Emil Richards (born Emilio Joseph Radocchia; September 2, 1932 – December 13, 2019) was an American vibraphonist and percussionist.

Biography

Musician

Richards began playing the

xylophone The xylophone (; ) is a musical instrument in the percussion family that consists of wooden bars struck by mallets. Like the glockenspiel (which uses metal bars), the xylophone essentially consists of a set of tuned wooden keys arranged in ...

aged six. In High School, he performed with the Hartford Symphony Orchestra. He studied with Al Lepak at the Hartt School of Music in Hartford, graduating in 1952. After being drafted, he belonged to an Army band in Japan and played with Toshiko Akiyoshi. He cited

Lionel Hampton Lionel Leo Hampton (April 20, 1908 – August 31, 2002) was an American jazz vibraphonist, pianist, percussionist, and bandleader. Hampton worked with jazz musicians from Teddy Wilson, Benny Goodman, and Buddy Rich, to Charlie Parker, Charles ...

as his first and biggest influence on vibraphone. In 1954, Richards moved to New York City, where he played with

Charles Mingus Charles Mingus Jr. (April 22, 1922 – January 5, 1979) was an American jazz upright bassist, pianist, composer, bandleader, and author. A major proponent of collective improvisation, he is considered to be one of the greatest jazz musicians an ...

Ed Shaughnessy Edwin Thomas "Ed" Shaughnessy (January 29, 1929 – May 24, 2013) was a swing music and jazz drummer long associated with Doc Severinsen and a member of The Tonight Show Band on ''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson''. Biography Shaughn ...

, and Ed Thigpen while doing studio recordings for

Perry Como Pierino Ronald "Perry" Como (; May 18, 1912 – May 12, 2001) was an Italian-American singer, actor and television personality. During a career spanning more than half a century, he recorded exclusively for RCA Victor for 44 years, after signin ...

, the Ray Charles Singers, and Mitchell Ayres. For about three years, he was a member of a group led by

George Shearing Sir George Albert Shearing, (13 August 1919 14 February 2011) was a British jazz pianist who for many years led a popular jazz group that recorded for Discovery Records, MGM Records and Capitol Records. Shearing was the composer of over 300 ...

, then moved to Los Angeles and worked with

Don Ellis Donald Johnson Ellis (July 25, 1934 – December 17, 1978) was an American jazz trumpeter, drummer, composer, and bandleader. He is best known for his extensive musical experimentation, particularly in the area of time signatures. Later in his li ...

and Paul Horn. He led his own band, the Microtonal Blues Band, and spent time with composer and inventor

Harry Partch Harry Partch (June 24, 1901 – September 3, 1974) was an American composer, music theorist, and creator of unique musical instruments. He composed using scales of unequal intervals in just intonation, and was one of the first 20th-century com ...

. As a sideman, he accompanied

George Harrison George Harrison (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) was an English musician and singer-songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Sometimes called "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Indian c ...

on tour and recorded with

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the " Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular entertainers of the 1940s, 1950s, and ...

Frank Zappa Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American musician, composer, and bandleader. His work is characterized by nonconformity, free-form improvisation, sound experiments, musical virtuosity and satire of ...

Doris Day Doris Day (born Doris Mary Kappelhoff; April 3, 1922 – May 13, 2019) was an American actress, singer, and activist. She began her career as a big band singer in 1939, achieving commercial success in 1945 with two No. 1 recordings, " Sent ...

Judy Garland Judy Garland (born Frances Ethel Gumm; June 10, 1922June 22, 1969) was an American actress and singer. While critically acclaimed for many different roles throughout her career, she is widely known for playing the part of Dorothy Gale in '' The ...

Nelson Riddle Nelson Smock Riddle Jr. (June 1, 1921 – October 6, 1985) was an American arranger, composer, bandleader and orchestrator whose career stretched from the late 1940s to the mid-1980s. He worked with many world-famous vocalists at Capitol Recor ...

Steely Dan Steely Dan is an American rock band founded in 1971 in New York by Walter Becker (guitars, bass, backing vocals) and Donald Fagen (keyboards, lead vocals). Initially the band had a stable lineup, but in 1974, Becker and Fagen retired from liv ...

, and

Sarah Vaughan Sarah Lois Vaughan (March 27, 1924 – April 3, 1990) was an American jazz singer. Nicknamed "Sassy" and " The Divine One", she won two Grammy Awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Award, and was nominated for a total of nine Grammy Award ...

. Richards worked often as a studio musician for movies and television. His credits include playing bongos on the theme song for the television program '' Mission: Impossible''. Other television work included finger snaps for the ''

Addams Family ''The Addams Family'' is a fictional family created by American cartoonist Charles Addams. They originally appeared in a series of 150 unrelated single-panel cartoons, about half of which were originally published in ''The New Yorker'' over a ...

'' theme, and xylophone work for the opening theme of ''

The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, ...

''. He led a band with

Joe Porcaro Joseph Thomas Porcaro (April 29, 1930 – July 6, 2020) was an American jazz drummer. Biography Personal life The Porcaro family is, on the paternal side, originally from San Luca, an Aspromonte village in the province of Reggio Calabria. Joe ...

, and he released a solo album, ''The Wonderful World of Percussion''. Richards died on December 13, 2019.

