Richard
17th-century portrait of Richard the Lionheart, a 12th-century King of England
Pronunciation	/ˈrɪtʃərd/
Gender	Male
Origin
Word/Name	Proto-Germanic
Meaning	powerful leader
Other names
Nickname(s)	Rich, Rick, Dick, Ricardo, Richie, Dickie, Richardo, Rico, Richtard, Reeks

Look up Richard in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

The first or given name Richard derives from German, French, and English "ric" (ruler, leader, king) and "hard" (strong, brave, court), therefore it means "powerful leader" as well as "King's Court".^[1] The name Richard is most often used as a boy name or male name.

Richard is a typical name in many Germanic languages, including English, German, Swedish and Dutch.

People named Richard[link]

Rulers and aristocrats[link]

• Richard I of England or Richard the Lionheart (1157–1199)
• Richard II of England (1367–1400)
• Richard III of England (1452–1485)
• Richard of Shrewsbury, 1st Duke of York (1473-1483?), who would have been Richard IV of England if he had lived
• Richard of York, 3rd Duke of York (1411-1460), a principal participant in the Wars of the Roses
• Richard, 1st Earl of Cornwall (1209-1272), elected King of Germany
• Richard, Duke of Burgundy (died 921)
• Richard I, Duke of Normandy (933-996)
• Richard II, Duke of Normandy (died 1026), son of Richard I of Normandy
• Richard Boyle, 1st Earl of Burlington (1612-1698), Lord High Treasurer of Ireland and a cavalier
• Richard Boyle, 3rd Earl of Burlington (1694-1753), instrumental in the revival of Palladian architecture
• Richard de Clare, 6th Earl of Gloucester (1222-1262)
• Richard fitz Gilbert (before 1035-c. 1090), Norman lord involved in the conquest of England
• Richard FitzAlan, 10th Earl of Arundel (c. 1306-1376), English military leader
• Richard FitzAlan, 11th Earl of Arundel (1346-1397), English military commander
• Richard Grenville-Temple, 2nd Earl Temple (1711-1779), British politician and associate and brother-in-law of William Pitt
• Richard Jones, 1st Earl of Ranelagh (1641-1712), Irish peer, and politician both in the Parliaments of England and Ireland
• Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick (1428-1471), wealthy English magnate and major protagonist in the Wars of the Roses
• Richard Neville, 5th Earl of Salisbury (1400-1460), Yorkist leader in the Wars of the Roses
• Richard Savage, 4th Earl Rivers (c. 1660-1712), soldier and noted rake
• Richard Temple-Nugent-Brydges-Chandos-Grenville, 2nd Duke of Buckingham and Chandos (1797-1861), noted for squandering his great wealth
• Richard Temple-Nugent-Brydges-Chandos-Grenville, 3rd Duke of Buckingham and Chandos (1823-1889), British soldier, politician and administrator
• Richard Wellesley, 1st Marquess Wellesley (1760-1842), Anglo-Irish Governor-General of India, Foreign Secretary in the British Cabinet and Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, brother of the 1st Duke of Wellington
• Richard I of Capua (died 1078), King of Capua and Count of Aversa
• Richard Óg de Burgh, 2nd Earl of Ulster (1259-1326)

In politics and government[link]

• Richard Acland (1906-1990), one of the founders of the British Common Wealth Party and the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament
• Richard "Dick" Cheney (born 1941), Vice President of the United States under George W. Bush
• Richard Court (born 1947), Australian politician, former Premier of Western Australia
• Richard Cromwell (1626-1712), son of Oliver Cromwell, and his successor as Lord Protector of England
• Richard J. Daley (1902-1976), mayor of Chicago
• Richard M. Daley (born 1942), American former state senator and mayor of Chicago, son of Richard J. Daley
• Richard Hatfield (1931-1991), Canadian politician, Premier of New Brunswick
• Richard Nixon (1913-1994), only President of the United States to resign from office
• Richard Rush (1780-1859), United States Attorney General and Secretary of the Treasury
• Richard Stockton (U.S. Senator) (1764-1828)

Businesspeople[link]

• Richard DeVos (born 1926), American businessman and co-founder of Amway
• Richard Jacobs (businessman) (1925-2009), real estate businessman and owner of the Cleveland Indians baseball team
• Richard Warren Sears (1863-1914), co-founder of Sears, Roebuck and Company, and considered a promotional genius

Religious figures[link]

• Saint Richard (disambiguation)
• Richard of Dover (died 1184), Benedictine monk and Archbishop of Canterbury
• Richard Foxe (c. 1448-1528), Bishop of Exeter, Bath and Wells, Durham, and Winchester, Lord Privy Seal, and founder of Corpus Christi College, Oxford

In music[link]

Classical[link]

• Richard Strauss (1864-1949), German composer and conductor
• Richard Wagner (1813-1883), German composer, conductor, theatre director and polemicist

Other[link]

