'NSYNC (sometimes stylized as *NSYNC) was an American boy band formed in Orlando, Florida, in 1995 and launched in Germany by BMG Ariola Munich,^[1] *NSYNC consisted of Justin Timberlake, Chris Kirkpatrick, Joey Fatone, Lance Bass and JC Chasez. After heavily publicized legal battles with their former manager Lou Pearlman and former record label Sony BMG, the group's second album No Strings Attached sold over one million copies in one day and 2.42 million copies in one week.^[2][3] In addition to a host of Grammy Award nominations, 'N Sync performed at the World Series, the Super Bowl and the Olympic Games, and sang or recorded with Elton John, Mandy Moore, Aerosmith, Mary J Blige, Britney Spears, Nelly, Michael Jackson, Phil Collins, Stevie Wonder, Celine Dion, and Gloria Estefan.

While 'N Sync announced a "temporary hiatus" in spring 2002, the band has not recorded new material since. The group's official website shut down in the summer of 2006, and in 2007, Lance Bass confirmed that the group has "definitely broken up."^[4] In March 2010, the group's website was relaunched to keep fans updated on the various members' projects.

History[link]

1995–1998: Group formation and debut album[link]

In 1995, Chris Kirkpatrick met with Lou Pearlman to talk about forming a pop group. Pearlman said that he would finance the group if Kirkpatrick would find other young male singers. This prompted Kirkpatrick to call Joey Fatone, a friend he had met while working at Universal Studios. Then, Fatone and Kirkpatrick approached Lou Pearlman for more suggestions. Pearlman looked through some tapes they had, and one of Justin Timberlake from the Mickey Mouse Club caught their eye. Timberlake soon joined the group and recommended his friend JC Chasez, who also was a cast member on the Mickey Mouse Club. Soon, they decided to even out their sound by finding a bass singer. Initially, their fifth member was to be Jason Galasso. After several weeks of rehearsals, the group set up a showcase and began planning to officially sign with Pearlman's Trans Continental Label. However, at the last minute, Galasso dropped out. He was not fond of the group's musical direction, claiming that being a teen idol was never a goal of his.^[5] In need of a bass, the group auditioned several people without success. Timberlake soon called his vocal coach, who suggested a 16-year-old from Mississippi named Lance Bass. Bass flew to Orlando to audition and was immediately accepted into the group.

The group got their name after Timberlake's mother commented on how "in sync" their voices were. The group's name was also a play on the last letter of each member's first names: JustiN, ChriS, JoeY, JasoN, and JC.^[5] The band later nicknamed Bass "Lansten" so as not to throw off the last-letter theme of their name. From there, Pearlman set the five boys up in a house in Orlando, where they rehearsed constantly, learning dance routines and vocal parts, and working on promotion for their first public performance at Pleasure Island on October 22, 1995. Pearlman hired Johnny Wright, manager of the BackStreet Boys, to manage the group. 'N Sync sent him a two-song demo-tape including "I'll Be Back for More" and "We Can Work It Out", which impressed him. The group performed for him and a group of BMG executives. Although the record company had some concerns with the band's name and Bass's dancing abilities, they agreed to sign the group to BMG Ariola Munich with Wright as their manager.^[6]

After being signed to BMG Ariola Munich, the group was sent to Sweden to begin working on their debut album with the help of producers such as Denniz Pop, Max Martin and Andreas Carlsson. The album's official lead single, "I Want You Back", was released in Germany on October 7, 1996, and entered the top 10 in Germany on November 18, 1996.^[7] With a record deal finally secured, the boys began touring first in German-speaking countries and later in other European territories. Their self-titled debut album was initially released by BMG Ariola Munich on May 26, 1997, in Germany, and peaked at number one in the second week after its release.^[8] The group soon became an overnight success throughout much of Europe.^[9] The album also charted successfully in both Switzerland and Austria eventually selling 820,000 units in GSA (Germany, Switzerland, Austria) region and Eastern Europe.^[10][11] The group released its second and the third singles, "Tearin' Up My Heart" and "Here We Go", both of which managed to reach the top-10 in numerous countries in Europe.^[12][13] 'N Sync captured the attention of Vincent DeGiorgio, an A&R rep for RCA Records. After seeing the group perform in Budapest, he eventually signed them to RCA in 1998. The American label had the group record some new tracks to adjust their album for the U.S. market.

