Richard Marx Says David Foster Told Him He ‘Shouldn’t Sing’

Richard Marx found major success as a singer and songwriter, but one of his collaborators wasn’t sure he had it in him.

Marx, 62, reflected on his career in a Jan. 12 interview with The New York Times. He first sound success as a songwriter with 1984’s “What About Me?” which he co-wrote with the late Kenny Rogers and producer David Foster. It was released with the trio of Rogers, Kim Carnes and James Ingram singing it.

The Times asked Marx some of the questions he usually asks guests on his podcast Stories to Tell, including, “Did you have naysayers?”

“Oh yeah, quite a few,” Marx said. “The producer and writer David Foster told me I shouldn’t sing. I was 19, and it had weight because I admired him so much.” That would have been around 1982, two years before writing “What About Me?” together. 

“Every label rejected me several times even though my demo included ‘Endless Summer Nights’ and ‘Should’ve Known Better,’ ” he said. “Should’ve Known Better,” when it was finally released in 1987, reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100. “Endless Summer Nights,” released a year later, reached No. 2.

There was one music superstar who did encourage Marx, though. He told The Times:  “But I also had Lionel Richie telling me, ‘You’re good. Do it.’ ”

Marx is the only male artist to have his first seven singles reach the Top 5. 1988’s “Hold On to the Nights” and 1989’s “Satisfied” and “Right Here Waiting” all reached No. 1. He has also written songs for artists like *NSYNC, Keith Urban, Ringo Starr and Josh Groban. In 2004, he won the Grammy for song of the year for co-writing Luther Vandross’ “Dance with My Father.”

Marx, 62, is the only male artist to have his first seven singles chart in the Top 5, with three of them reaching No. 1: “Hold On to the Nights,” “Satisfied” and the perennial wedding favorite “Right Here Waiting.” He’s written for a wide range of acts, including Ringo Starr, Keith Urban and Luther Vandross.

Marx told The Times that he thinks the public doesn’t have “a sense of the level of my success.” He said, “Plenty of people online have said, ‘You’re a one-hit wonder.’ One time I said, ‘Yeah, but which one?’ ”

This January, Marx released his new album, After Hours, full of his versions of many songs from the Great American Songbook, like “Fly Me to the Moon,” “Summer Wind” and the Gershwins’ “Love Is Here to Stay.”

Speaking to PEOPLE this month, Marx reflected on how he was “pigeonholed” as a ballad singer early in his career. “I’ve always considered myself a rock singer and rock writer,” he said. But people told him, “If you’re going to sing ‘Endless Summer Nights’ and ‘Right Here Waiting,’ you’re not really a rocker.” 

His response? “F–k you. Just because you can’t do both. I can do both.” He continued, “Over time I started to go, ‘Well okay, it’s not just me.’ And then with age comes, if you’re lucky, who cares? My life is great.”

But he eventually “turned that corner” and can “chill” about perceptions of his career. “I’m just happy to have a catalog of hits,” he said. “I see 8-year-olds playing ‘Right Here Waiting’ on the piano and posting videos on TikTok. Are you kidding me? That song’s almost 40 years old. That’s a privilege. So I’ve completely done a 180 about that stuff.”