As a kid, Richard used to listen to Cream, The Beatles and Jimi Hendrix. He wrote songs with his cousin John Lang, which they played on the piano in his father’s church.

Later on the family relocated to Phoenix, Arizona where Richard met Steve George. Richard was soon busy mastering the guitar as well sa the keyboards. When he was twenty he joined Steve George’s band Andy Hardy and later formed a band called Joyce, first playing drums and later doing lead guitar. Due to a lack of success, Richard decided to move to L.A. in 1975, where he rejoined Steve George. They performed in L.A. clubs together and eventually went to Las Vegas. Richard decided to take up studying again when performing became too exhaustive and took composition and theater in a school for performing arts in San Diego, where he write and scored a three-act ballet. That only lasted about a year.

When he was twenty-three he rented a tiny apartment in Studio City, and played in various bands (even a country and western group!). Later on, Richard and Steve George got together again and recorded a demo tape of origincal music. They eventually landed a deal with Epic Records and in 1977 they formed Pages. Pages released three albums and disbanded in 1082. They couldn’t really get much commercial success because their sound didn’t fit anywhere when only disco and heavy corporate rock were popular. Richard and Steve stayed together and collaborated on songwriting and backing vocals for a wide range of artists such as Molly Hatchet, Donna Summer, Quincy Jones, Amy Grant, Motley Crue, Barry Manilow, Twisted Sister, Kenny Loggins, REO Speedwagon, Chicago, Sheena Easton, James Ingram, Al Jarreau, Rick Springfield, Carole Bayer Sager, Dionne Warwick, Patti LaBelle, Jeffrey Osborne and even sung Village People tunes together with Tom Kelly and Chicago’s Bill Champlin. Richard also did a Budweiser commercial.

In the beginning of 1982 Richard and Steve George formed a new band, Mr. Mister. Again, they recorded three albums and broke up toward the end of the 1980’s.

In 1992 Richard recorded an album with renowned producer Patrick Leonard under the name 3^rd Matinee. Despite its artistic quality, the album didn’t sell well, so Richard and Patrick Leonard parted ways and returned to their separate pursuits.

In 1995 Richard agreed to write some songs for the new George Benson album. Blue Thumb Records’s representative liked Richard’s songs so much that he offered him a deal for a solo album, which led to the release of Shelter Me toward the end of 1996.

Although he has no plans for a second solo album, Richard is enjoying his life in Malibu, California. He most recently contributed to the Disney albums Music from the Park and Winnie the Pooh: The Grand Adventure with Kathy Lee Gifford.