Collector

In 1962, Richards went on a worldwide tour with Frank Sinatra to raise money for poor children. The tour increased Richards's fascination with ethnic

percussion instrument A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Exc ...

s. During his career, he collected over 350 instruments, many of them more common in the East than the West. Richards wanted his instruments to continue to be heard in recordings and other performances and to remain together as much as possible. The Emil Richards Collection includes common percussion, such as

and

marimba The marimba () is a musical instrument in the percussion family that consists of wooden bars that are struck by mallets. Below each bar is a resonator pipe that amplifies particular harmonics of its sound. Compared to the xylophone, the timbre ...

and exotic, such as the

angklung The ( Sundanese: ) is a musical instrument from the Sundanese people in Indonesia made of a varying number of bamboo tubes attached to a bamboo frame. The tubes are carved to have a resonant pitch when struck and are tuned to octaves, similar ...

, bulbul tarang,

chimta ''Chimta'' ( pa, ਚਿਮਟਾ , Shahmukhī: ) literally means tongs. Over time it has evolved into a traditional instrument of South Asia by the permanent addition of small brass jingles. This instrument is often used in popular Punjabi fol ...

, flapamba, jal tarang,

janggu The ''janggu'' (, also transliterated as ''janggo'' or ''changgo'') or sometimes called ''seyogo'' (slim waist drum) is the most representative drum in traditional Korean music. It is available in most kinds, and consists of an hourglass-shape ...

lujon "Lujon" (also known as "Slow Hot Wind") is a musical piece by Henry Mancini. Background Its name comes from the lujon percussion instrument heard on the recording. Henry Mancini recording It appeared on his 1961 album ''Mr. Lucky Goes Latin ...

, mbira, and pakhavaj. In 1992, he gave sixty-five instruments to the Percussive Arts Society museum in Lawton, Oklahoma. He was a member of the Society's Hall of Fame. Part of the collection was sold to Los Angeles Percussion Rentals. Many instruments were restored and are used in recordings and other performances in Los Angeles. LAPR works with Odd Art Fabrications to custom design and fabricate instruments and hardware such as

chromatic Diatonic and chromatic are terms in music theory that are most often used to characterize scales, and are also applied to musical instruments, intervals, chords, notes, musical styles, and kinds of harmony. They are very often used as a p ...

ally tuned wood blocks and chromatically tuned

bell plate A bell is a directly struck idiophone percussion instrument. Most bells have the shape of a hollow cup that when struck vibrates in a single strong strike tone, with its sides forming an efficient resonator. The strike may be made by an intern ...

Discography

As leader

* ''Yazz Per Favore'' (Del-fi, 1961) * ''New Sound Element Stones'' (Uni, 1967) * ''New Time Element'' (Uni, 1967) * ''Cosmic Sounds'' with the Zodiac (Elektra, 1967) * ''Journey to Bliss'' (ABC Impulse!, 1968) * ''Spirit of 1976/Live at Donte's'' (ABC, Impulse!, 1969) * ''Wonderful World of Percussion'' (Interworld, 1994) * ''Luntana'' (Interworld, 1996) With The Surfmen * ''The Sounds of Exotic Island'' (Somerset/Stereo Fidelity, 1960) * ''Hawaii'' (Somerset/Stereo Fidelity, 1960)

As sideman

With Louis Bellson * ''Ecue (Ritmos Cubanos)'' (Pablo, 1978) * ''Prime Time'' (Concord Jazz, 1978) * ''Louie Bellson Jam'' (Pablo, 1979) With

Alessi Brothers The Alessi Brothers, also known as Alessi, are an American pop rock singer-songwriter duo who first came to international prominence with their 1977 hit single "Oh Lori". The duo are identical twin brothers, Billy and Bobby Alessi (born July 12, ...

* ''Alessi'' (A&M, 1976) With

Frank Capp Francis Cappuccio (August 20, 1931 – September 12, 2017), known professionally as Frank Capp, was an American jazz drummer. Capp also played on numerous rock and roll sessions and is considered to be a member of The Wrecking Crew. Biography ...

* ''Percussion in a Tribute to Henry Mancini'' (Kimberly, 1961) * ''Percussion in a Tribute to Glenn Miller'' (Kimberly, 1963) * ''Percussion in a Tribute to Lawrence Welk'' (Kimberly, 1963) * ''In a Tribute to the Dorsey Brothers'' (Kimberly, 2010) * ''In a Tribute to Count Basie'' (Kimberly, 2014) With

George Duke George M. Duke (January 12, 1946 – August 5, 2013) was an American keyboardist, composer, singer-songwriter and record producer. He worked with numerous artists as arranger, music director, writer and co-writer, record producer and as a pr ...

* ''I Love the Blues, She Heard My Cry'' (MPS, 1975) * ''Liberated Fantasies'' (MPS, 1976) * ''From Me to You'' (Epic, 1977) With Michael Giacchino * ''Coco'' (Walt Disney, 2017) * ''Spider-Man: Homecoming'' (Sony, 2017) * ''War for the Planet of the Apes'' (Sony, 2017) With

* ''

Dark Horse A dark horse is a previously lesser-known person or thing that emerges to prominence in a situation, especially in a competition involving multiple rivals, or a contestant that on paper should be unlikely to succeed but yet still might. Origin Th ...

