Catherine Richardson is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and narrator from the

Chicago suburbs The Chicago metropolitan area, also referred to as Chicagoland, is the largest metropolitan statistical area in the U.S. state of Illinois, and the Midwest, containing the City of Chicago along with its surrounding suburbs and satellite cities. ...

in Illinois. She is the lead singer for the band

Jefferson Starship Jefferson Starship is an American rock band from San Francisco, California, formed in 1974 by a group of musicians including former members of Jefferson Airplane. Between 1974 and 1984, they released eight RIAA certification, gold or Music rec ...

Additional , December 3, 2011 and her own Cathy Richardson Band, and has performed the

Janis Joplin Janis Lyn Joplin (January 19, 1943 – October 4, 1970) was an American singer and songwriter. One of the most iconic and successful Rock music, rock performers of her era, she was noted for her powerful mezzo-soprano vocals and her "electric" ...

parts for Joplin's former band

Big Brother and the Holding Company Big Brother and the Holding Company are an American rock band that was formed in San Francisco in 1965 as part of the same psychedelic music scene that produced the Grateful Dead, Quicksilver Messenger Service, and Jefferson Airplane. After ...

Biography

Richardson grew up in west suburban

Burr Ridge, Illinois Burr Ridge (formerly Harvester) is a village in Cook and DuPage counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. Per the 2020 census, the population was 11,192. Geography Burr Ridge is located at (41.753030, -87.919998). According to the 2021 census ...

, and graduated from

Hinsdale Central High School Hinsdale Central High School, or HCHS (locally referred to as simply "Central") is a public four-year high school located at the corner of W. 55th St. and S. Grant St. in Hinsdale, Illinois, a western suburb of Chicago, Illinois. It is located ...

Hinsdale, Illinois Hinsdale is a village in DuPage County, Illinois, United States, with a small portion in Cook County, Illinois, Cook County. It is one of the wealthiest communities in Illinois. Hinsdale is a western suburb of Chicago with a population of 17,395 ...

. Before starting her music career, Richardson worked as an auto mechanic and as a cashier at her father's gas station. She started her music career full-time in 1990. She was introduced to

Jim Peterik James Michael Peterik ( ; born November 11, 1950) is an American musician and songwriter. He is best known as the founder of the rock band Survivor, as vocalist and guitarist in The Ides of March, and as co-writer of the anthem "Eye of the Tige ...

who mentored her and helped with her first two albums. She has also co-written songs with Peterik, and is a fairly frequent guest in his all-star World Stage concerts. Richardson guest starred as herself on Noggin's puppet series ''

Jack's Big Music Show ''Jack's Big Music Show'' is an American musical children's television series produced for the Noggin channel. It was created and executive produced by David Rudman, Todd Hannert, and Adam Rudman through their company Spiffy Pictures. The pre ...

'', and provided the voice of Jack's off-screen mother. In the show's pilot episode, she provided the voice of Mary, one of the main characters. The Cathy Richardson Band was voted Best Local Band in the ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is an American daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1847, it was formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper", a slogan from which its once integrated WGN (AM), WGN radio and ...

'' readers poll of 1999 and best in

WFLD WFLD (channel 32) is a television station in Chicago, Illinois, United States. It is owned and operated by the Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox network through its Fox Television Stations division alongside Gary, Indiana–licensed WPWR-TV (channe ...

's "Best & Worst of Chicago" viewer poll in November 2000. She portrayed

in the 2001 original

off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...

run of '' Love, Janis'' and much of the touring performances. She also sang Janis' vocal parts for

during many of their recent live shows. In 2004, Richardson and art director Bill Dolan were nominated for the

Grammy Award for Best Recording Package The Grammy Award for Best Recording Package is one of a series of Grammy Awards The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize out ...

for the Cathy Richardson Band album ''The Road to Bliss''. In 2008, Richardson became the new vocalist for San Francisco band

and appears on the 2008 release '' Jefferson's Tree of Liberty'' and as vocalist with

on PBS's 2011 ''60s Pop, Rock & Soul'' television show, performing "

White Rabbit The White Rabbit is a fictional and anthropomorphic character in Lewis Carroll's 1865 book ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland''. He appears at the very beginning of the book, in chapter one, wearing a waistcoat, and muttering "Oh dear! Oh dea ...