1998–1999: Breaking the American market and legal battle[link]

The group released its American first single, "I Want You Back" on January 20, 1998. It reached #13 on the Billboard Hot 100. An album called *NSYNC followed on March 24, 1998. Album sales were sluggish, debuting at #82 on the Billboard 200, but were helped when The Disney Channel aired a concert special on July 18, 1998. The concert was first offered to the Backstreet Boys, but had to back out due to member Brian Littrell needing heart surgery. ^[14] Three weeks before the concert, the album sat at #85 on the albums chart; three weeks after the concert, the album reached number nine. The group's profile continued the rise with subsequent single release "Tearin' Up My Heart", which became hit on pop radio and one of the "100 Greatest Songs of the 90's" according to VH1. Regular touring, including an opening spot on Janet Jackson's The Velvet Rope Tour, and television spots on shows like "Sabrina the Teenage Witch" also bolstered sales for the album, which was eventually certified diamond for shipments in excess of 10 million units. ^[15]

On November 10, 1998, the group released a holiday album, Home for Christmas. The album peaked at #7 and sold 2 million copies.^[15] With this, 'N Sync achieved the rare feat of having two albums in the Billboard Top 10 at the same time. The group scored its first top 10 on the Hot 100 with their third single, "God Must Have Spent A Little More Time on You", which peaked at #8 in February 1999. Country group Alabama later re-recorded the song and released it as a single that featured vocals from 'N Sync. The fourth and final single from the album, "I Drive Myself Crazy", was a modest chart hit, but a mainstay on Total Request Live.^{[citation needed]} In September 1999, the group collaborated with Gloria Estefan on a song for the soundtrack for her movie Music of the Heart. The track "Music of My Heart" reached #2 on Billboard's Top-100 single chart and served as a stopgap between album releases.

In 1998, *NSYNC entered a publicized legal battle with Lou Pearlman, due to what the group believed were illicit business practices on his part.^[16] 'N Sync sued Pearlman and his record company, Trans Continental, for defrauding the group of more than fifty percent of their earnings, rather than his promise of only receiving one-sixth of the profits.^[16] The group threatened to leave and sign with Jive Records, which prompted Pearlman and RCA to countersue 'N Sync for US$150 million and the use of the name.^[17] Pearlman's request for a preliminary injunction against the band was denied.^[16] After reaching a settlement out of court,^[18] 'N Sync signed with Jive.^[19]

[edit] 2000–2001: Groundbreaking success and No Strings Attached

With their legal woes behind them, *NSYNC refocused and worked on tracks for its second album. In January 2000, the group released "Bye Bye Bye", an upbeat dance track, which shot into the top 5 of the Hot 100 and spent 5 weeks atop the Hot 100 Airplay chart. The song is often considered the group's signature song. They performed at the Latin Grammy show in 2001 singing the Spanish version of their song, This I Promise You, "Yo Te Voy Amar."

The accompanying album, No Strings Attached, was released on March 21, 2000. It sold a record 2.42 million in its first week of release.^[2][3] By the end of 2000, it had sold over 9.9 million copies.^[20] No Strings Attached was both the best-selling album of the decade and top-selling album of 2000.^[20] No Strings Attached is currently the eighth best selling album of the SoundScan era which received a Diamond Certification from RIAA for sales of over 11,099,000.^[21] The album was all-time bestselling pre-ordered album on Amazon.com.^[22]

The second single, "It's Gonna Be Me", became the group's first #1 single in US. The third and final single, "This I Promise You" reached the Top-5 on Billboard's Top-100 single chart. The group also embarked on a World No Strings Attached Tour that year. The adventures of preparing for the tour were featured on an MTV special "Making the Tour", which was later released on DVD. The tour was then featured on a HBO special, which aired the same week the group's song "It's Gonna Be Me" hit #1 on the charts. The group then went on the second leg of the tour in the fall and performed one last show in 2001 for the "Rock in Rio" concert. The group also released Live From Madison Square Garden, a home video release of its HBO Special.

[edit] 2001–2002: Celebrity and "Pop"

The group's third album, Celebrity, released on July 24, 2001, produced three singles: "Pop" (#19 US), "Gone" (#11 US) and "Girlfriend" (#5 US). The album featured much more creative involvement from the group, especially Chasez and Timberlake, who wrote and produced several of the tracks. The album was also notably more heavily influenced by hip-hop than the group's previous releases. As such, rapper Nelly contributed a verse to a remix of the single "Girlfriend". The album was generally well-received, but album sales were substantially less than previous releases.