• Richard Butler (singer) (born 1956), lead singer of the Psychedelic Furs
• Richard Carpenter (musician) (born 1946), one half of the Carpenters
• Ringo Starr (born 1940), real name Richard Starkey, drummer of The Beatles

Actors[link]

• Richard Attenborough (born 1923), English actor, director, producer and entrepreneur
• Richard Burbage (1568-1619), English actor and theatre owner
• Richard Burton (1925-1984), Welsh actor
• Richard Chamberlain (born 1934), American actor
• Richard Dean Anderson (born 1950), American actor
• Richard Dreyfuss (born 1947), American actor
• Richard Harris (1930-2002), Irish actor, singer-songwriter, theatrical producer, film director and writer
• Richard Wayne "Dick" Van Dyke (born December 13, 1925) is an American actor, comedian, writer, and producer
• Richard Wagstaff "Dick" Clark (November 30, 1929 – April 18, 2012) was an American radio and television personality

Explorers[link]

• Richard Francis Burton (1821-1890), British geographer, explorer, translator, writer, soldier, orientalist, cartographer, ethnologist, spy, linguist, poet, fencer and diplomat
• Richard E. Byrd (1888-1957), U.S. Navy rear admiral, aviator and explorer

Military figures[link]

• Richard Howe, 1st Earl Howe (1726-1799), British naval commander in the American War of Independence and the French Revolutionary Wars
• Richard Taylor (general) (1826-1879), American Civil War Confederate general

In sports[link]

• Richard Newland (1713-1778), English cricketer
• Richard Petty (born 1937), former NASCAR driver
• Richard Sears (tennis) (1861-1943), winner of seven consecutive U.S. Championships

Scientists[link]

• Richard Feynman (1918-1988), American Nobel Prize-winning physicist
• Richard Leakey (born 1944), politician, paleoanthropologist and conservationist

Other[link]

• Richard Garriott (born 1961), video game developer and entrepreneur
• Richard Maury (1882-1950), American naturalized Argentine engineer

Cognates/transliterations[link]

Indo-European Germanic languages[link]

• Dutch: Rijkert, Rikkert, Richard, Rick
• Icelandic: Ríkharður
• Low German: Ri(c)kert
• Scandinavian: Rickard, Richard, Rikard, Ríkarður

Indo-European Latin languages[link]

• Catalan and Occitan: Ricard
• French: Richard
• Italian: Riccardo
• Latin: Richardus
• Portuguese: Ricardo
• Spanish: Ricardo

Indo-European Slavic languages[link]

• Croatian: Rikard
• Czech: Richard
• Polish: Ryszard
• Russian: Ричард (Richard)
• Slovene: Rihard
• Ukrainian: Річард (Richard)

Other Indo-European languages[link]

• Breton: Richarzh
• Esperanto: Rikardo
• Greek: Ριχάρδος (Richárdos)
• Irish: Risteárd, Riocard
• Latvian: Ričards, Rihards
• Lithuanian: Ričardas
• Persian: ریچارد (Ritchard)
• Scottish Gaelic: Ruiseart
• Welsh: Rhisiart

Other languages[link]

• Arabic: ريتشارد (Rytshrd, Ritshrd, Rytshard, Ritshard)
• Basque: Rikard
• Chinese: 理查德 (Lĭchádé)
• Finnish: Rikhard
• Hebrew: ריצ'רד (Ritzard)
• Hungarian: Richárd
• Japanese: リチャード (Richado)
• Korean: 리차드
• Saami: Rikkar

Short forms[link]

• Czech: Ríša
• English: Rick, Rich, Dick, Dickie, Rik, Ric
• Estonian: Riho
• Finnish: Riku
• Hungarian: Ricsi, Ricsike, Rics
• Polish: Rysio, Rysiek, Ryś
• Portuguese: Rico, Ric
• Slovak: Rišo, Riško, Riči
• Spanish: Cayo (Guatemala)

Pet forms[link]

• English: Ricky, Rickie, Rikki, Richie, Richy, Richu, Rich, Dickie

References[link]

• 2. Meaning of Richard (English)

• 3. Meaning of Richard (French)

This article may be written from a fan's point of view, rather than a neutral point of view. Please clean it up to conform to a higher standard of quality, and to make it neutral in tone. (April 2012)

Obie Trice
Background information
Birth name	Obie Trice III
Born	(1977-11-14) November 14, 1977 (age 34) Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Genres	Midwest hip hop
Occupations	Rapper, songwriter
Years active	2000–present
Labels	Shady (2000–2008) Black Market Ent. (2010–present)
Associated acts	50 Cent, Akon, D12, Dr. Dre, Eminem, Nate Dogg, Trey Songz, King Gordy,
Website	obietrice.com

Obie Trice III (born November 14, 1977) is an American rapper and songwriter. He began rapping at the age of 11, and is most known for his time spent signed to Shady Records. Obie Trice has formed his own record label, Black Market Entertainment.

