| Before he
released his first album, Richard Marx sang on commercials and
was a backing vocalist for Lionel Richie. It was here that he
learned the commercial pop skills that made him an adult contemporary
radio star in the late '80s. Marx shot to the top of the charts
upon the release of his eponymous debut in 1987.
Marx's first hit was the California
rocker "Don't Mean Nothing," but his real strength lay with
ballads like "Right Here Waiting," which became an adult contemporary
staple in the late '80s.
Richard Marx and 1989's Repeat
Offender generated a string of three consecutive number one
hits in America — "Hold On to the Nights," "Satisfied" and "Right
Here Waiting."With
the release of Rush Street in 1991, his commercial fortunes
started to slip somewhat, as the mainstream shifted away from
the slick, well-constructed songs that are his forte.
Despite the Top 10 hit single
"Now and Forever," 1994's Paid Vacation fell from off the charts
quickly, and Marx entered a period of seclusion, returning in
the spring of 1997 with Flesh & Bone, an album tailored toward
the adult contemporary market. |
