 3, 2011, Richard Marx made a guest appearance at the opening night of "Hugh Jackman in Performance" at the Curran Theater in San Francisco. He joined Hugh Jackman on stage to perform a duet of "Right Here Waiting," with a special lyric change for the occasion.
November 1, 2011: The Christmas EP Release
Richard Marx released "The Christmas EP" on November 1, 2011, featuring a collection of five Christmas songs.
2011: Collaboration with Rhett and Link
During the summer of 2011, Richard Marx teamed up with internet comedy duo Rhett and Link to film a celebrity endorsement for a colon-cleansing spa located in Sacramento, California. This collaboration was featured on an episode of Rhett and Link's television series, "Commercial Kings," which aired on IFC.
October 2012: Christmas Spirit Album Release
Richard Marx released a full-length Christmas album titled "Christmas Spirit" in October 2012, following the success of his previous Christmas EP.
April 2014: Divorce from Cynthia Rhodes
Richard Marx and Cynthia Rhodes announced their divorce in April 2014.
July 8, 2014: Beautiful Goodbye Album Release
Richard Marx released his eleventh studio album, "Beautiful Goodbye," on July 8, 2014.
2014: Richard Marx Discusses Friendship with Fee Waybill
In 2014, Richard Marx revealed in an interview that Fee Waybill of the Tubes is one of his closest friends, whom he met in Los Angeles.
December 23, 2015: Marriage to Daisy Fuentes
Richard Marx married Cuban-American actress Daisy Fuentes in Aspen, Colorado on December 23, 2015.
December 21, 2016: Incident on Korean Air Flight
On December 21, 2016, Richard Marx was involved in an incident on a Korean Air flight from Hanoi to Seoul where he assisted flight attendants in subduing an unruly passenger.
February 7, 2020: Limitless Album Release
Richard Marx released his album "Limitless" on February 7, 2020, featuring the lead single "Another One Down," which reached No. 14 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart.
2020: Fee Waybill Discusses Working with Richard Marx
In 2020, Fee Waybill gave an interview where he spoke about his working relationship with Richard Marx.
July 2021: Stories to Tell Autobiography Release
Richard Marx published his autobiography, "Stories to Tell," in July 2021.
2021: Appearance in Family Guy
Richard Marx made an appearance in the "Young Parent Trap" episode of the animated sitcom "Family Guy" in 2021.
March 2022: Appearance in The Goldbergs
Richard Marx appeared as himself and performed "Right Here Waiting" in the 200th episode of the television series "The Goldbergs," titled "The Wedding," which aired in March 2022.
July 15, 2022: Same Heartbreak, Different Day Single Release
Richard Marx released the single "Same Heartbreak, Different Day" as part of his upcoming album "Songwriter" on July 15, 2022.
September 30, 2022: Songwriter Album Release
Richard Marx released his album "Songwriter" on September 30, 2022.
