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. Each bar is an idiophone tuned to a pitch of a musical scale, whether pentatonic or heptatonic in the case of many African ...

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 is an American jazz pianist, composer, arranger, and bandleader. Akiyoshi received fourteen Grammy Award nominations and was the first woman to win Best Arranger and Composer awards in ''Down Beat'' magazine's annual Readers' Poll. In 1984, sh ...

. He cited

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

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 Double bass, upright bassist, composer, bandleader, pianist, and author. A major proponent of collective Musical improvisation, improvisation, he is considered one of ...

, Ed Shaughnessy, and Ed Thigpen while doing studio recordings for

Perry Como Pierino Ronald "Perry" Como (; May 18, 1912 – May 12, 2001) was an American singer, actor, and television personality. During a career spanning more than half a century, he recorded exclusively for RCA Victor for 44 years, from 1943 until 1987 ...

, the Ray Charles Singers, and

Mitchell Ayres Mitchell Ayres (December 24, 1909 – September 5, 1969) was an orchestra leader, music arranger, composer and performer. He is best known for his many years of work with Perry Como on radio, records, and television and as the musical condu ...

. For about three years, he was a member of a group led by

George Shearing Sir George Albert Shearing (13 August 191914 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 so ...

, 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 ...

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, singer and songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Sometimes called "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Culture ...

on tour and recorded with

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Honorific nicknames in popular music, Nicknamed the "Chairman of the Board" and "Ol' Blue Eyes", he is regarded as one of the Time 100: The Most I ...

Frank Zappa Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American guitarist, composer, and bandleader. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa composed Rock music, rock, Pop music, pop, jazz, jazz fusion, orchestra ...

Doris Day Doris Day (born Doris Mary Kappelhoff; April 3, 1922 – May 13, 2019) was an American actress and singer. She began her career as a big band singer in 1937, achieving commercial success in 1945 with two No. 1 recordings, "Sentimental Journey ...

Judy Garland Judy Garland (born Frances Ethel Gumm; June 10, 1922June 22, 1969) was an American actress and singer. Possessing a strong contralto voice, she was celebrated for her emotional depth and versatility across film, stage, and concert performance. ...

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 vocalists at Capitol Records, including ...

Steely Dan Steely Dan is an American rock band formed in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York, in 1971 by Walter Becker (guitars, bass, backing vocals) and Donald Fagen (keyboards, lead vocals). Originally having a traditional band lineup, Becker and Fagen cho ...

, and

Sarah Vaughan Sarah Lois Vaughan (, March 27, 1924 – April 3, 1990) was an American jazz singer and pianist. Nicknamed "Sassy" and "List of nicknames of jazz musicians, The Divine One", she won two Grammy Awards, including the Lifetime Achievement 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'' theme, and xylophone work for the opening theme of ''

The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening, James L. Brooks and Sam Simon for the Fox Broadcasting Company. It is a Satire (film and television), satirical depiction of American life ...

''. 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''. His mallet pupils included Morten Grønvad, Stan Levey and Bo Wagner. 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 instruments. 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 mari ...

and exotic, such as the angklung, bulbul tarang, chimta, flapamba, jal tarang,

janggu The ''janggu'' (, also transliterated as ''janggo'' or ''changgo'') or ''seyogo'' () is a drum often used in traditional Korean music. It consists of an hourglass-shaped body with two heads made from various types of leather. The two heads pr ...

, lujon,

mbira Mbira ( ; ) are a family of musical instruments, traditional to the Shona people of Zimbabwe. They consist of a wooden board (often fitted with a resonator) with attached staggered metal Tine (structural), tines, played by holding the instrument ...

, and

pakhavaj The ''pakhavaj'' is a barrel-shaped, two-headed drum, originating from the Indian subcontinent, kendang of Maritime Southeast Asia and other South Asian double-headed drums. Its older forms were made with clay. It is the percussion instrumen ...

. 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 used to characterize scales. The terms are also applied to musical instruments, intervals, chords, notes, musical styles, and kinds of harmony. They are very often used as a pair, es ...

ally tuned wood blocks and chromatically tuned bell plate.