'' (Apple, 1974) * ''

Thirty Three & 1/3 ''Thirty Three & ⅓'' (stylised as ''Thirty Three & 1/ॐ'' on the album cover) is the seventh studio album by English musician George Harrison, released in November 1976. It was Harrison's first album release on his Dark Horse record label, t ...

'' (Dark Horse, 1976) * ''

'' (Dark Horse, 1979) With Paul Horn * '' Something Blue'' (HiFi Jazz 1960) * ''

The Sound of Paul Horn ''The Sound of Paul Horn'' is an album by Paul Horn which was originally released on the Columbia label in 1961.Paul H ...

'' (Columbia, 1961) * ''

Profile of a Jazz Musician ''Profile of a Jazz Musician'' is an album by Paul Horn which was originally released on the Columbia label in 1962.Pa ...

'' (Columbia, 1962) * ''Impressions of Cleopatra'' (Columbia, 1963) * ''

Jazz Suite on the Mass Texts ''Jazz Suite on the Mass Texts'' is an album by Paul Horn which was composed and conducted by Lalo Schifrin and originally released on the RCA Victor label in 1965.Payne, D.Lalo Schifrin discography accessed July 17, 2015 Reception AllMusic a ...

'' (RCA, Victor, 1965) With

James Newton Howard James Newton Howard (born June 9, 1951) is an American film composer, music producer and keyboardist. He has scored over 100 films and is the recipient of a Grammy Award, an Emmy Award, and nine nominations for Academy Awards. His film scores ...

* ''Off Limits'' (Varese Sarabande, 1988) * ''Grand Canyon'' (RCA, 1991) * ''Outbreak'' (Varese Sarabande, 1995) * ''Waterworld'' (MCA, 1995) With

Quincy Jones Quincy Delight Jones Jr. (born March 14, 1933) is an American record producer, musician, songwriter, composer, arranger, and film and television producer. His career spans 70 years in the entertainment industry with a record of 80 Grammy Award n ...

* '' The Hot Rock OST'' (Prophesy, 1972) * ''Roots'' (A&M, 1977) * ''The Color Purple'' (Qwest, 1986) * ''Basie & Beyond'' (Qwest, 2000) With Roger Kellaway * ''The Roger Kellaway Cello Quartet'' (A&M, 1971) * ''Come to the Meadow'' (A&M, 1974) * ''Nostalgia Suite'' (Discwasher, 1978) With

Stan Kenton Stanley Newcomb Kenton (December 15, 1911 – August 25, 1979) was an American popular music and jazz artist. As a pianist, composer, arranger and band leader, he led an innovative and influential jazz orchestra for almost four decades. Though K ...

* ''Artistry in Jazz'' (Capitol) * ''

Stan Kenton Conducts the Los Angeles Neophonic Orchestra ''Stan Kenton Conducts the Los Angeles Neophonic Orchestra'' is an album by bandleader Stan Kenton recorded in 1965 by Capitol Records.Vosbein, PStan Kenton Discographyaccessed July 4, 2016 Reception Critical opinion remains divided. The Allmus ...

'' (Capitol, 1965) * ''Hair'' (Capitol, 1969) * ''Kenton's Christmas'' (Capitol, 1970) * ''New Horizons Volume 1'' (Tantara, 2014) * ''New Horizons Volume 2'' (Tantara, 2014) With

Julie London Julie London (née Peck; September 26, 1926 – October 18, 2000) was an American singer and actress whose career spanned more than 40 years. A torch singer noted for her sultry, languid contralto vocals, London recorded over thirty album ...

* '' Julie...At Home'' (Liberty, 1960) * '' All Through the Night: Julie London Sings the Choicest of Cole Porter'' (Capitol, 1965) With

Henry Mancini Henry Mancini ( ; born Enrico Nicola Mancini, ; April 16, 1924 – June 14, 1994) was an American composer, conductor, arranger, pianist and flautist. Often cited as one of the greatest composers in the history of film, he won four Academy Award ...

* ''The Hawaiians'' (United Artists, 1970) * ''Symphonic Soul'' (RCA Victor, 1975) * ''The Jazz Sound from Peter Gunn'' (Fresh Sound, 1994) With

* ''The World of Harry Partch'' (Columbia, 1969) * ''Delusion of the Fury'' (Sony, 1999) * ''Harry Partch: A Portrait'' (New World, 2015) With Shorty Rogers * ''

Bossa Nova Bossa nova () is a style of samba developed in the late 1950s and early 1960s in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is mainly characterized by a "different beat" that altered the harmonies with the introduction of unconventional chords and an innovat ...

'' (Reprise, 1961) * '' Jazz Waltz'' (Reprise, 1962) * ''

The Fourth Dimension in Sound ''The Fourth Dimension in Sound'' (subtitled ''A Musical Experiment in the Adaptation of Instruments to Modern Electronics'') is an album by bandleader and arranger Shorty Rogers recorded in late 1961 and released on the Warner Bros. label.

'' (Warner Bros., 1962) * '' An Invisible Orchard'' (RCA, 1997) With

Lalo Schifrin Boris Claudio "Lalo" Schifrin (born June 21, 1932) is an Argentine-American pianist, composer, arranger and conductor. He is best known for his large body of film and TV scores since the 1950s, incorporating jazz and Latin American musical eleme ...

