Us pop/rock star Richard Marx on Dec. 9 at Big Dome

MANILA, Philippines - A top foreign male act who gained worldwide recognition for his adult contemporary and pop/rock music in the ’80s and ’90s is set to visit Manila next month for a major show, as the concert season draws to a close after a year of regular performances by touring international singers and bands.

American pop/rock singer Richard Marx, a Grammy-winning composer of 14 No. 1 songs, will perform at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Cubao, Quezon City on Dec. 9, showcasing his range of talents as a singer, songwriter and producer that brought him fame during a successful career spanning almost 40 years.

The one-night musical event, titled Richard Marx Live in Manila!, will treat the audience to an evening of adult contemporary and pop/rock music featuring slow ballads and classic light rock from the ’80s and ’90s that Marx popularized.

Among these hit songs were Now & Forever, Hold On To The Night, Can’t Help Falling In Love, This I Promise You, Only Reminds Me Of You, Dance With My Father, Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word, Right Here Waiting, Endless Summer Nights, Don’t Mean Nothing, Should’ve Have Known Better, Satisfied and many more.

Marx began his musical career at the age of five by singing commercial jingles created by his father, Dirk Marx, a jazz musician and founder of a successful jingle company in the early ’60s in Chicago, Illinois.

When he was 17, Marx sang on Lionel Richie’s self-titled debut solo album and later contributed backing vocals to Richie’s hit, You Are, as well as Running With The Night and All Night Long (All Night), which were both featured on Richie’s follow-up album, Can’t Slow Down.

After performing as background singer for artists like Madonna, Whitney Houston and Luther Vandross before becoming a songwriter, Marx got a big break in 1984 when Kenny Rogers recorded his composition, Crazy, together with another of Marx’s songs, What About Me?, which also featured James Ingram and Kim Carnes.

The trio recording hit No. 1 Contemporary Adult and No. 15 on the Billboard Hot 100 (while just scraping into the Country and R&B charts) in 1984, while Crazy achieved No. 1 Country and No. 5 Adult Contemporary the following year.

Soon after, Marx began collaborating with producer David Foster and writing songs for the group Chicago and R&B singer Freddie Jackson.

 Marx launched his recording career with a 10-track album under EMI/Manhattan Records, featuring the music of his good friend, Fee Waybill of The Tubes, plus a group of talented and accomplished musicians, such as Joe Walsh and Randy Meisner of The Eagles.

Marx’s 1987 self-titled debut album yielded four hit singles — Don’t Mean Nothing, Should’ve Known Better, Endless Summer Nights and Hold On To The Night — and sold nearly four million copies in the US.

(Richard Marx Live In Manila is presented by Ovation Productions in cooperation with Eskaya Beach Resort and Spa in Panglao, Bohol and in association with ETC, 2nd Avenue, Jack TV, Universal Channel and The Rockwell Club. It is also supported by The Philippine Star, BusinessWorld, 97.9 Home Radio, MYX, 94.7 Mellow, RX 93.1 Monster Radio, 105.7 Crossover, RJ 100.3 FM and OptimaSignsolutions. Tickets are priced at P4,500, P4,000, P3,500, P2,500, P1,000 and P500 and are available at Ticketnet outlets at SM Department Stores and at the Araneta Smart Coliseum ticket office. For reservation and inquiries, call Ticketnet at 911-5555.)