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'' (Impulse!, 1968) * ''Spirit of 1976/Live at Donte's'' (Impulse!, 1969) * ''Wonderful World of Percussion'' (Interworld, 1994) * ''Luntana'' (Interworld, 1996) With The Surfmen * ''The Sounds of Exotic Island'' (Somerset, 1960) * ''Hawaii'' (Somerset, 1960)

As sideman

With

Louis Bellson Louie Bellson (born Luigi Paolino Alfredo Francesco Antonio Balassoni, July 6, 1924 – February 14, 2009), often seen in sources as Louis Bellson, although he himself preferred the spelling Louie, was an American jazz drummer. He was a composer ...

* ''Ecue (Ritmos Cubanos)'' (Pablo, 1978) * ''Prime Time'' (Concord Jazz, 1978) * ''Louie Bellson Jam'' (Pablo, 1979) With Alessi Brothers * ''Alessi'' (A&M, 1976) With Frank Capp * ''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

Rosemary Clooney Rosemary Clooney (May 23, 1928 – June 29, 2002) was an American singer and actress. She came to prominence in the early 1950s with the song "Come On-a My House", which was followed by other pop numbers such as "Botch-a-Me (Ba-Ba-Baciami Piccin ...

* ''

That Travelin' Two-Beat ''That Travelin' Two-Beat'' is a duet album by Bing Crosby and Rosemary Clooney recorded in 1964 and released on Capitol Records in 1965. With its world tour theme, it was a revisitation of the concept explored in the duo's acclaimed RCA Victo ...

'' (Capitol, 1965) With

Nat King Cole Nathaniel Adams Coles (March 17, 1919 – February 15, 1965), known professionally as Nat King Cole, alternatively billed as Nat "King" Cole, was an American singer, jazz pianist, and actor. Cole's career as a jazz and Traditional pop, pop ...

* '' Nat King Cole Sings/George Shearing Plays'' (Capitol, 1962) * ''

Let's Face the Music! ''Let's Face the Music!'' is a 1964 studio album by Nat King Cole, arranged by Billy May. It was recorded in November 1961, and released three years later. Reception The ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' review from February 29, 1964 comme ...

'' (Capitol, 1964) With

George Duke George Martin 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 ...

* ''I Love the Blues, She Heard My Cry'' (MPS, 1975) * ''Liberated Fantasies'' (MPS, 1976) * ''From Me to You'' (Epic, 1977) With

Michael Giacchino Michael Giacchino ( , ; born October 10, 1967) is an American film, television, and video game score composer. He has received many accolades for his work, including an Academy Award for ''Up (2009 film), Up'' (2009), an Emmy Award, Emmy for Lo ...

* ''The Incredibles (Walt Disney, 2004) * ''Ratatouille'' (Walt Disney, 2007) * ''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, team or thing that emerges to prominence in a situation, especially in a competition involving multiple rivals, that is unlikely to succeed but has a fighting chance, unlike the underdog who is exp ...

'' (Apple, 1974) * '' Thirty Three & 1/3'' (Dark Horse, 1976) * ''

'' (Dark Horse, 1979) With Paul Horn * '' Something Blue'' (HiFi Jazz, 1960) * '' The Sound of Paul Horn'' (Columbia, 1961) * '' Profile of a Jazz Musician'' (Columbia, 1962) * ''Impressions of Cleopatra'' (Columbia, 1963) * '' Jazz Suite on the Mass Texts'' (RCA, Victor, 1965) With

James Newton Howard James Newton Howard (born June 9, 1951) is an American film composer, orchestrator and music producer. 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. (March 14, 1933 – November 3, 2024) was an American record producer, composer, arranger, conductor, trumpeter, and bandleader. Over the course of his seven-decade career, he received List of awards and nominations re ...

* '' The Hot Rock OST'' (Prophesy, 1972) * ''Roots'' (A&M, 1977) * ''The Color Purple'' (Qwest, 1986) * ''Basie & Beyond'' (Qwest, 2000) With

Roger Kellaway Roger Kellaway (born November 1, 1939) is an American composer, arranger and jazz pianist who has recorded over 250 albums, and composed over 20 film scores Life and career Kellaway was born in Waban, Massachusetts, United States. He is an alum ...

* ''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 ...