Biography[link]

Obie Trice III was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan by his mother, along with three brothers. He is of African American descent. Trice was given a karaoke machine by his mother when he was eleven and he used it to rhyme over instrumentals from artists such as N.W.A. By the age of fourteen, he was attending rap battle spots around Detroit, notably including the Hip Hop Shop, on which Trice commented,

Obie Trice went by the name of Obie 1 during this time, but when he first met Proof, who was about to introduce him at the Hip Hop Shop, Proof asked him, "What's your name? Your real name, no gimmicks." He was then introduced as Obie Trice, and has kept his real name as his rap name.^[2] Trice was introduced to Eminem through D12 member Bizarre. Eminem was impressed when Trice freestyled for him in a car park through a window, whilst Eminem was in a car.^[1] Later, Trice received a call from his manager informing him that he would be having dinner with Eminem, and later that night they went to a Kid Rock party.^[3]

Career[link]

Shady Records (2000–2002)[link]

Trice was officially signed to Shady Records in 2000. He first received public attention via a freestyle skit on the Devil's Night album, followed by the deliverance of the opening line "Obie Trice-real name, no gimmicks", off Eminem's The Eminem Show lead single, "Without Me", as well as the song "Drips".^[4] Later in 2002, Obie rapped on songs for the 8 Mile soundtrack, and also had a cameo appearance in the film as a rapper in a parking-lot.^[1]

Cheers (2003–2004)[link]

Trice's debut album, Cheers, was released on September 23, 2003 with its first single "Got Some Teeth" being well received on radio in a number of countries. He also released the singles "The Set Up" and "Don't Come Down". The album consists of 17 tracks with production from Eminem, Dr. Dre, Timbaland, Mike Elizondo, Emile^{[disambiguation needed ]}, Fredwreck and Mr. Porter. Artists featuring on Cheers include Busta Rhymes, Eminem, 50 Cent, Lloyd Banks, Dr. Dre, Nate Dogg, D12, Tony Yayo, and Timbaland. The album was eventually certified gold by the RIAA.^[5]

[edit] Second Round's on Me and shooting (2005–2007)

In 2005, Trice began work on his second album, entitled Second Round's on Me. The album was released on August 15, 2006. Following the release of Second Round's on Me, he released a mixtape called Bar Shots with G-Unit's DJ Whoo Kid.

Shortly after his label-mate Proof was shot to death in a Detroit nightclub, a song emerged on the mixtape circuit called "Ride Wit Me". The song was dedicated to Proof. Trice made a speech at Proof's funeral, addressing the problem of black-on-black violence:

In the single "Cry Now" from his second album, Trice addresses his shooting, as well as Eminem's rumored retirement,^[7] referenced with the following line, "Rock City is my voice / The white boy has stepped down / So I will accept the crown." Trice also addresses the shooting in the song "Pistol Pistol" from the album Eminem Presents: The Re-up claiming he's after revenge, "I solemnly swear on my daughters tears/The nigga that got him in the head will feel it before the year ends / Hope you inconspicuous my friend / `Cause once the word get back ya in a world of sin / Bullets will hurtle at him for tryin to murder what been determined as the first solo african " and later "I'm so sincere you seein' a hearse this year / it's not a verse it's curse for burstin' what's on ya person". He has since given insight as to why he feels the shooting occurred, and has labeled it "haterism", as well as a bad mind state by saying, "it’s a lot of do-or-die type individuals. They want to get that plug and there’s really more to the game than they think it is [...] it’s competition on a real vicious level."^[8]

Departure from Shady Records (2008–2009)[link]

In June 2008, Obie Trice departed from Shady Records due to concern that he was not being promoted properly. Contrary to public belief at the time of the announcement, Trice did not have a falling out with Eminem or Dr. Dre. Both contributed vocals and production to Trice's upcoming album. A misunderstanding was made where it was believed he was attacking the label and Eminem on a single titled "The Giant" but this was quickly dismissed.^[9]

[edit] Special Reserves (2009–2010)

On December 15, 2009, a compilation album, Special Reserves, by Obie Trice and MoSS, the first producer of DJ Premier's "Works of Mart" production company, was released. The album is a collection of 11 of Trice's tracks recorded with MoSS from 1997 to 2000. The album serves as a preface to Trice's upcoming album, Bottoms Up.

