J. R. Richards

J. R. Richards
Background information
Birth name John Robert Richards[1][2]
Born (1967-04-30) April 30, 1967
Santa Barbara, California, United States
Genres Alternative rock
Occupation(s) Musician, songwriter, producer
Instruments Vocals, guitar, keyboards, programming
Associated acts Dishwalla
Website Official website

John Robert "J. R." Richards (born April 30, 1967)[2] is an American singer-songwriter, musician, record producer and television and film composer. Richards was the original lead singer and principal songwriter for the alternative rock band Dishwalla.

Career

Dishwalla

Richards began his career as the lead singer of the alternative rock band Dishwalla. The band released their debut album Pet Your Friends in 1995. The album scored Dishwalla a hit in 1996 with the Richards-penned “Counting Blue Cars”. The song is well known for its lyrics, "Tell me all your thoughts on God, 'cause I'd really like to meet Her" lyrics. Richards won a Billboard Music Award for Top Mainstream Rock Track of the Year. He also won two ASCAP Awards for both having the Most Performed Song of The Year.

Dishwalla produced four other albums with Richards as lead singer and main songwriter, including And You Think You Know What Life's About in 1998, a live album called Live... Greetings from the Flow State and the 2002 song, Opaline. After Dishwalla completed their last album with Richards, Dishwalla in 2005, both bassist Scot Alexander and drummer Pete Maloney left the band. The band broke up shortly after their departures. In 2008, Dishwalla, with Richard's blessing, reformed with new lead singer Justin Fox.

Solo career and other ventures

Richards’ debut solo album A Beautiful End was released in 2009 and debuted in the Top 50 on iTunes. In 2016, Richards released his second solo album, Honore et Amore, as well as an all acoustic album of songs he wrote while in Dishwalla, Stripped.

In January 2011, Richards created the 20k Watts project along with Leo and Ryan Rossi. 20k Watts is an Artist Eco Alliance which aims to bring sustainable clean energy to developing communities in need. To empower communities in impoverished areas using the sun, wind, and battery for storing and supplying electricity and enhancing the current and future quality of life. In 2013, the city of Los Angeles awarded Richards a proclamation for dedication to enhancing the lives of families in extreme poverty for his work in El Salvador with 20k Watts (details below).

Richards has been producing since the 1990s and, along with Dishwalla, has gone on to produce other artists including Dom AD, Amy Grant and the British band BritRoyal. He also produced his solo albums as well as songs for the hit TV show How I Met Your Mother, in 2012 and Criminal Minds, in 2013. In 2013, he wrote, produced and performed songs (including the theme song "White Light"), for TV series SAF3 airing in United States in September 2013. He has appeared in the films Almost Anything[3], 2:13[4] and Morning[5] (which he also scored).

Richards is currently a featured producer for Reid Richards Production, a music and film production company founded by his wife, Min Reid-Richards, in 2010. Reid Richards Productions also specializes in high-end music video production.

Personal life

Richards is married to British director and producer Min Reid-Richards. The couple have four children.

References

  1. ↑ SongLyrics.com, Dishwalla - "Give", Songwriters: ...John Robert Richards
  2. 1 2 California Births, 1905 - 1995, John R. Richards (Birth Date: 04/30/1967, County of Birth: Santa Barbara)
  3. ↑ "Almost Anything (2001) Full Cast & Crew". Retrieved 2017-11-14.
  4. ↑ "2:13 (2009) Full Cast & Crew". Retrieved 2017-11-14.
  5. ↑ "Morning (2001) Full Cast & Crew". Retrieved 2017-11-14.

J.R. Richards Credits

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