* ''Artistry in Jazz'' (Capitol, 1972) * '' Stan Kenton Conducts the Los Angeles Neophonic Orchestra'' (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 (born Julie Peck; September 26, 1926 – October 18, 2000) was an American singer and actress whose career spanned more than 40 years. A torch song, torch singer noted for her contralto voice, 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 flutist. Often cited as one of the greatest composers in the history of film, he won four Academy Awards, ...

* ''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'' (Reprise, 1961) * '' Jazz Waltz'' (Reprise, 1962) * '' The Fourth Dimension in Sound'' (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 Music of Latin America, Lati ...

* '' More Mission: Impossible'' (Paramamount, 1969), featured in a chimes solo on "Self-Destruct" * ''Rock Requiem'' (Verve, 1971) * ''Gypsies'' (Tabu, 1978) * ''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'' (Windham Hill, 1986) * '' Folksongs for a Nuclear Village'' (Capitol, 1988) * ''

Esperanto Esperanto (, ) is the world's most widely spoken Constructed language, constructed international auxiliary language. Created by L. L. Zamenhof in 1887 to be 'the International Language' (), it is intended to be a universal second language for ...

'' (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! ''Ring-a-Ding-Ding!'' is the twentieth studio album by Frank Sinatra, released on May 7, 1961. It was the inaugural record on Sinatra's Reprise label and, as the initial concept was "an album without ballads", it consisted only of uptempo swi ...

'' (Reprise, 1961) * ''

Sinatra's Swingin' Session!!! ''Sinatra's Swingin' Session!!!'' is the nineteenth studio album by Frank Sinatra, released on January 3, 1961. Six of the tracks on the album are re-recordings of a batch of songs that Sinatra had previously recorded on the Columbia album, ...

'' (Capitol, 1961) * '' Sinatra Swings'' (Reprise, 1961) * '' Come Swing with Me!'' (Capitol, 1961) * '' Sinatra and Strings'' (Reprise, 1962) * ''

Point of No Return The point of no return (PNR or PONR) is the point beyond which one must continue on one's current course of action because turning back is no longer possible, being too dangerous, physically difficult, or prohibitively expensive to be undertaken. ...

'' (Capitol, 1962) * '' Sinatra and Swingin' Brass'' (Reprise, 1962) * '' The Concert Sinatra'' (Reprise, 1963) * '' It Might as Well Be Swing'' (Reprise, 1964) * '' Sinatra Sings Days of Wine and Roses, Moon River, and Other Academy Award Winners'' (Reprise, 1964) * '' Softly, as I Leave You'' (Reprise, 1964) * '' 12 Songs of Christmas'' (Reprise, 1964) * '' My Kind of Broadway'' (Reprise, 1965) * '' That's Life'' (Reprise, 1966) * '' Strangers in the Night'' (Reprise, 1966) * ''

Cycles Cycle, cycles, or cyclic may refer to: Anthropology and social sciences * Cyclic history, a theory of history * Cyclical theory, a theory of American political history associated with Arthur Schlesinger, Sr. * Social cycle, various cycles in ...

'' (Reprise, 1968) * ''

My Way "My Way" is Paul Anka's English-language lyrical adaptation of the French song " Comme d'habitude", released by Frank Sinatra in 1969. The original song was written by Jacques Revaux, Gilles Thibaut, and Claude François, and was first recor ...

'' (Reprise, 1968) * '' A Man Alone'' (Reprise, 1969) * '' Sinatra & Company'' (Reprise, 1971) * '' Ol' Blue Eyes Is Back'' (Reprise, 1973) * '' Some Nice Things I've Missed'' (Reprise, 1974) * '' She Shot Me Down'' (Reprise, 1981) * '' Duets'' (Capitol, 1993) With

The Manhattan Transfer The Manhattan Transfer was an American vocal group founded in 1969 in New York City, performing music genres like a cappella, Brazilian jazz, Swing music, swing, vocalese, rhythm and blues, Pop music, pop, and standards. They have won eleven G ...

* '' The Spirit of St. Louis'' (Atlantic, 2000) With L. Subramaniam * ''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 ''Orchestral Favorites'' is an album by Frank Zappa, released in May 1979 on his own DiscReet Records label. The album is entirely instrumental and features music performed by the 37-piece Abnuceals Emuukha Electric Symphony Orchestra. It reached ...

