Richard Marx

Richard Marx, man, what a journey. You probably know at least one of his tunes even if you’re not a die-hard fan. Back in the day—late '80s, early '90s—he basically owned the radio. His debut album, just called "Richard Marx," dropped in ‘87 and exploded. Triple platinum, no big deal. "Don’t Mean Nothing" hit number three on Billboard, and that wasn’t some fluke—he just kept rolling out hit after hit. Fourteen top 20 songs in seven years? That’s stamina most artists would kill for. But here’s the wild part: he’s the only guy whose first seven singles all crashed right into the Billboard Top 5. Nobody else has pulled that off. And he didn’t just stick to his own stuff—he wrote and produced so many hits for other artists, it’s like he’s everywhere, even when you don’t realize it. He’s got this insane tally of 14 number one singles, whether he’s belting them out himself or helping somebody else shine. "Right Here Waiting," "Hold On to the Nights," "Endless Summer Nights," "Satisfied"—all chart-toppers. You’ve definitely heard those at a wedding or two. The guy’s also behind NSYNC’s "This I Promise You" and Luther Vandross’s "Dance with My Father." That last one? Won a Grammy for Song of the Year. Not too shabby. Oh, and even before his solo fame, he co-wrote "Crazy" with Kenny Rogers back in ’84. Decades later, Billboard’s still pointing out how he’s managed to write No. 1 songs in every decade since. That’s not just talent, that’s wizard-level longevity.