Move to Black Market Entertainment (2010–present)[link]

On April 22, 2010, "Rap Basement" reported that Obie Trice has announced that he would be launching his own independent music label, Black Market Entertainment, on May 7.^[10] The label would be owned by Universal.^[11] An official statement from Trice, in-which Rap Basement received, confirmed "The focus of Black Market Entertainment is to create quality employment opportunities in the entertainment industry for Metro-Detroiters. This will be an organization with profound community presence that will embrace and inspire the masses. The vision of Black Market Entertainment is to continually bring authentic Detroit Urban Hip Hop Culture to the forefront of the music industry."^[10] On May 4, Trice confirmed that Eminem would be a featured guest artist in his upcoming album, "Bottoms Up."^[11]

On August 24, 2010, Trice released a new street single, "My Time 2011," from Bottoms Up via myspace; the track is produced by Geno XO.^[12] The music video was released on March 22, 2011;^[13] footage for the video was filmed at the Black Market Ent. Launch Party.^[14]

On September 2, 2010, Trice announced that he would be hosting "The Black & White" concert after party, following the Eminem & Jay-Z Show at Comerica Park (held the same night), at the Goodnight Gracie's; the party goes from 9pm to 2am.^[15]

On April 5, 2011, another street single from Trice was released, called "Learn to Love." Although some of the lyrics were changed, it was just a remixed version of his song titled "Haters" from his "Bar Shots" mixtape.^[16]

On April 13, Trice released a music video for his song "Keep me/Love me."^[17]

On August 2, 2011, Obie Trice tweeted "OFFICIAL RELEASE DATE FOR "BOTTOMS UP" 10-25-11", which confirmed the release date for the album.^[18]

The first official single from Bottoms Up, "Battle Cry" featuring Adrian Rezza, produced by Lucas Rezza was released on iTunes on August 23, 2011.^[19]

Obie Trice released his tracklist and moved the album to April 3 2012. On March 13 2012 Obie released a mixtape called Watch The Chrome. It is hosted by DJ Whoo Kid.

Personal[link]

Shooting[link]

On December 31, 2005, Trice was shot twice while driving on the Lodge Expressway by Wyoming Avenue in Detroit. One of the bullets entered his head. Trice was able to drive off the expressway, where his girlfriend waved down the police.^[20] He was taken to Providence Hospital and released later that day. Doctors contemplated whether or not to remove the bullet, as it was too dangerous to operate. The bullet is still lodged in his skull.^[8]

Meeting with Michigan State Senator[link]

On April 22, 2011, Trice met with Michigan State Senator, Virgil Smith, Jr., to talk about entertainment ventures. Trice's label is looking for ways to develop the Motor City's collection of local talent.

One topic on the agenda is tax incentives and breaks to production companies who are willing to work in Michigan. Obie would also like the city to receive government subsidies to fund a youth music program. Obie also has plans to create a community recording studio and soundstage to provide local talent with an outlet to develop their talents, he explained his interest in this project, stating,

Discography[link]

Studio albums

• 2003: Cheers
• 2006: Second Round's on Me
• 2012: Bottoms Up

Compilation albums

• 2009: Special Reserve

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official Obie Trice website
• Official Obie Trice Blog
• Obie Trice at the Internet Movie Database
• Obie Trice on Myspace

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (May 2011)

Richard Clayderman
Background information
Birth name	Philippe Pagès
Born	(1953-12-28) 28 December 1953 (age 58)
Origin	Paris, France
Genres	Instrumental pop Classical Easy listening Semi-classical
Occupations	Pianist
Instruments	Piano
Years active	1976–present
Labels	Delphine

Richard Clayderman (born Philippe Pagès, 28 December 1953, Paris, France) is a French pianist who has released numerous albums including the compositions of Paul de Senneville and Olivier Toussaint, instrumental renditions of popular music, rearrangements of movie soundtracks, ethnic music, and easy-listening arrangements of most popular works of classical music.

Early life[link]

Clayderman learned piano from his father, a piano teacher.

At the age of twelve, he was accepted into the Conservatoire de Paris, where he won great acclaim in his later adolescent years. Financial difficulties, not the least precipitated by his father's illness, forestalled a promising career as a classical pianist. So in order to earn a living, he found work as a bank clerk and as an accompanist to contemporary bands. He accompanied French singers such as Johnny Hallyday, Thierry Le Luron, and Michel Sardou.

Ballade pour Adeline[link]

In 1976, he was invited by Olivier Toussaint, a French record producer, and his partner Paul de Senneville, to record a gentle piano ballad. de Senneville had composed this ballad as a tribute to his new daughter "Adeline". The 23-year-old Pagès was auditioned along with 20 other pianists and got the job. "He was an interesting musician with a soft touch and good technique", said Toussaint. "And he looked good, too".^[1]

Pagès' name was changed to Richard Clayderman (he adopted his great-grandmother's last name to avoid mispronunciation of his real name outside France), and the single took off, selling 22 million copies in 38 countries.^{[citation needed]} It was called "Ballade pour Adeline".

Success[link]

Clayderman has recorded over 1,300 melodies, and has created a new romantic style through a repertoire which combines his trademark originals with classics and pop standards. He has devoted much of his time to performing concerts, going as far as playing 200 shows in 250 days.^{[citation needed]} He has clocked up worldwide record sales of approximately 70 million, as of 2006^[update], and has 267 gold and 70 platinum discs to his credit. He is popular in Asia and is noted by the Guinness Book of World Records as being "the most successful pianist in the world".^[2]

He lives in Saint-Ouen (near Paris) with his wife Christine, his son Peter, and his daughter Maud.