'' (Discreet, 1979) * ''

Läther ''Läther'' (, or "''Leather''") is the sixty-fifth official album by Frank Zappa. It was released posthumously as a three-CD set on Rykodisc in 1996. The album's title is derived from bits of comic dialog that link the songs. Zappa also explaine ...

'' (Rykodisc, 1996) With

Hans Zimmer Hans Florian Zimmer (; born 12 September 1957) is a German film score composer and music producer. He has won two Academy Awards, a BAFTA Award, five Grammy Awards, and has been nominated for three Primetime Emmy Awards, Emmy Awards and a Tony ...

* ''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) *

Lew Tabackin Lewis Barry Tabackin (born March 26, 1940) is an American jazz tenor saxophonist and flutist. He is married to pianist Toshiko Akiyoshi with whom he has co-led large ensembles since the 1970s. Biography Tabackin started learning flute at age 1 ...

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, pianist, singer, songwriter, record producer, arranger, conductor, painter, sculptor and theatre producer, who led the band Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass (sometimes called "Herb Alpe ...

, ''Just You and Me'' (A&M, 1976) * Herb Alpert, '' Rise'' (A&M, 1979) *

Paul Anka Paul Albert Anka (born July 30, 1941) is a Canadian and American singer, songwriter and actor. His songs include " Diana", “ You Are My Destiny", “Lonely Boy", " Put Your Head on My Shoulder", and " (You're) Having My Baby". Anka also wr ...

, ''

Rock Swings ''Rock Swings'' is an album by Paul Anka. Recorded in November 2004 and released on May 31, 2005, in Canada and June 7, 2005, in the United States, it contains swing jazz covers of popular rock and pop songs from the 1980s and 1990s. The idea ...

'' (Verve, 2005) * Attitudes, ''Good News'' (Dark Horse, 1977) * 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 music, rock band formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian Wilson, Brian, Dennis Wilson, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and their f ...

, ''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 was 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 Hal Blaine (born Harold Simon Belsky; February 5, 1929 – March 11, 2019) was an American drummer and session musician, thought to be among the most recorded studio drummers in the music industry, claiming over 35,000 sessions and 6,000 singles. ...

, ''Psychedelic Percussion'' (Dunhill, 1967) * Blondie, '' Autoamerican'' (Chrysalis, 1980) *

Pat Boone Patrick Charles Eugene Boone (born June 1, 1934) is an American singer, songwriter, actor, author, television personality, radio host and philanthropist. He sold nearly 50 million records, had 38 Top 40 hits, and has acted in many films. Boone ...

, ''Great! Great! Great!'' (Dot, 1961) *

Terence Boylan Terence Curtin Boylan (born 1946) is an American singer-songwriter. Brought up in Buffalo, New York, Terence Boylan first appeared on local radio in the late 1950s performing a song he had written at the age of 11. While still in his mid teens, ...

, ''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 and songwriter. Regarded as a pop icon, he is often credited for helping to renew public interest and appreciation for traditional pop standards and the Great American ...

, '' Call Me Irresponsible'' (Reprise Records, 2007) *

Bobby Caldwell Robert Hunter Caldwell (August 15, 1951 – March 14, 2023) was an American singer and songwriter. He released several albums spanning R&B, soul, jazz, and adult contemporary. He is known for his soulful and versatile vocals. Caldwell release ...

, ''Solid Ground'' (Polydor, 1991) * Vanessa Carlton, '' Be Not Nobody'' (A&M, 2002) *

Leonard Cohen Leonard Norman Cohen (September 21, 1934November 7, 2016) was a Canadian songwriter, singer, poet, and novelist. Themes commonly explored throughout his work include faith and mortality, isolation and depression, betrayal and redemption, soc ...

, '' Death of a Ladies' Man'' (Columbia, 1977) *

Sam Cooke Samuel Cooke (; January 22, 1931 – December 11, 1964) was an American singer and songwriter. Considered one of the most influential soul music, soul artists of all time, Cooke is commonly referred to as the "King of Soul" for his distin ...