* '' More Mission: Impossible'' (1969), featured in a chimes solo on "Self-Destruct" * ''Gypsies'' (Tabu, 1978) * ''Rock Requiem'' (Verve, 1971) * ''Rush Hour 2'' (Varese Sarabande, 2001) * ''Rush Hour 3'' (Varese Sarabande, 2007) With Shadowfax * '' Shadowfax'' (Windham Hill, 1982) * '' Shadowdance'' (Windham Hill, 1983) * ''

Too Far to Whisper ''Too Far To Whisper'' is the fifth studio album by new-age group Shadowfax, the fourth and final for Windham Hill Records. Track listing # "Too Far To Whisper" (G. E. Stinson) – 4:36 # "What Goes Around" (Stinson) – 4:29 # "China Blue" (P ...

'' (Windham Hill, 1986) * '' Folksongs for a Nuclear Village'' (Capitol, 1988) * ''

Esperanto Esperanto ( or ) is the world's most widely spoken constructed international auxiliary language. Created by the Warsaw-based ophthalmologist L. L. Zamenhof in 1887, it was intended to be a universal second language for international communic ...

'' (EarthBeat!, 1992) With

* '' In the Night'' (Capitol, 1958) * '' Latin Lace'' (Capitol, 1958) * ''Shearing On Stage!'' (Capitol, 1959) * '' On the Sunny Side of the Strip'' (Capitol, 1960) * ''The Shearing Touch!'' (World Record Club, 1964) * ''Satin Affair'' (World Record Club, 1967) With

* ''Ring-a-Ding Ding!'' (Reprise, 1961) * ''

It Might as Well Be Swing ''It Might as Well Be Swing'' is a 1964 studio album by Frank Sinatra, accompanied by Count Basie and his orchestra. It was Sinatra's first studio recording arranged by Quincy Jones. The recording of "Fly Me to the Moon" which appears on this a ...

'' (Reprise, 1964) * ''Duets'' (Capitol, 1993) With

The Manhattan Transfer The Manhattan Transfer is a Grammy award–winning vocal group founded in 1969 that has explored a cappella, vocalese, swing, standards, Brazilian jazz, rhythm and blues, and pop music. There have been two editions of the Manhattan Transfer, ...

* ''

The Spirit of St. Louis The ''Spirit of St. Louis'' (formally the Ryan NYP, registration: N-X-211) is the custom-built, single-engine, single-seat, high-wing monoplane that was flown by Charles Lindbergh on May 20–21, 1927, on the first solo nonstop transatlanti ...

'' (Atlantic, 2000) With Singers Unlimited * ''Bossa Nova'' (Valiant, 1963) * ''Just in Time'' (Pausa, 1978) * ''Feelings'' (Universal, 2007) With

L. Subramaniam Lakshminarayana Subramaniam (born 23 July 1947) is an Indian violinist, composer and conductor, trained in the classical Carnatic music tradition and Western classical music. Early years Subramaniam was born in Madras, Madras Presidency, Brit ...

* ''Fantasy Without Limits'' (Trend, 1980) * ''Blossom'' (Crusaders, 1981) * ''Indian Express'' (Milestone, 1983) * ''Spanish Wave'' (Milestone, 1983) * ''Salaam Bombay!'' (DRG, 1988) With

* '' Lumpy Gravy'' (Verve, 1967) * '' Orchestral Favorites'' (Discreet, 1979) * '' Läther'' (Rykodisc, 1996) With Hans Zimmer * ''Broken Arrow'' (Milan, 1996) * ''The Thin Red Line'' (RCA Victor, 1999) * ''The Last Samurai'' (Elektra, 2003) With others * Francisco Aguabella, ''Dance the Latin Way'' (Fantasy, 1962) * Toshiko Akiyoshi & Lew Tabackin Big Band, ''March of the Tadpoles'' (RCA, 1977) * Laurindo Almeida, ''Virtuoso Guitar'' (Crystal Clear, 1977) *

Herb Alpert Herb Alpert (born March 31, 1935) is an American trumpeter who led the band Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass in the 1960s. During the same decade, he co-founded A&M Records with Jerry Moss. Alpert has recorded 28 albums that have landed on the ...

, ''Just You and Me'' (A&M, 1976) * Herb Alpert, ''

Rise Rise or RISE may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional entities * '' Rise: The Vieneo Province'', an internet-based virtual world * Rise FM, a fictional radio station in the video game ''Grand Theft Auto 3'' * Rise Kujikawa, a vide ...

'' (A&M, 1979) *

Paul Anka Paul Albert Anka (born July 30, 1941) is a Canadian-American singer, songwriter and actor. He is best known for his signature hit songs including " Diana", " Lonely Boy", " Put Your Head on My Shoulder", and "(You're) Having My Baby". Anka also ...

, ''Rock Swings'' (Verve, 2005) * Klaus Badelt, ''Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl'' (Walt Disney, 2003) * Klaus Badelt, ''Pirates of the Caribbean'' (Walt Disney, 2007) *

The Beach Boys The Beach Boys are an American rock band that formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Distinguished by the ...

, ''The Beach Boys with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra'' (Capitol, 2018) *

Bee Gees The Bee Gees were a musical group formed in 1958 by brothers Barry Gibb, Barry, Robin Gibb, Robin, and Maurice Gibb. The trio were especially successful in popular music in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and later as prominent performers in ...