Discography[link]

This section may need to be wikified to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. Please help by adding relevant internal links, or by improving the article's layout. (May 2011) Click [show] on right for more details. No reason has been cited for the Wikify tag on this article.You can insert a reason using the |reason= parameter, like this: {{Wikify|reason=Your reason here}} Please replace HTML markup with wiki markup where appropriate. Add wikilinks. Where appropriate, make links to other articles by putting "[[" and "]]" on either side of relevant words (see WP:LINK for more information) and check that your links work as expected. Please do not link terms that most readers are familiar with, such as common occupations, well-known geographical terms, and everyday items. Format the lead. Create or improve the lead paragraph. Arrange section headers as described at Wikipedia:Guide to layout. Add an infobox if it is appropriate for the article. Clean up / format the references and footnotes, using citation templates when appropriate. Remove this tag.

See also[link]

• List of best selling music artists

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• His biography
• Play Album of Richard Clayderman
• Richard Clayderman

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Richard Marx
Richard Marx in Germany (2005)
Background information
Birth name	Richard Noel Marx [1]
Born	(1963-09-16) September 16, 1963 (age 48)[1] Chicago, IL, United States[1]
Genres	Pop, soft rock, rock, adult contemporary
Occupations	Singer-songwriter, musician, record producer
Instruments	Vocals, keyboards, organ, piano, guitar
Years active	1982 - present
Labels	Capitol Records, EMI, Manhattan Records, Signal 21 Records, Zanzibar Records, Frontiers Records, Xenon Records
Associated acts	Dick Marx, Matt Scannell, Luther Vandross, Keith Urban
Website	Official website

Richard Noel Marx (born September 16, 1963 in Chicago, Illinois) is an American 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, 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 Billboard Hot 100 singles chart (3, 3, 2, 1, 1, 1, 4). His record sales worldwide exceed 30 million.^[2] Aside from songs that he's written and recorded for himself, he has written, co-written, and produced successful tracks for 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.^[3] His 14th and latest chart topper, "Long Hot Summer," performed by Keith Urban, gave Marx the distinction of having a song he wrote or co-write top the charts in four different decades.^[4]

Early life[link]

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. He has three half-siblings from his father's previous marriage.^[5]

Early career[link]

Marx began his career in music at the age of 5, singing commercial jingles written by his father, Dick Marx's list of adverstising hits includes Arm & Hammer. Ken-L Ration^[6] 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." ^[7] So after graduating from North Shore Country Day School, Marx moved to Los Angeles and visited Richie. "He was recording his first solo album (Lionel Richie) 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 hit "You Are", as well as "Running with the Night" and "All Night Long (All Night)", both on Richie's follow-up album Can't Slow Down.

In those early years, Marx would find any excuse possible to work within the recording industry. His enthusiasm and presence in the studio landed him several jobs as a background singer for artists such as Madonna, Whitney Houston and Luther Vandross, and, eventually, as a songwriter. Marx also had a minor acting role in the television movie Coach Of The Year, which starred Robert Conrad. He was singing for Kenny Rogers in 1984 when he overheard Rogers say he needed a new song. Within days, Marx gave him the 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 the Billboard 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 his own record deal. 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 recording contract with the opportunity to write and record whatever he wanted. Marx contacted his good friend Fee Waybill, frontman of The Tubes, and some very talented musicians, including Joe Walsh, and Randy Meisner of the Eagles, and created a ten-track album that led to a very successful career.

Music career[link]

Debut album[link]

Marx's self-titled debut album, released in June 1987, yielded four hit singles and sold nearly four 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.^{[citation needed]} 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.^{[citation needed]} The fourth single release, "Hold on to the Nights", earned Marx his first #1 Pop 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" ^[8]

[edit] Repeat Offender

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. Since then, "Right Here Waiting" has been covered numerous times, most notably by Monica and 112 in a 1998 duet.

Another song from the album, "Children of the Night", was written in support of the suburban Los Angeles (Van Nuys)-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, Malaysia, 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".^[9]

[edit] Rush Street

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).^{[citation needed]} In August 2001 Marx admitted that the track "Superstar," from the Rush Street album was about pop star Madonna.^[10]

[edit] Paid Vacation

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.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Flesh and Bone

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.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Greatest Hits

Marx's Greatest Hits compilation was released in November 1997. 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 touching tribute to his mother. Marx’s dedication and support of numerous charities has continued throughout his career.

[edit] Days in Avalon

In 2000, Marx debuted his sixth studio 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. Its title track, "Days in Avalon", was picked up by Adult Contemporary radio and spent 12 weeks in the chart's Top 30.^{[citation needed]} 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.

[edit] My Own Best Enemy

After signing a new deal with his former label, Manhattan Records, Marx released the 2004 album My Own Best Enemy. It featured the two hit singles "When You're Gone" and "Ready to Fly."