" and " Somebody to Love".

Discography

Studio albums

* ''Moon, Not Banana'' (1993) Jessica Records * ''Fools on a Tandem'' (1995) Jessica Records * ''Snake Camp'' (1998) Bloody Nurse Records * ''Buzzzed'' (2001) Bloody Nurse Records * ''The Road to Bliss'' (2003) Cash Rich Records * ''

Delusions of Grandeur Delusions of grandeur, also known as grandiose delusions (GDs) or expansive delusions, are a subtype of delusion characterized by the extraordinary belief that one is famous, omnipotent, wealthy, or otherwise very powerful or of a high status. ...

'' (2006) Cash Rich Records

Live album

* ''All Excess... Live @ The Park West'' (1996) Jessica Records

Compilation albums featuring tracks by Cathy Richardson

* ''Songs of Janis Joplin: Blues Down Deep'' (1997) House of Blues Records (song "Try Just a Little Bit Harder") * ''Jim Peterik and World Stage'' (2000) Jim Peterik and Cathy Richardson (songs "Diamonds For Stones" and "From Here To Hereafter") * ''Sweet Emotion: Songs of Aerosmith'' (2001) (song "Last Child") * ''Here Come the Irish'' (2003) Written by John Scully and Jim Tullio, vocals by Cathy Richardson (Cathy is featured on the song "Here Come the Irish") * ''Judgement Day, Songs of Robert Johnson'' (2004) (song "Preachin' Blues (Up Jumped the Devil)") * ''Folksongs of Illinois, Vol. 4'' (2011) (Cathy is featured on the

Woody Guthrie Woodrow Wilson Guthrie (; July 14, 1912 – October 3, 1967) was an American singer, songwriter, and composer widely considered to be one of the most significant figures in American folk music. His work focused on themes of American Left, A ...

song "Old Chy-Car-Go") * ''Jim Peterik and World Stage: Tigress - Women Who Rock the World'' (2021) (songs "Living for the Moment", "Full Moon Crazy", "The Best in Us", and "Sin to Believe a Lie") * ''Play On'' (2019) Ides of March and Cathy Richardson (song "Blue Storm Rising")

Download only single

* ''What I Am'' (2015) Chance Music (available through ITunes)

Side project albums and guest appearances

The Juleps

Cathy Richardson along with members of The Insiders * Kickbutt City, USA (1998)

Joel Hoekstra Joel Hoekstra (born December 13, 1970) is an American guitarist currently in the hard rock band Whitesnake. He also tours as a guitarist for Trans-Siberian Orchestra. The son of classical musicians, he started out playing cello and piano at a y ...

* ''Undefined'' (vocals on track "Spank Me") (2000)

Jefferson Starship Jefferson Starship is an American rock band from San Francisco, California, formed in 1974 by a group of musicians including former members of Jefferson Airplane. Between 1974 and 1984, they released eight RIAA certification, gold or Music rec ...

* '' Jefferson's Tree of Liberty'' (2008) * ''Air Play'' (2011) * ''

Mother of the Sun ''Mother of the Sun'' is the eleventh studio album by American rock band Jefferson Starship. It was released on August 22, 2020, through Golden Robot Records. Production This is the first album from the band to not include any contributions from ...

'' (2020)

Macrodots

* ''The Other Side'' (2010) * ''Macrodots Two'' (2015)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Richardson, Cathy Living people Singers from Illinois American women singers American actresses People from Burr Ridge, Illinois Place of birth missing (living people) Jefferson Starship members Big Brother and the Holding Company members 21st-century American women Year of birth missing (living people)