, ''Saturday Night Fever'' (RSO, 1977) * Hal Blaine, ''Psychedelic Percussion'' (Dunhill, 1967) * Blondie, '' Autoamerican'' (Chrysalis, 1980) * Terence Boylan, ''Suzy'' (Asylum, 1980) * Brass Fever, ''Brass Fever'' (Impulse!, 1975) * Les Brown, ''The Explosive Sound of Les Brown and His Band of Renown Swingin' the Masters!'' (Columbia, 1963) *

Michael Bublé Michael Steven Bublé ( ; born September 9, 1975) is a Canadian singer. A four-time Grammy Award winner, he is often credited for helping to renew public interest and appreciation for traditional pop standards and the Great American Songboo ...

, ''

Call Me Irresponsible "Call Me Irresponsible" is a 1962 song composed by Jimmy Van Heusen with lyrics written by Sammy Cahn which won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1963. According to the Mel Tormé book ''The Other Side of the Rainbow with Judy Garland o ...

'' (Reprise Records, 2007) * Bobby Caldwell, ''Solid Ground'' (Polydor, 1991) * Vanessa Carlton, '' Be Not Nobody'' (A&M, 2002) * Les Crane, ''Desiderata'' (Warner Bros., 1971) *

Marshall Crenshaw Marshall Howard Crenshaw (born November 11, 1953) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and guitarist best known for hit songs such as "Someday, Someway," a US top 40 hit in 1982, "Cynical Girl," and "Whenever You're on My Mind." He is ...

, '' Jaggedland'' (429 Records, 2009) *

Dick Dale Richard Anthony Monsour (May 4, 1937 – March 16, 2019), known professionally as Dick Dale, was an American rock guitarist. He was a pioneer of surf music, drawing on Middle Eastern music scales and experimenting with reverb. Dale was known a ...

, '' Summer Surf'' (Capitol, 1964) * Bobby Darin, '' Venice Blue'' (Capitol, 1965) * Sammy Davis Jr. &

Count Basie William James "Count" Basie (; August 21, 1904 – April 26, 1984) was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. In 1935, he formed the Count Basie Orchestra, and in 1936 took them to Chicago for a long engagement and the ...

, ''Our Shining Hour'' (Jazz Heritage 1979) * Dion DiMucci, '' Born to Be with You'' (Collectables, 1975) *

Dolenz, Jones, Boyce & Hart Dolenz, Jones, Boyce & Hart was a supergroup, consisting of songwriting/performing duo Boyce and Hart and two members of the Monkees, Micky Dolenz and Davy Jones. Boyce and Hart had written many of the Monkees' biggest hits, such as "Last Train t ...

, ''Dolenz, Jones, Boyce & Hart'' (Capitol, 1976) * Joao Donato, ''A Bad Donato'' (Blue Thumb, 1970) *

Donovan Donovan Phillips Leitch (born 10 May 1946), known mononymously as Donovan, is a Scottish musician, songwriter, and record producer. He developed an eclectic and distinctive style that blended folk, jazz, pop, psychedelic rock and world mus ...

, '' Slow Down World'' (Epic, 1976) *

The Doors The Doors were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1965, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, guitarist Robby Krieger, and drummer John Densmore. They were among the most controversial and influential rock acts ...

, '' Other Voices'' (Elektra, 1971) *

Sam Cooke Samuel Cook (January 22, 1931 – December 11, 1964), known professionally as Sam Cooke, was an American singer and songwriter. Considered to be a pioneer and one of the most influential soul music, soul artists of all time, Cooke is common ...

, '' Ain't That Good News'' (RCA Victor, 1964) * Duane Eddy, ''Duane Eddy'' (Capitol, 1987) *

Danny Elfman Daniel Robert Elfman (born May 29, 1953) is an American film composer, singer and songwriter. He came to prominence as the singer-songwriter for the new wave band Oingo Boingo in the early 1980s. Since the 1990s, Elfman has garnered internation ...

, ''MIB2'' (Sony, 2012) * Danny Elfman, ''Epic'' (Sony, 2013) * David Essex, ''Be-Bop the Future'' (Mercury, 1981) * Mimi Farina &

Tom Jans Tom Jans (February 9, 1948 – March 25, 1984) was an American folk singer-songwriter and guitarist from San Jose, California. He is perhaps best known for his song "Loving Arms" (also known as "Lovin' Arms"), which was recorded initially by K ...

, ''Take Heart'' (A&M, 1971) * Victor Feldman, ''The Venezuela Joropo'' (Pacific Jazz 1967) * Jerry Fielding, ''Near East Brass'' (Command, 1967) *

Ella Fitzgerald Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April 25, 1917June 15, 1996) was an American jazz singer, sometimes referred to as the "First Lady of Song", "Queen of Jazz", and "Lady Ella". She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phrasing, timing, in ...

, ''

Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Harold Arlen Songbook ''Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Harold Arlen Song Book'' is a 1961 (see 1961 in music) album by the American jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald, with a studio orchestra conducted and arranged by Billy May. This album marked the only time that Fitzgerald w ...

'' (Verve, 2001) *

Dominic Frontiere Dominic Carmen Frontiere (June 17, 1931 – December 21, 2017) was an American composer, arranger, and jazz accordionist. He composed the theme and much of the music for the first season of the television series '' The Outer Limits'', as we ...