[edit] Duo

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 was available through Marx's website, and at concerts featuring Marx and Scannell together.

[edit] Emotional Remains and Sundown

On October 31, 2008, "Emotional Remains" and "Sundown" were released via digital download on Marx's official site. Marx composed the track "Through My Veins" in tribute to his late father, jazz musician and jingle writer Dick Marx, who died in 1997. The track appears on the Emotional Remains disc.

[edit] Stories to Tell

In March 2010, Stories To Tell was released during Marx's solo acoustic concerts. It is his first acoustic album, which featured several songs from several of his previous albums. In November 2010, "Stories to Tell" album was released in Europe supporting Richard Marx's European tour. The European release featured all the songs from the March release and new studio recordings of songs Richard has written with or for other artists, like Josh Groban and Keith Urban. On May 3, 2011, the reissue of Stories to Tell was released in the United States as a three-disc set exclusively through Walmart, which 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. The album is also 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 US, peaking at #15 on the Adult Contemporary chart.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] The Christmas EP

On November 1, 2011, Marx released The Christmas EP, a five song collection of Christmas songs. "Christmas Spirit," written by Marx and Fee Waybill, was the first single released for radio airplay. Marx plans to record an additional seven tracks to this collection for a full-scale album release at Christmas 2012.^{[citation needed]}

Collaborations[link]

• 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.

• 1999 – In 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.

• 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 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.

• 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" (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.

Musical influences / favorite artists[link]

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, Bryan Adams, Rod Stewart, The Eagles, Luther Vandross, Earth, Wind & Fire, and Gladys Knight in his list of favorites.^[11]

2008-2011[link]

• 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 appears along with Kenny Loggins, Nathan Lee^{[disambiguation needed ]}, and rock band Three Doors Down. The musical performance has recently^[when?] been released on DVD and Blu-ray Disc through the Legends and Lyrics website. This episode also features an interview with singer/songwriter Diane Warren.^[12][13][14]
• On 6 December 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.^[15]
• On an interview published in Rolling Stone on June 26, 2009, Marx said he was "ashamed" of being 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. Marx's "Now and Forever" was one of them.^[16]
• Marx played piano on the song "Here" and produced Matt Scannell's vocals on two tracks for Vertical Horizon's latest album Burning the Days.^[17]
• Richard Marx appeared on a YouTube video "ASK KevJumba 2", singing along with YouTube star KevJumba.^[18]
• On March 27, 2011, Marx sang the National Anthem at the NASCAR race, the 2011 Auto Club 400.
• On May 3, 2011 Richard Marx was invited on stage at the Curran Theater, San Francisco, by Hugh Jackman. It was opening night of Hugh Jackman In Performance. When introducing the mystery guest Hugh Jackman said that the person was instrumental in helping him put the show together and rehearse. That he had been on at least 4 occasions in this person's living room practicing. The mystery guest was revealed to be Richard Marx. They then sang "Right Here Waiting" together with Marx changing the lyrics on the last chorus to "Right here waiting for Hugh".
• In summer 2011, Marx collaborated with comedy internet giants, Rhett and Link, producing a celebrity endorsement for a colon cleansing spa in Sacramento, CA. The ad spot and its "making of" was featured on an episode of Rhett and Link's series on IFC.^[19]

Personal life[link]

On January 8, 1989, Marx married the singer/dancer/actress Cynthia Rhodes.^[1] Rhodes acted and sang in Staying Alive (1982), Flashdance (1983), and most notably in the 1987 blockbuster Dirty Dancing, as well as appearing as the female lead in Marx's first video, "Don't Mean Nothing". Rhodes also briefly sang lead for the second incarnation of the synth-pop band Animotion in the late 1980s. The couple have three sons—Brandon (born 1990), Lucas (born 1992), and Jesse (born 1994)—and reside in Lake Bluff, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago.

Discography[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Official

• RichardMarx.com (Official Site)
• Official Richard Marx page at MySpace
• Official Richard Marx page at Facebook
• Official Richard Marx page on Twitter
• Richard Marx page at VH1
• Richard Marx Music Page at Yahoo!
• Richard Marx at the Internet Movie Database