To help support the Celebrity album, the group embarked on a four-month stadium tour entitled the Pop Odyssey Tour. The outing began in May, two months before the CD's release. Over two million fans attended the concerts. The success of the tour prompted the group to extend the tour and add 33 extra shows that was called the "Celebrity Tour". A video of the concert was later released on home video, Pop Odyssey Live.

2002–present: Hiatus and Breakup[link]

Justin Timberlake at Golden Globe 2007

JC Chasez in 2007

In April 2002, after the group's Celebrity tour, they went on a break. They originally intended to resume recording in September of that year, but they decided to extend their hiatus because Timberlake wanted to focus on his solo career. The group still went to award shows and events together, and regrouped at the 2003 Grammy Awards to sing the Bee Gees Medley in tribute to the Bee Gees. It was the group's last televised performance. The last public performance for 'N Sync was at the group's 2004 Annual Challenge for the Children, where the members performed "The Star Spangled Banner". It was a fitting final performance considering "The Star Spangled Banner" was the first song the five of them ever sang together. In 2005, the members regrouped one last time for the last 'N Sync Challenge for the Children, but did not perform. In the fall of 2005, 'N Sync released a greatest hits album. It included one song, "I'll Never Stop", that had previously not been released in America. In January 2010, they released another album called The Collection that consisted of singles only released in the UK.^{[citation needed]}

The group was featured on an episode of Seth Green's stop-motion sketch comedy show Robot Chicken in 2005, but only Lance Bass and Joey Fatone voiced their own characters in the episode. Justin Timberlake was voiced by Breckin Meyer.^{[citation needed]}

Lance Bass told People magazine that "We're definitely itching to do some music," but the only thing that's really stopping a reunion is that "It's gonna be hard to get Justin to calm down and get off tour, he's a workaholic".^[23] Despite the fact that Timberlake has not released an album since 2006 and his last tour ended in 2007, he continues to be very busy with his own career. Timberlake has recently turned his attention to film and has produced a successful acting career. JC Chasez released his solo album Schizophrenic in 2004, featuring three hit singles. Since 2007, he has been a judge on the hit MTV show America's Best Dance Crew. Joey Fatone has been featured as a host for reality game show The Singing Bee that aired on NBC and is an announcer on Family Feud with Steve Harvey. Lance Bass has done some producing jobs and small film cameos.^{[citation needed]}

Marketing[link]

The group licensed their likenesses on large number of merchandise, including board games, microphones, lip balm, marionettes, books, key chains, bedding, clothing, video games,^[24] and various other articles. The group also had a deal alongside McDonald's, which included commercials featuring the group and Spears, along with a CD and a video that featured behind-the-scenes footage from the making of 'N Sync's music video. The vocal group also had a deal with Chili's Grill & Bar in which the members appeared in commercials for the restaurant, while Chili's helped sponsor the group's tour.^{[citation needed]}

Members[link]

• Justin Timberlake – High Tenor
• Chris Kirkpatrick – Countertenor
• Joey Fatone – Baritone
• Lance Bass – Bass
• JC Chasez – Tenor

Discography[link]

• 1997: *NSYNC
• 1998: Home for Christmas
• 2000: No Strings Attached
• 2001: Celebrity

Tours[link]

Headlining

• For the Girl Tour (1997) (also known as the "I Want You Back Tour" in the fall of 1997)
• 'N Sync in Concert (1998-2000) (also known as the "Second II None Tour" in the winter of 1998, "Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now Tour" in the spring of 1999, "Boys of Summer Tour" in the summer of 1999 and "The Winter Shows" in the winter of 1999)
• No Strings Attached Tour (2000-01)
• PopOdyssey Tour (2001-02) (known as the "Celebrity Tour" in 2002)

As supporting act

• The Velvet Rope World Tour (supporting Janet Jackson) (1998)

Awards[link]

The group has multiple RIAA awards. These include two Diamond Awards, four platinum home video releases, and multiple platinum awards for the group's records.^[15]

See also[link]

• List of best selling music artists in U.S.
• List of artists who reached number one on the Hot 100 (U.S.)
• Boy band

References[link]

External links[link]

• *NSYNC Official Site
• NSYNC World

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (April 2012)

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]