, ''On Any Sunday'' (Bell, 1971) * Ted Gärdestad, '' Blue Virgin Isles'' (Polar, 1978) *

Marvin Gaye Marvin Pentz Gay Jr., who also spelled his surname as Gaye (April 2, 1939 – April 1, 1984), was an American singer and songwriter. He helped to shape the sound of Motown in the 1960s, first as an in-house session player and later as a solo ar ...

, '' Let's Get It On'' (Tamla, 1973) *

Lowell George Lowell Thomas George (April 13, 1945 – June 29, 1979) was an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer, who was the primary guitarist, vocalist, songwriter and founder/leader for the rock band Little Feat. Ear ...

, ''Lightning-Rod Man'' (Bizarre, Straight 1993) *

Bob Gibson Robert Gibson (born Pack Robert Gibson; November 9, 1935October 2, 2020) was an American professional baseball pitcher who played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the St. Louis Cardinals (1959–1975). Nicknamed "Gibby" and "Hoot" ...

, ''Bob Gibson'' (Capitol, 1971) *

Dizzy Gillespie John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie (; October 21, 1917 – January 6, 1993) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, composer, educator and singer. He was a trumpet virtuoso and improviser, building on the virtuosic style of Roy Eldridge but a ...

, '' The New Continent'' (Limelight, 1965) *

Jackie Gleason John Herbert Gleason (February 26, 1916June 24, 1987) was an American actor, comedian, writer, composer, and conductor known affectionately as "The Great One." Developing a style and characters from growing up in Brooklyn, New York, he was know ...

, ''The Now Sound... for Today's Lovers'' (Capitol, 1968) *

Jerry Goldsmith Jerrald King Goldsmith (February 10, 1929July 21, 2004) was an American composer and conductor known for his work in film and television scoring. He composed scores for five films in the ''Star Trek'' franchise and three in the ''Rambo'' franc ...

, ''Along Came a Spider'' (Varese Sarabande, 2001) * Glen Gray, ''Sounds of the Great Bands!'' (Capitol, 1958) *

Kathe Green Kathe Jennifer Green (born September 22, 1944) is an American actress, model and singer. She is the daughter of composer and conductor Johnny Green and Bunny Waters. She has a younger sister, Kim Meglio. Career Born in Los Angeles, California, ...

, ''Kathe Green'' (Prodigal, 1976) * Josh Groban, '' Illuminations'' (Reprise, 2010) * Dave Grusin, ''Cinemagic'' (GRP, 1987) * Lani Hall, ''

Hello It's Me "Hello It's Me" is a song written by American musician Todd Rundgren. It was the first song he wrote, and was recorded by his group Nazz as a slow ballad, released as the B-side of the band's first single, "Open My Eyes", in 1968. A mid-tempo v ...

'' (A&M, 1974) * Cyril Havermans, ''Cyril'' (MGM, 1973) * Lee Hazlewood, ''Something Special'' (Light in the Attic, 2015) * Neal Hefti, ''Jazz Pops'' (Reprise, 1962) * Maurice Jarre, ''Gorillas in the Mist'' (MCA, 1988) * Pete Jolly, '' Seasons'' (A&M, 1970) *

Michael Kamen Michael Arnold Kamen (April 15, 1948 – November 18, 2003) was an American composer (especially of film scores), orchestral arranger, orchestral conductor, songwriter, and session musician. Biography Early life Michael Arnold Kamen was bor ...

, ''The Three Musketeers'' (Hollywood, 1993) * Michael Kamen, ''101 Dalmatians'' (Walt Disney, 1996) *

Barney Kessel Barney Kessel (October 17, 1923 – May 6, 2004) was an American jazz guitarist born in Muskogee, Oklahoma. Known in particular for his knowledge of chords and inversions and chord-based melodies, he was a member of many prominent jazz groups a ...

, ''Contemporary Latin Rhythms'' (Reprise, 1963) * John Klemmer, ''Touch'' (ABC, 1975) * Irene Kral, '' Wonderful Life'' (Mainstream, 1965) * Irene Kral, '' Kral Space'' (Catalyst, 1977) *

Diana Krall Diana Jean Krall (born November 16, 1964) is a Canadian jazz pianist and singer known for her contralto vocals. She has sold more than 15 million albums worldwide, including over six million in the US. On December 11, 2009, ''Billboard'' maga ...

, '' Christmas Songs'' (Verve, 2005) *

Queen Latifah Dana Elaine Owens (born March 18, 1970), known professionally as Queen Latifah, is an American rapper, actress, and singer. Born in Newark, New Jersey, she signed with Tommy Boy Records in 1989 and released her debut album ''All Hail the Que ...

, '' The Dana Owens Album'' (A&M, 2004) *

Peggy Lee Norma Deloris Egstrom (May 26, 1920 – January 21, 2002), known professionally as Peggy Lee, was an American jazz and popular music singer, songwriter, composer, and actress, over a career spanning seven decades. From her beginning as a vocalis ...

, '' Blues Cross Country'' (Capitol, 1962) * Peggy Lee, '' Sugar 'n' Spice'' (Capitol, 1962) *

Carly Simon Carly Elisabeth Simon (born June 25, 1943) is an American singer-songwriter, memoirist, and children's author. She rose to fame in the 1970s with a string of hit records; her 13 Top 40 U.S. hits include " Anticipation" (No. 13), " The Right Th ...

, ''

Playing Possum ''Playing Possum'' is the fifth studio album by American singer-songwriter Carly Simon, released by Elektra Records, on April 21, 1975. It was Simon's third consecutive album to reach the top 10 on the ''Billboard'' Pop albums chart, peaking a ...

