His self titled 1987 album went triple platinum and made him the first male solo artist and second solo artist overall after Whitney Houston to have four singles from their debut crack the top three on the Billboard hot 100”

This right here is why I loved Richard Marx and can willingly share that he was my first concert. Have I caught flack for that over the years? You bet. But I knew then that he was a great singer; I just had no idea how prolific a songwriter he is.

The date was July 15, 1988 and I had spent that summer listening to his songs on my cassette tape in my yellow Walkman over and over while clutching a threadbare and well loved Panama Jack t-shirt a boy I had a crush on had given me. That boy drove to drop my friend and me to the show at The Bushnell in Hartford and I knew then he had feelings for her and not me. I know, I know, I Should’ve Known Better, but I was a 14 year old boy crazed teen. Didn’t he know I was Right Here Waiting? That I just wanted to Hold On To The Nights? This about sums up teen heartbreak and angst as well as one of Marx’s ballads. Ahhh, those Endless Summer Nights.

This was such a fun kick-off-to-summer read. Yes, I Googled and viewed every single video mentioned that I last watched 30+ years ago on MTV. His memoir is one giant episode of VHI’s Storytellers mixed with personal tales, and like an 80s groupie I happily jumped on for the ride. Does his ego show through in his storytelling? Yes. But I guess if you grow up in the spotlight and achieve his level of success, it comes with the territory. It Don’t Mean Nothing, it’s just the way he chose to share his tales of touring, fame, and travels.

Thank you NetGalley for my advanced copy! You can check it out August 1 when it hits the shelves!

Okay, if I'm going to be brutally honest here, I'm not a huge fan of Richard Marx, but I do like him... I mean, I can sing along to most of the singles, and he’s a great follow on Twitter. But I’ve never bought any albums or been to a concert, and if you told me I’d plow through his memoir in two days, I’d probably think you were nuts. But I did. I was stunned by the names he’s worked with, and the varied songs, albums, and projects I love that he’s been a part of. This is definitely not a tell-all memoir so don’t expect him to spill much tea (though there is a bit sprinkled in here and there), it’s more of a behind the scenes of his career and the music industry. I definitely have a new level of respect for him after reading about how hard he’s worked and how grounded he has remained. This was a surprisingly great read.

I am extremely grateful to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review Stories to Tell.

Thank you so much to Netgalley for letting me read this book early. I, in turn, am giving a honest review of my thoughts. First, let me say I was a teen and young adult when Richard Marx was at the height of his popularity. I loved this book. I thought it was very well written. I did not realized he worked with so many artists. I also did not realize he was behind some of the songs I love. I guess a lot of people would say that he does a lot of namedropping, BUT this was his life. I think everybody would love this nostalgic book. I would personally give this book 5 stars.

Richard Marx as many may not know is a very successful song writer along with being a pop star. His biography is filled with stories on his life and the people he worked with it. A biography on how one can be a successful and happy pop star without having to be someone he wasn’t to get there.

Legendary musician Richard Marx offers an enlightening, entertaining look at his life and career.

I grew up in the 80's and was definitely a Richard Marx fan. I mean, who wasnt?! So reading this was right up my alley. I found this memoir engrossing and interesting, especially since other than his music, I didn't know too much about Richard Marx. A must read for any fan!

Thank you Netgalley (& Richard Marx!) for a digital copy of Stories to Tell in exchange for my review.

Summary:
For most of the people who knew and loved singer, songwriter & performer, Richard Marx, he showed up on our radar in the late 1980s. What we wouldn't know was that he had already made a name for himself in the music industry before that. In his book, Stories to Tell, Richard tells you how his career came to be. You'll get to hear about the successes he had before he ever had a record deal. He gives you a front row seat to him unpacking his professional life- with a little of his personal life thrown in. You won't believe the career he's had!!

I was one of the many listeners of the radio that heard Richard Marx's tunes play. While I wasn't a die hard fan who bought all the albums or went to the concerts, I did enjoy listening to his music whenever I heard it on the radio. I was among the many who watched his videos on MTV. In fact, my first broken heart had his song "Right Here Waiting" in the background. He was a big part of the music scene in the late 80s. But, like many others, I had no clue just how talented he was. I had no clue that he had a career in the music industry before we ever heard a word from him. Stories to Tell was such an eye opening read that showed just how widespread his talent was and is.

