Dick Marx | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Richard Henry Marx |
| Born | (1924-04-12)April 12, 1924 Chicago, Illinois, US[1] |
| Died | August 12, 1997(1997-08-12) (aged 73) Highland Park, Illinois, US |
| Genres | Jazz, pop, rock |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, arranger, composer |
| Instrument | Piano |
| Years active | 1950s–1997 |
Richard Henry Marx (April 12, 1924 – August 12, 1997) was an Americanjazz pianist and arranger. He also composed for film, television, and commercials.
Marx and wife Ruth (née Guildoo) had a son,Richard Marx, pop singer, songwriter, and record producer.[2] Marx also had two daughters and a son, from a previous marriage.[3] He was of German Jewish descent.[4][5]
Marx played piano in childhood. He got his professional start playing in nightclubs in Chicago.[6] In the 1950s, he accompanied singerHelen Merrill and released several albums.
Beginning in the 1960s, he spent three decades in advertising, writing commercial jingles for Dial soap, Kellogg's Raisin Bran cereal, Ken-L Ration dog food, Nestle's Crunch candy bars, Arm & Hammer baking soda, Virginia Slims cigarettes, La Choy Chinese food, the Chicago Blackhawks hockey team and many more. His son Richard and wife Ruth sang on some of the commercials.
Dick Marx also composed a theme for news programs onWBBM-TV in 1975 that would eventually expand to other local stations owned and operated byCBS and used in different arrangements over nearly 50 years before the network introduced a new theme that aligned with its current branding.[7] In the 1980s he moved to Los Angeles and composed music for the filmsA League of Their Own andEdwards and Hunt and the television programFudge. He died in 1997 in Highland Park, Illinois, from injuries caused by a car accident in Las Vegas.[6]
WithJohnny Frigo
WithEddie Harris
WithHelen Merrill
WithKen Nordine
With others
