Search - Artist/Band: Richard Marx

• Name: Richard Marx
• Birthday: 09/16/1963
• Birth Place: Chicago, IL
• Decades Active: 1980,1990,2000
• Genre: Rock
• Styles: Adult Contemporary, Contemporary Pop/Rock
• Moods: Amiable/Good-Natured, Light, Poignant, Smooth, Yearning, Earnest, Reflective, Rousing, Sentimental, Sweet, Theatrical, Wistful

Title	Release
My Own Best Enemy	08/10/2004
My Own Best Enemy [Promo]	08/10/2004
When You're Gone/Right Here Waiting	07/13/2004
Ballads W	09/30/2003
Days in Avalon [Signal 21]	10/24/2000
The Best of Richard Marx WA	10/02/2000
Greatest Hits WA	11/04/1997
Flesh & Bone	04/08/1997
Paid Vacation	02/08/1994
Now & Forever	1994
Keep Coming Back	10/29/1991
Rush Street	10/28/1991
Repeat Offender	1989
Richard Marx	1987

Before he became a pop/rock heavyweight during the late '80s (and an adult contemporary balladeer throughout the following two decades), Richard Marx sang on commercials and performed as a backing vocalist for Lionel Richie. The Chicago native also delved into professional songwriting, penning tunes for Kenny Rogers and the St. Elmo's Fire soundtrack before landing a solo contract with EMI Records. Featuring production from David Cole, who later launched C+C Music Factory, Marx's self-titled debut was released in 1987 and catapulted the artist to the top of the Billboard charts. "Don't Mean Nothing" and "Should've Known Better" were slick, radio-ready singles that emphasized guitar riffs and power chords, but Marx's real strength lay with ballads like "Endless Summer Nights" and "Hold on to the Nights." By the time Repeat Offender arrived in 1989, Marx had already established his presence on the charts; nevertheless, the album helped make him a genuine star, with "Right Here Waiting" marking his third consecutive number one hit in America. Another song, "Angelia," was Marx's seventh consecutive single to crack the Top Five.

With the release of Rush Street in 1991, Richard Marx's commercial fortunes started to slip as mainstream tastes shifted away from the slick, well-constructed songs that were his forte. Despite the Top Ten hit single "Now and Forever," 1994's Paid Vacation fell from the charts quickly, and Marx entered a period of seclusion, eventually returning in the spring of 1997 with an adult contemporary album titled Flesh & Bone. The following year saw him performing a duet with Donna Lewis on a contribution to the Anastasia soundtrack, and Days in Avalon was quietly issued in fall 2000. While the album fared modestly well in the adult contemporary market, Marx found more success as a producer and songwriter for other artists. He penned the Top Ten hit "This I Promise You" for *NSYNC and co-wrote "Dance with My Father," a Grammy-winning song, for Luther Vandross; other projects included writing material for 98°, SHeDAISY, and Josh Groban. He then returned to his solo career several years later, issuing My Own Best Enemy in 2004 and Duo, a collaboration with Vertical Horizon's Matt Scannell, in 2008. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine & Andrew Leahey, All Music Guide