Did you know he was nominated for a Grammy before he ever had a record deal? I didn't?! Did you know that he's worked with some of the biggest names in music- long before he had a record deal? (think Lionel Richie, Kenny Rogers, Madonna- just to name a few.) I didn't! You will learn who got him started, who all he worked with before and after his own record deal, and the career achievements he garnered before the mass majority knew who he was.

Richard Marx will tell you stories of life on the road, stories behind his biggest hits, and why you should never EVER let the Chinese Mafia have anything to do with financing a part of your tour. And you will love every story he has to tell you. He takes you behind the curtain on his career and it's a fascinating read. I couldn't put it down.

I’ve always love Richard Marx and his memoir is no different. He is a musical master in my opinion!! I wish he was better remembered. I love his albums. Since, I’ve learned just how many songs he has written for others.
I enjoyed reading about his childhood, getting his break into music, his love life and all his successes. Richard Marx continues to be one of my all time favorites!!

Thanks to Netgally for the opportunity to read this memoir for my honest review!

I always knew who Richard Marx was but didn’t really “know” Richard Marx. When I saw he had a memoir I was curious. Greatly appreciative of the advance copy, I began reading and wow!! What a life! Brilliantly talented, I was unaware he has contributed to many of my favorite songs and collaborated and is friends with the most respected artists. Confident with who he is he also seems somewhat humble or modest. Couldn’t put the book down and was riveted to each story he shared. Congratulations to him on his wonderful life with family and his love, Daisy Fuentes. Oh their podcast Tequila Talk is great fun! No one will be disappointed with this treat of a read!

I was happy to get approved for Richard Marx’s memoir. The chapters are quite short so reading it went quickly. He doesn’t spend a lot of time on his own personal history. There’s almost nothing revealing about his first marriage, which is disappointing. He mentions 3 half siblings but gives no other information. Most of the book is about his career. He fell into several lucky breaks. Reading about his early songs brought back a lot of good memories for me as I listened to those ballads in high school. His music was all over the air waves. I didn’t know how many other songs he wrote like Edge of a Broken Heart by Vixen that I love. I thought Marx came off quite arrogant and condescending in a few sections of the book. I was astonished to read how badly he stabbed a best friend in the back, which he takes full responsibility. I stopped listening to his music by the early 90s and most of his latter work I have never heard. It’s a good book about his career, but he’s lip locked about his private life.

My mom is probably Richard Marx biggest fan so when I saw that he wrote a book and it was available on here, I had to request it! It was really interesting getting to know more about his life and I knew he did a lot behind the scenes in the industry but reading this and finding out how much he really does. It’s amazing!

Acutely aware of how unique his career has been, Marx provides an often humorous, sporadically unbelievable, and consistently entertaining recollection of choice events throughout his life.

Those of a certain age might very well get more mileage out of the book, but it retains applicability and boasts "page-turner" status for anyone interested. Even if you're not in the know about music in the 80s and 90s, it stands on its own pretty well as a work detailing a young kid in the music industry clawing his way to notoriety and using his natural gifts to propel him beyond the competition.

There's details about how certain hits of his came about, collaborations with fellow musical legends, and insight into how he leaned more into his songwriting/producing abilities. Unless you're already a rabid fan, I seriously doubt you're going to guess the artists and songs he's worked on.

It's practically devoid of any sensational or controversial takes (I was surprised to hear a story regarding one particular country singer), so thumbing through the pages looking for a complete tell-all will likely reap little to no fruit, so, if that's what you're after, you might want to wait to see if he generates another, more salacious book or scuttle on to another musician, because this one's quite the positive experience.

As with any autobiography, a reader hopes that it enriches their appreciation for the artist while also answering some longstanding questions; this accomplishes both, for sure. It's changed the way I look at his music catalog, given a clearer picture of the music industry (from the 1980s and beyond), and now I know *not* to refer to him as a "balladeer" if I ever have the pleasure of meeting him.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the advance read.