, '' Ain't That Good News'' (RCA Victor, 1964) * 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 music, rock guitarist. He was a pioneer of surf music, drawing on Middle Eastern music scale (music), scales and experimenting wit ...

, '' Summer Surf'' (Capitol, 1964) *

Bobby Darin Bobby Darin (born Walden Robert Cassotto; May 14, 1936 – December 20, 1973) was an American singer, songwriter, and actor who performed Pop music, pop, Swing music, swing, Folk music, folk, rock and roll, and country music. Darin started ...

, '' Venice Blue'' (Capitol, 1965) * Bobby Darin, '' Bobby Darin Sings The Shadow of Your Smile'' (Atlantic, 1966) * 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 Dion Francis DiMucci (born July 18, 1939), better known Mononym, mononymously as Dion, is an American singer and songwriter. His music incorporates elements of doo-wop, Pop music, pop, Rock music, rock, Rhythm and blues, R&B, folk music, folk an ...

, '' Born to Be with You'' (Collectables, 1975) * Dolenz, Jones, Boyce & Hart, ''Dolenz, Jones, Boyce & Hart'' (Capitol, 1976) * João 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 emerged from the British folk scene in early 1965 and subsequently scored multiple international hit singles ...

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

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

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

Duane Eddy Duane Eddy (April 26, 1938 – April 30, 2024) was an American guitarist. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, he had a string of hit records produced by Lee Hazlewood which were noted for their characteristically "twangy" guitar sound, including ...

, ''Duane Eddy'' (Capitol, 1987) *

Danny Elfman Daniel Robert Elfman (born May 29, 1953) is an American film composer, singer, songwriter, and musician. He came to prominence as the lead vocalist and primary songwriter for the new wave band Oingo Boingo in the early 1980s. Since scoring his ...

, ''MIB2'' (Sony, 2012) * Danny Elfman, ''Epic'' (Sony, 2013) *

David Essex David Essex (born David Albert Cook; 23 July 1947) is an English singer-songwriter and actor. From 1973 to 1994, he attained 19 Top 40 singles in the UK (including two number ones) and 16 Top 40 albums. Internationally, Essex had the most suc ...

, ''Be-Bop the Future'' (Mercury, 1981) * Mimi Fariña &

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 Kr ...

, ''Take Heart'' (A&M, 1971) * Victor Feldman, ''The Venezuela Joropo'' (Pacific Jazz, 1967) *

Jerry Fielding Jerry Fielding (born Joshua Itzhak Feldman; June 17, 1922 – February 17, 1980)Redman, Nick"Fielding, Jerry" Jackson, Kenneth T.; Markoe, Karen E.; Markoe, Arnold (1995). ''Dictionary of American Biography; Supplement 10: 1976–1980''. New Yor ...

, ''Near East Brass'' (Command, 1967) *

Ella Fitzgerald Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April25, 1917June15, 1996) was an American singer, songwriter and composer, 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, phra ...

, ''

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 ...

'' (Verve, 1961) *

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 w ...

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

Marvin Gaye Marvin Pentz Gaye Jr. (; April 2, 1939 – April 1, 1984) was an American Rhythm and blues, R&B and soul singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. He helped shape the sound of Motown in the 1960s, first as an in-house session player an ...

, '' Let's Get It On'' (Tamla, 1973) * Lowell George, ''Lightning-Rod Man'' (Bizarre, 1993) *

Bob Gibson Robert Gibson (November 9, 1935October 2, 2020), nicknamed "Gibby" and "Hoot", was an American baseball pitcher in Major League Baseball who played his entire career for the St. Louis Cardinals from 1959 to 1975. Known for his fiercely competi ...

, ''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 improvisation, improviser, building on the virtuosic style of Roy El ...

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

Jackie Gleason Herbert John Gleason (born Herbert Walton Gleason Jr.; February 26, 1916June 24, 1987), known as Jackie Gleason, was an American comedian, actor, writer, and composer also known as "The Great One". He developed a style and characters from growin ...

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

Jerry Goldsmith Jerrald King Goldsmith (February 10, 1929July 21, 2004) was an American composer, conductor and orchestrator with a career in film and television scoring that spanned nearly 50 years and over 200 productions, between 1954 and 2003. He was consid ...