'' (Elektra, 1975) *

Nils Lofgren Nils Hilmer Lofgren (born June 21, 1951) is an American rock musician, recording artist, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. Along with his work as a solo artist, he has been a member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band since 1984, a memb ...

, '' Cry Tough'' (A&M, 1976) * Harvey Mandel, ''Baby Batter'' (Janus, 1971) * Shelly Manne, ''Daktari'' (Atlantic, 1967) *

Hugh Masekela Hugh Ramapolo Masekela (4 April 1939 – 23 January 2018) was a South African trumpeter, flugelhornist, cornetist, singer and composer who was described as "the father of South African jazz". Masekela was known for his jazz compositions and for ...

, '' Hugh Masekela's Latest'' (Uni, 1967) * Dave Mason, '' Split Coconut'' (CBS, 1975) *

Lonette McKee Lonette Rita McKee (born July 22, 1954) is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Sister Williams in the original 1976 musical-drama film '' Sparkle''. McKee also had notable roles in such movies as '' The Cotton Club'', '' Jun ...

, ''Lonette'' (Sussex, 1974) * Carmen McRae, ''I Am Music'' (Blue Note, 1975) * Mike Melvoin, ''Keys to Your Mind'' (Liberty, 1966) * Sergio Mendes, ''Brasil '88'' (RCA, 2002) *

Bette Midler Bette Midler (;'' Inside the Actors Studio'', 2004 born December 1, 1945) is an American singer, actress, comedian and author. Throughout her career, which spans over five decades, Midler has received numerous accolades, including four Golden ...

, '' Bathhouse Betty'' (Warner Bros., 1998) *

Liza Minnelli Liza May Minnelli ( ; born March 12, 1946) is an American actress, singer, dancer, and choreographer. Known for her commanding stage presence and powerful alto singing voice, Minnelli is among a rare group of performers awarded an Emmy, Grammy ...

, '' Gently'' (Angel, 1996) *

Joni Mitchell Roberta Joan "Joni" Mitchell ( Anderson; born November 7, 1943) is a Canadian-American musician, producer, and painter. Among the most influential singer-songwriters to emerge from the 1960s folk music circuit, Mitchell became known for her st ...

, '' Mingus'' (Asylum, 1979) * Alphonse Mouzon, '' The Man Incognito'' (Blue Note, 1976) *

Maria Muldaur Maria Muldaur (born Maria Grazia Rosa Domenica D'Amato; September 12, 1942) is an American folk and blues singer who was part of the American folk music revival in the early 1960s. She recorded the 1973 hit song " Midnight at the Oasis" and has ...

, ''Waitress in a Donut Shop'' (Reprise, 1974) *

Gerry Mulligan Gerald Joseph Mulligan (April 6, 1927 – January 20, 1996), also known as Jeru, was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, composer and arranger. Though primarily known as one of the leading jazz baritone saxophonists—playing the instrum ...

, ''The Age of Steam'' (A&M, 1972) * Sammy Nestico, ''This Is the Moment'' (Fenwood Music, 2002) * Juice Newton, ''

Quiet Lies ''Quiet Lies'' is a 1982 album by American pop-country star Juice Newton. It reached #20 on the ''Billboard'' 200, her highest position on the chart, and included three major hits, " Love's Been a Little Bit Hard on Me", " Break It to Me Gently" ...

'' (Capitol, 1982) *

Harry Nilsson Harry Edward Nilsson III (June 15, 1941 – January 15, 1994), sometimes credited as Nilsson, was an American singer-songwriter who reached the peak of his commercial success in the early 1970s. His work is characterized by pioneering vocal ov ...

, '' Sandman'' (RCA Victor, 1976) * Jeffrey Osborne, '' Stay With Me Tonight'' (A&M, 1983) * Jimmy and Carol Owens, ''The Witness'' (Light, 1978) * Freda Payne, ''Payne and Pleasure'' (ABC, 1974) * Van Dyke Parks, '' Jump!'' (Warner Bros., 1984) * Stu Phillips, ''A Touch of Modern'' (MGM, 1956) *

Steve Porcaro Steven Maxwell Porcaro (born September 2, 1957) is an American keyboardist, songwriter, and film composer, known as one of the founding members of the rock band Toto and the last surviving Porcaro brother (after the deaths of Jeff in 1992 and M ...

, ''Metro'' (Walt Disney 1997) * Gregory Porter, ''Nat King Cole & Me'' (Blue Note, 2017) * John Powell, ''Mr. & Mrs. Smith'' (Recall 2005) * Don Preston, ''Vile Foamy Ectoplasm'' (Muffin, 1993) *

Helen Reddy Helen Maxine Reddy (25 October 194129 September 2020) was an Australian-American singer, actress, television host, and activist. Born in Melbourne to a showbusiness family, Reddy started her career as an entertainer at age four. She sang on rad ...

, '' Ear Candy'' (Capitol, 1977) * Howard Roberts, ''Jaunty-Jolly!'' (Capitol, 1967) *

Robbie Robertson Jaime Royal "Robbie" Robertson, OC (born July 5, 1943), is a Canadian musician. He is best known for his work as lead guitarist and songwriter for the Band, and for his career as a solo recording artist. With the deaths of Richard Manuel i ...