Richard Pryor
Richard Pryor, February 1986
Birth name	Richard Franklin Lennox Thomas Pryor
Born	(1940-12-01)December 1, 1940 Peoria, Illinois, United States
Died	December 10, 2005(2005-12-10) (aged 65) Encino, California, United States
Medium	Stand-up, Film, Television
Nationality	American
Years active	1958–1999
Genres	Satire, Observational comedy, Black comedy, Improvisational comedy, Character comedy
Subject(s)	Racism, Race relations, American politics, African-American culture, Human sexuality, Self-deprecation, Everyday life, Recreational drug use
Influences	Lenny Bruce,[1] Jack Benny, Jonathan Winters, Bill Cosby, Dick Gregory, Redd Foxx, Paul Mooney
Influenced	George Carlin,[2] Martin Lawrence,[3] George Lopez,[4] Denis Leary, Margaret Cho,[5] Eddie Izzard, Dave Chappelle,[6] Chris Rock,[7] Eddie Murphy,[7] Whoopi Goldberg,[8] Bill Hicks,[9] Robin Williams,[8] Lewis Black[10] Colin Quinn,[11] Bernie Mac,[7] Joe Rogan, Chris Tucker[12], Louis C.K.,[13] Patton Oswalt[14] Artie Lange,[15] Jon Stewart,[16]Richard Lewis,[17] and Jim Norton[18]
Spouse	Patricia Price (1960–1961; divorced) 1 child Shelley R. Bonis (1968–1969; divorced) 1 child Deborah McGuire (1977–1978; divorced) Jennifer Lee (1979–1982; divorced) Flynn Belaine (1986–1987; divorced) 2 children Flynn Belaine (1990–1991; divorced) Jennifer Lee (2001–2005; widow)
Notable works and roles	Himself in Richard Pryor: Live in Concert and Richard Pryor: Live on the Sunset Strip Daddy Rich in Car Wash Wally Karue in See No Evil, Hear No Evil Harry Monroe in Stir Crazy Gus Gorman in Superman III
Website	RichardPryor.com
Emmy Awards
Writing in Variety or Music 1974 Lily
Grammy Awards
Best Comedy Album 1975 That Nigger's Crazy 1976 ...Is It Something I Said? 1977 Bicentennial Nigger 1982 Rev. Du Rite 1983 Live on the Sunset Strip
American Comedy Awards
Lifetime Achievement Award in Comedy 1993

Richard Franklin Lennox Thomas Pryor (December 1, 1940 – December 10, 2005) was an American stand-up comedian, actor, social critic, writer, and MC.^[19] Pryor was known for uncompromising examinations of racism and topical contemporary issues, which employed colorful vulgarities, and profanity, as well as racial epithets. He reached a broad audience with his trenchant observations and storytelling style. He is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential stand-up comedians of his era: Jerry Seinfeld called Pryor "The Picasso of our profession";^[20] Bob Newhart has called Pryor "the seminal comedian of the last 50 years.".^[21] This legacy can be attributed, in part, to the unusual degree of intimacy Pryor brought to bear on his comedy. As Bill Cosby reportedly once said, "Richard Pryor drew the line between comedy and tragedy as thin as one could possibly paint it."

His body of work includes the concert movies and recordings Richard Pryor: Live & Smokin' (1971), That Nigger's Crazy (1974), ...Is It Something I Said? (1975), Bicentennial Nigger (1976), Richard Pryor: Live in Concert (1979), Richard Pryor: Live on the Sunset Strip (1982), and Richard Pryor: Here and Now (1983). He also starred in numerous films as an actor, such as Superman III (1983) but was usually in comedies such as Silver Streak (1976), and occasionally in dramatic roles, such as Paul Schrader's film Blue Collar (1978). He collaborated on many projects with actor Gene Wilder. Another frequent collaborator was actor/comedian/writer Paul Mooney.

Pryor won an Emmy Award (1973), and five Grammy Awards (1974, 1975, 1976, 1981, and 1982). In 1974, he also won two American Academy of Humor awards and the Writers Guild of America Award. The first ever Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for American Humor was presented to him in 1998. Pryor is listed at Number 1 on Comedy Central's list of all-time greatest stand-up comedians.

Early life[link]

Born in Peoria, Illinois, Pryor grew up in his grandmother's brothel, where his mother, Gertrude L. (Thomas), practiced prostitution. His father, LeRoy "Buck Carter" Pryor was a former bartender and boxer.^[22]

After his mother abandoned him when he was 10, he was raised primarily by his grandmother Marie Carter,^[23] a violent woman who would beat him for any of his eccentricities.^[24] Pryor was one of four children raised in his grandmother's brothel and was molested as a child.^[22][25]

He was expelled from school at the age of 14. His first professional performance was playing drums at a night club. Pryor served in the U.S. Army from 1958 to 1960, but spent virtually the entire stint in an army prison. According to a 1999 profile about Pryor in The New Yorker, Pryor was incarcerated for an incident that occurred while stationed in Germany. Angered that a white soldier was a bit too amused at the racially charged sections of Douglas Sirk's movie Imitation of Life, Pryor and some other black soldiers beat and stabbed him, though not fatally.^[26] According to Live on the Sunset Strip, when he was 19, he worked at a Mafia-owned nightclub in Youngstown, Ohio, as the MC. On hearing that they would not pay a stripper friend of his, he attempted to hold up the owners with a cap pistol. The owners were greatly amused.

During this time, Pryor's girlfriend gave birth to a girl named Renee. Years later, however, he found out that she was not his child. In 1960, he married Patricia Price and they had one child together, Richard Jr. (his first child and first son). They divorced in 1961.

