Interview: Pop music superstar & LGBT ally Richard Marx

Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter/producer - and LGBT ally - Richard Marx has made a gorgeous debut as a headliner on the Las Vegas Strip with his limited engagement residency, “Satisfied: Only The Hits,” at Flamingo Las Vegas now through Sept. 2, 2017, and I get to talk with him. Among his many achievements, Marx is distinguished for having written a #1 song in four different decades across various charts. Having sold more than 30 million albums worldwide and notching an amazing 14 #1 singles (his latest - Keith Urban’s #1 smash “Long Hot Summer”) both as a performer and songwriter/producer including “Hold on to the Nights,” “Satisfied” and “Now and Forever,” fans get to experience the pop/rock artist up close in an intimate Las Vegas showroom as Marx performs acoustic versions of his greatest hits backed by a gorgeous string quartet. The evening also includes the true, personal stories behind his hits. His self-titled debut album went to #8 and spawned four Top 5 singles, including the chart-topping “Don’t Mean Nothing” earning him a Grammy nomination for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance. The follow-up, 1989’s Repeat Offender, was even more successful, hitting #1 and going quadruple-platinum with two #1 singles in “Satisfied” and “Right Here Waiting.” Marx also has enjoys huge success as a songwriter and producer, with songs like “To Where You Are,” the first hit single from Josh Groban’s debut album, the NSYNC smash, “This I Promise You.” His collaboration with Luther Vandross, “Dance With My Father” earned him the 2004 Song of the Year Grammy Award. And, of special interest to me, Marx is a staunch ally of the LGBT community. We chat about one of his favorite music collaborations, his Las Vegas gig at the Flamingo, his terrific podcast “Song Talks with Richard Marx,” plus how and why he speaks out for LGBTs.