RICHE RICH

RICHARD'S. BIO:
WELL HERE IT IS AND, IT IS WHAT IT IS
BITTEN BY THE ENTERTAINMENT BUG AT THE EARLY AGE OF 3.RICHARD CAREY FIGUEROA, BORN ON THE EAST COAST AND RAISED ON BOTH COASTS, VIA NEW YORK CITY'S LOWER EAST SIDE MANHATTAN AND HOLLYWOOD & POMONA, CALIFORNIA. TO A PUERTO RICAN FATHER AND AFRO-AMERICAN MOTHER.
RICHARD WHO IS ALSO AN ASCAP MEMBER, ENTERTAINER/SONGWRITER & PRODUCER.HAS BEEN IN THIS THING WE CALL MUSIC FOR A WHILE NOW AND WILL BE, UNTIL HE IS DEAD AND GONETHAT IS HOW MUCH HE LOVES IT! THE VERY FIRST INSTRUMENT HE EVER PLAYED WAS HIS SMOOTH SOFT VOICE, WHILE IN HIS GRAND MOTHERS BAPTIST CHURCH [MARINERS TEMPLE] IN MANHATTANS LOWER EAST SIDE, HE WANTED TO AND EARNED A PLACE IN EVERY CHOIR THE CHURCH HAD FROM THE KIDS CHOIR TO THE YOUTH CHOIR AND EVEN SAT IN ON THE MASS CHOIRS PERFORMANCES WITH HIS GRAND MOTHER. HE QUICKLY LEARNED AND PLAYED CLASSICAL VIOLIN WHILE ATTENDING GRAMMAR AND JR HIGH SCHOOL.
FORMERLY A LEAD VOCALIST FOR ONE OF THE TOP SHOW BANDS [ U-NEEK FLAVU'R ] IN CHARLOTTE, NC. ALSO FORMER LEAD VOCALIST/SONGWRITER FOR WELL KNOWN N.C. BASED JAM BAND: "BLAKRAYN". HE HAS A WEALTH OF PERFORMING EXPERIENCE UNDER HIS BELTFROM TOURS TO JAPAN, TO OPENING UP FOR NATIONAL ACTS, WITH HIS FORMER GROUP F/X FEATURING JONATHAN C. KING, RICH HAS OPENED UP FOR THE LEAD SINGER OF "TOTO [BOBBY KIMBALL]", AND RAP ARTIST, "RED HEAD KING PIN AND THE FBI CREW".ALSO PUT IN VOCAL STUDIO WORK WITH GORDON BANKS: THE FORMER MUSIC DIRECTOR/BROTHER IN-LAW FOR MOTOWN LEGEND MARVIN GAYE.
VOCAL RECORDED PERFORMANCES INCLUDE: BILLBOARD 1 TOP SELLING [ CONTEMPARY JAZZ ALBUM "NEXT EXIT" by -- LEGENDARY PLATINUM SELLING SMOOTH JAZZ SAXOPHONE PLAYER "GROVER WASHINGTON JR." ALONG WITH "LALAH HATHAWAY" ON GROVERS "NEXT EXIT". SONG TITLES INCLUDE [ "LOVE LIKE THIS" WITH LALAH AND "TAKE ANOTHER FIVE" A RE-MAKE OF THE DAVE BRUBECK QUARTET'S CLASSIC JAZZ PIECE BACK IN 1959. Composed by Paul Desmond ] "NEXT EXIT" Released in '1992' IS AVAIL ON "SONY/COLUMBIA RECORDS" ALSO HE CAN BE HEARD ON MANY OF GROVERS POST HUMOUS RELEASES SUCH AS "PRIME CUTS" The Greatest Hits 1987-1999" Released in '1999' & "JAZZ MOODS: COOL"
Released in '2004']. APPEARING ALONG WITH THE PAIR ON "THE ARSENIO HALL SHOW"WITH CLAUDE WOODS AND HIS FORMER GROUP CALLED "FOUREVER" WHILE SIGNED TO MOJAZZ/MOTOWN RECORDS. RICHARD HAS ALSO LOANED HIS BACKING VOCALS TO A&M RECORDING FOLK ARTIST "WENDY MAHARRY" AND COUNT-LESS LIVE PERFORMANCES THRU-OUT THE LOS ANGELES AREA WITH PERCUSSIONIST "COKE ESCOVEDO" OF THE BAY AREA "ESCOVEDO BROTHERS"SONGWRITING CREDITS ON THE NOW DEFUNCT R&B GROUP "N.A.I.S." FOR SCOTTI BROTHERS RECORDS IN 1995.HE HAS DONE STUDIO WORK WITH PRODUCER "ANDRE CYMONE" [FORMER BASS PLAYER FOR PRINCE] VIA A PRODUCTION DEAL. RICHE'RICH HAS ALSO DONE DEMO WORK WITH THE L.A. BASED PRODUCTION TEAM [SUMTHIN' FOR THE PEOPLE] NOW KNOWN AS "THE BEAT DETECTIVES". [WHO WERE ONE OF BRANDYS FIRST PRODUCERS] AS WELL AS "THE DUST BROTHERS" WHO HAS WORKED WITH THE BEASTIE BOYS AND BECK. RICHARD HAS ALSO DONE STUDIO DEMO WORK FOR DISNEY WITH L.A. BASED SESSION KEYBOARD PLAYER/PRODUCER "ALEX ALESSANDRONI" [WHO HAS TOURED WITH BOBBY BROWN, CHRISTINA AGUILERA AND BABYFACE]. AND AS RECENTLY AS SPRING 2005 OPENED UP FOR "BOYZ II MEN" AT THE NASCAR EVENT SPEED STREETWITH THE BAND "U-NEEK FLAVU'R" RICHARD CONTINUES TO RECORD & PERFORM THRU-OUT THE USA.
IN 2007 RICHARD'S SMOOTH VOICE CAN BE HEARD ON THE NEW CD OF JAZZ SAX PLAYER "J. DEE" ON THE CD EN-TITLED "TIPPIN' ON THE EDGE OF FUNK" SONG TITLED "LOVE'S GONNA GETCHA" ON NU-GROOVE RECORDS.
2007' HE SAT IN WITH THE ACID JAZZ FUNK BAND CALLED "AUDIOFORM".
CURRENTLY RICH IS BACK IN FULL EFFECT WITH "THE CHAIRMEN OF THE BOARD" DOING SHOWS ALL UP AND DOWN THE SOUTH EAST AND LOVING EVERY MOMENT.