Career[link]

Early career[link]

In 1963, Pryor moved to New York City and began performing regularly in clubs alongside performers such as Bob Dylan and Woody Allen. On one of his first nights, he opened for singer and pianist Nina Simone at New York's Village Gate. Simone recalls Pryor's bout of performance anxiety:

Publicity photo of Richard Pryor for one of his Mister Kelly's appearances, 1968 - 1969.

Inspired by Bill Cosby, Pryor began as a middlebrow comic, with material far less controversial than what was to come. Soon, he began appearing regularly on television variety shows, such as The Ed Sullivan Show and The Tonight Show. His popularity led to success as a comic in Las Vegas. The first five tracks on the 2005 compilation CD Evolution/Revolution: The Early Years (1966–1974), recorded in 1966 and 1967, capture Pryor in this era.

In September 1967, Pryor had what he called in his autobiography Pryor Convictions an "epiphany" when he walked onto the stage at the Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas (with Dean Martin in the audience), looked at the sold-out crowd, exclaimed over the microphone "What the f@#k am I doing here!?", and walked off the stage. Afterward, Pryor began working profanity into his act, including "nigger". His first comedy recording, the eponymous 1968 debut release on the Dove/Reprise label, captures this particular period, tracking the evolution of Pryor's routine. Around this time, his parents died — his mother in 1967 and his father in 1968.

In 1967, his second child and first daughter, Elizabeth Ann, was born to his girlfriend Maxine Anderson. Later that year, he married Shelley Bonis. In 1969, his third child and second daughter, Rain Pryor, was born. Pryor and Bonis divorced later that year.

Mainstream success[link]

In 1969, Pryor moved to Berkeley, California, where he immersed himself in the counterculture and rubbed elbows with the likes of Huey P. Newton and Ishmael Reed. He signed with the comedy-oriented independent record label Laff Records in 1970, and in 1971 recorded his second album, Craps (After Hours). In 1973, the relatively unknown comedian appeared in the documentary Wattstax, where he riffed on the tragic-comic absurdities of race relations in Watts and the nation. Not long afterward, Pryor sought a deal with a larger label, and after some time, signed with Stax Records. His third, breakthrough album, That Nigger's Crazy, was released in 1974 and, Laff, who claimed ownership of Pryor's recording rights, almost succeeded in getting an injunction to prevent the album from being sold. Negotiations led to Pryor's release from his Laff contract. In return for this concession, Laff was enabled to release previously unissued material, recorded between 1968 and 1973, at will.

During the legal battle, Stax briefly closed its doors. At this time, Pryor returned to Reprise/Warner Bros. Records, which re-released That Nigger's Crazy, immediately after ...Is It Something I Said?, his first album with his new label. With every successful album Pryor recorded for Warner (or later, his concert films and his 1980 freebasing accident), Laff would quickly publish an album of older material to capitalize on Pryor's growing fame—a practice they continued until 1983. The covers of Laff albums tied in thematically with Pryor movies, such as The Wizard of Comedy for his appearance in The Wiz, Are You Serious? for Silver Streak, and Insane for Stir Crazy.

Pryor also performed in the Lilly Tomlin specials. He is seen here with Tomlin and Alan Alda in Tomlin's 1973 special.

In the 1970s, Pryor wrote for such television shows as Sanford and Son, The Flip Wilson Show and a Lily Tomlin special, for which he shared an Emmy Award^[28]. During this period, Pryor tried to break into mainstream television. He was a guest host on the first season of Saturday Night Live. Richard took long time girlfriend, actress-talk show host Kathrine McKee (sister of Lonette McKee) with him to New York, and she made a brief guest appearance with Pryor on SNL. He participated in a "racist word association" skit^[29] with Chevy Chase.

The Richard Pryor Show premiered on NBC in 1977, but was canceled after only four episodes. Television audiences did not respond to the show's controversial subject matter, and Pryor was unwilling to alter his material for network censors. During the short-lived series, he portrayed the first African-American President of the United States, spoofed the Star Wars cantina, took on gun violence, and in another skit, used costumes and visual distortion to appear nude.^[30]

In 1974, Pryor was arrested for income tax evasion and served 10 days in jail. He married actress Deborah McGuire in 1977, but they divorced in 1978. He soon began dating Jennifer Lee and they married in 1981. They divorced the following year.

In 1979, at the height of his success, Pryor visited Africa. Upon returning to the United States, Pryor swore he would never use the word "nigger" in his stand-up comedy routine again.^[31] (However, his favorite epithet, "motherf@#ker", remains a term of endearment on his official website.)

In the 1970s and 1980s, Pryor appeared in several popular films, including Lady Sings the Blues; The Mack; Uptown Saturday Night; Silver Streak; Which Way Is Up?; Car Wash; Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings; Greased Lightning; Blue Collar & Bustin' Loose. In 1982, Pryor co-starred with Jackie Gleason in The Toy.