& Alex North, ''Carny'' (Warner Bros., 1980) *

Tommy Roe Thomas David "Tommy" Roe (born May 9, 1942) is a retired American rock and pop singer-songwriter. Best-remembered for his hits "Sheila" (1962) and " Dizzy" (1969), Roe was "widely perceived as one of the archetypal bubblegum artists of the late ...

, ''We Can Make Music'' (ABC, 1970) *

Linda Ronstadt Linda Maria Ronstadt (born July 15, 1946) is a retired American singer who performed and recorded in diverse genres including rock, country, light opera, the Great American Songbook, and Latin. She has earned 11 Grammy Awards, three American ...

, '' Winter Light'' (Elektra, 1993) * Willie Ruff, ''The Smooth Side of Ruff'' (Columbia, 1968) *

Buffy Sainte-Marie Buffy Sainte-Marie, (born Beverly Sainte-Marie, February 20, 1941) is an Indigenous Canadian-American (Piapot Cree Nation) singer-songwriter, musician, composer, visual artist, educator, pacifist, and social activist. While working in these ar ...

, ''Sweet America'' (ABC, 1976) * Mongo Santamaria, ''Afro Roots'' (Prestige, 1989) *

Diane Schuur Diane Joan Schuur (born December 10, 1953), nicknamed "Deedles", is an American jazz singer and pianist. As of 2015, Schuur had released 23 albums, and had extended her jazz repertoire to include essences of Latin, gospel, pop and country musi ...

, ''Music Is My Life'' (Atlantic, 1999) * Clifford Scott, ''Lavender Sax'' (World Pacific, 1964) * Tom Scott, ''The Honeysuckle Breeze'' (ABC Impulse!, 1967) * Tom Scott, ''Great Scott!'' (A&M, 1972) * Nancy Sinatra, '' Boots'' (Reprise, 1966) * Emitt Rhodes, '' The American Dreams'' (A&M, 1970) *

Ravi Shankar Ravi Shankar (; born Robindro Shaunkor Chowdhury, sometimes spelled as Rabindra Shankar Chowdhury; 7 April 1920 – 11 December 2012) was an Indian sitarist and composer. A sitar virtuoso, he became the world's best-known export of North In ...

, ''Charly'' (World Pacific, 1968) * Ravi Shankar, '' Shankar Family & Friends'' (Dark Horse, 1974) * Judee Sill, ''Heart Food'' (Asylum, 2006) * Joanie Sommers, ''The Voice of the Sixties!'' (Warner Bros., 1961) * Joanie Sommers, ''Softly, the Brazilian Sound'' (Warner Bros., 1964) *

Phil Spector Harvey Phillip Spector (born Harvey Philip Spector; December 26, 1939January 16, 2021) was an American record producer and songwriter, best known for his innovative recording practices and entrepreneurship in the 1960s, followed decades later by ...

, ''Back to Mono 1958–1969'' (Abkco, 1991) * Gabor Szabo, ''Wind, Sky and Diamonds'' (Impulse!, 1967) * Bob Thiele, Gabor Szabo & Tom Scott, ''Light My Fire'' (Impulse!, 1967) *

Vinx Vinx De'Jon Parrette (born 15 December 1957), known professionally as Vinx, is a percussionist, singer, songwriter, and former athlete. Biography Early life and career Vinx attended Kansas State University on a track scholarship. In 1977, he was ...

, ''Rooms in My Fatha's House'' (I.R.S., 1991) * Wendy Waldman, ''Wendy Waldman'' (Warner Bros., 1975) * Nancy Wilson, ''Guess Who I Saw Today'' (Capitol, 2005) *

Popcorn Wylie Popcorn (also called popped corn, popcorns or pop-corn) is a variety of corn kernel which expands and puffs up when heated; the same names also refer to the foodstuff produced by the expansion. A popcorn kernel's strong hull contains the see ...

, ''Extrasensory Perception'' (ABC, 1974) *

Daniel Valdez Daniel Valdez (born April 27, 1949) is an American actor, musician, composer, and activist. He is best known for his work as musical director of the films '' Zoot Suit'' (1981) and '' La Bamba'' (1987). Early life Daniel Valdez was born to Francis ...

, ''Mestizo'' (A&M, 1974) *

David Werner David B. Werner (born 26 August, 1934) is author of the book ''Donde No Hay Doctor'' (''Where There is No Doctor''), co-founder and co-director of HealthWrights (based in Palo Alto, California) and Adjunct Associate Professor at Boston University ...

, ''Imagination Quota'' (RCA Victor, 1975) * Gary Wright, ''Headin' Home'' (Warner Bros., 1979)

Bibliography

* * * * *

References

External links

Emil Richards Interview
NAMM Oral History Program (2006) {{DEFAULTSORT:Richards, Emil 1932 births 2019 deaths Musicians from Hartford, Connecticut Military personnel from Hartford, Connecticut University of Hartford Hartt School alumni American jazz drummers American jazz percussionists American jazz vibraphonists American session musicians Conga players Güiro players American marimbists Tambourine players Timbaleros Timpanists Xylophonists Impulse! Records artists Uni Records artists Batá drummers Djembe players Maracas players Bongo players Tabla players Tubular bells players Cimbalom players Snare drummers Bass drum players 20th-century American drummers American male drummers Jazz musicians from Connecticut 20th-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians Del-Fi Records artists