Dick Marx


Richard Henry "Dick" Marx was an American jazz pianist and arranger. He also composed for film, television, and commercials.

Personal life

Marx married Ruth Marx and had a son, Richard Marx, pop singer, songwriter, and record producer. Marx also had two daughters, Nancy and Judy, and a son, Jim, from a previous marriage.

Career

Marx played piano in childhood. He got his professional start playing in nightclubs in Chicago. In the 1950s, he accompanied singer Helen Merrill and released several albums.
Beginning in the 1960s, he spent three decades in advertising, writing commercial jingles for Dial soap, Kellogg's Raisin Bran cereal, Ken-L Ration dog food, and Wrigley's Doublemint gum. His son Richard and wife Ruth sang on some of the commercials. In the 1980s he moved to Los Angeles and composed music for the films A League of Their Own and Edwards and Hunt and the television program Fudge. He died in Highland Park, Illinois, from injuries caused by a car accident in Las Vegas.

Discography

As leader

With Johnny Frigo
With Eddie Harris
With Helen Merrill
With Ken Nordine
With others