I did not finish this book. I was excited to read this as I was a fan of Richard Marx growing up. I usually love to hear the inside stories or behind the scenes tales of celebrities. However, the further I got into this book the more uninterested I became. While Richard Marx describes himself to be lucky throughout his life, I found his attitude to be somewhat entitled and off-putting. I chose to abandon this book about 2/3 of the way through rather than continue to sour my view of this artist.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and author for the opportunity to review this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I have always enjoyed Richard Marx’s music, but it was the unexpected pleasure I receive from following Marx on Instagram that led me to request an ARC of his memoir. The refreshing candor of Marx’s Instagram feed is the same tone he uses in this memoir. While this candor can come across as borderline arrogant, Marx has the talent and intelligence to back up his strong opinions. Although it many seem that Marx achieved his fame through a string of lucky breaks, he tells you himself multiple times in his book that his strong will and belief that he would work with some of the biggest names in the music industry made it happen. I found this memoir to be enjoyable and a worthwhile read.

i really enjoyed reading the autobiography of singer-songwriter Richard Marx. The only child of two musicians, he began his career with Lionel Richie right after high school. This book was interesting and engaging to me. I loved hearing the backstage stories and tales of touring and recording.

I have been a fan of Richard Marx for a long time. My high school BFF and I drove around for hours listening to his songs for hours. We even went to one of his autograph signings at the mall in Sioux Falls, SD when he was there on tour. I really enjoyed reading his memoir Stories to Tell and finding out the stories behind his songs. I knew he was talented, but I had no idea that he has written as many songs as he has and for as many people that he has. The craziest story, in my opinion, is when he went on tour in Taiwan. Stories to Tell is a fascinating read. I read it in a few hours because I could not put it down. Thank you to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for the ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

Liked the book, however the personal story is minimal compared to his songwriting,etc. Interesting.

Thanks to author, publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read this book. While I got the book for free, it had no bearing on the rating I gave it.

This is the best kind of memoir, full of interesting stories recounted in a manner that both flows and gets to the heart of the chapter. This book will obviously appeal to Richard Marx fans, but it will also be very well enjoyed by music lovers as well as anyone who delights in reading a fascinating memoir.

I cannot express enough what a great book this was to me. I was elated that I was lucky enough to receive a copy. I have followed his career since I was younger and find joy in his music. So anyone can imagine the joy I felt in reading his book.

Richard Marx wrote about his childhood, his ongoing career in music, the songwriters he wrote with and the stories behind some of his hits. I enjoyed getting to know some of his hits that others performed like Kenny Rogers, Barbra Streisand, and Keith Urban to name a few. I also loved his stories behind some of his music. It was a moment of ha ha now I know what "Should Have Known Better" was about.

There was a touching chapter on his dad that was powerful and beautiful. It was done in a way that pulled at your emotions of a relationship between son and father. I truly believe anyone will appreciate how open he was in the chapter.
Overall, this was a beautiful book that you will enjoy. Any fan of his should read this!!
I received this ARC from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. Thank you!!!!!

This was a really fun read. I'd vaguely remembered Richard Marx from the late 80s with huge hits like "I'll Be Waiting" but didn't know about the broad scope of his career - he has written hits for everyone from Kenny Rogers to NSYNC. It was really fun to learn more about his music and I found myself looking up all his songs on YouTube as I read.

The book was a nice combination of straightforward retelling of his career highlights and lowlights (like the time a Mafia boss almost killed him and his crew in Taiwan), anecdotes about famous people he's worked with (Barbra Streisand, Madonna, Luther Vandross), a dash of his personal life (his father was a famous jingle writer who died tragically) and even some anger and bitterness over the record industry, but not too much. Thank goodness he stays away from his love life for the most part (he was married to the actress Cynthia Rhodes for 25 years, and is now married to former MTV VJ Daisy Fuentes). After suffering through Phil Collins' memoir and his embarrassing love life, I really want to only hear about an artist's art.

Marx deserves to be better remembered than his is, and hopefully this memoir will revive his legacy, because he really should to have a higher place in the music hierarchy. Now go listen to "Hazard," it's a little work of genius!

Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for a copy of this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

This was ok, it wasn't as much of an autobiography as it was a story about most of his songs and how they came to be. I enjoyed a lot of the relationships he had with other singer / songwriters.