, ''Along Came a Spider'' (Varese Sarabande, 2001) *

Glen Gray Glenn Gray Knoblauch (June 7, 1900 – August 23, 1963), known professionally as Glen Gray, was an American jazz saxophonist and leader of the Casa Loma Orchestra.'' The Mississippi Rag'', "Glen Gray and the Casa Loma Orchestra," George A. ...

, ''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. Early years Born in Los Angeles, Ca ...

, ''Kathe Green'' (Prodigal, 1976) *

Josh Groban Joshua Winslow Groban (born February 27, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. His first four solo albums have been certified multi-platinum, and he was charted in 2007 as the number-one best selling artist in the United States, ...

, '' Illuminations'' (Reprise, 2010) *

Dave Grusin Robert David Grusin (born June 26, 1934) is an American composer, arranger, producer, jazz pianist, and band leader. He has composed many scores for feature films and television and has won numerous awards for his soundtrack and record work, incl ...

, ''Cinemagic'' (GRP, 1987) *

Lani Hall Lani Hall (born November 6, 1945) is an American singer. From 1966 to 1971, she performed as lead vocalist for Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66, Sérgio Mendes & Brasil '66. In 1972, Hall released her first solo album, ''Sun Down Lady''. She may be be ...

, '' Hello It's Me'' (A&M, 1974) * Cyril Havermans, ''

Cyril Cyril (also Cyrillus or Cyryl) is a masculine given name. It is derived from the Greek language, Greek name (''Kýrillos''), meaning 'lordly, masterful', which in turn derives from Greek (''kýrios'') 'lord'. There are various variant forms of t ...

'' (MGM, 1973) *

Lee Hazlewood Barton Lee Hazlewood (July 9, 1929 – August 4, 2007) was an American country and pop singer, songwriter, and record producer, most widely known for his work with guitarist Duane Eddy during the late 1950s and singer Nancy Sinatra in the 1960s ...

, ''Something Special'' (Light in the Attic, 2015) * Neal Hefti, ''Jazz Pops'' (Reprise, 1962) *

Jermaine Jackson Jermaine LaJuane Jacksun (né Jackson; born December 11, 1954) is an American singer, songwriter and bassist. He is known for being a member of the Jackson family. From 1964 to 1975, Jermaine was second vocalist after his brother Michael of the ...

, '' Let's Get Serious'' (Motown, 1980) * Maurice Jarre, ''Gorillas in the Mist'' (MCA, 1988) *

Pete Jolly Pete Jolly (born Peter A. Ceragioli Jr., June 5, 1932 – November 6, 2004) was a two-time Grammy Awards, Grammy-nominated American West Coast jazz pianist and accordionist. He is known for his performance of television theme song, themes and ...

, ''

Seasons A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's axial tilt, tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperat ...

'' (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, record producer and musician. Early life Michael Arnold Kamen was born in ...

, ''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. Known in particular for his knowledge of chords and inversions and chord-based melodies, he was a member of many prominent jazz groups as well as a "first call" gu ...

, ''Contemporary Latin Rhythms'' (Reprise, 1963) * Jean King, ''Sings for the In-Crowd'' (Hanna-Barbera, 1966) * John Klemmer, ''Touch'' (ABC, 1975) *

Irene Kral Irene Kral (January 18, 1932 – August 15, 1978) was an American jazz singer. Life She was born to Czechoslovak parents in Chicago and settled in Los Angeles, California, in the early 1960s. She died from breast cancer in Encino, Los Angeles. ...

, '' 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 (magazi ...

, ''

Christmas Songs Christmas music comprises a variety of genres of music regularly performed or heard around the Christmas season. Music associated with Christmas may be purely instrumental, or in the case of carols, may employ lyrics about the nativity of J ...

'' (Verve, 2005) *

Queen Latifah Dana Elaine Owens (born March 18, 1970), known professionally by her stage name Queen Latifah, is an American rapper, singer, and actress. She has received various accolades, including a Grammy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, a Golden Globe ...

, '' 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, and actress whose career spanned seven decades. From her beginning as a vocalist on local r ...

, '' Blues Cross Country'' (Capitol, 1962) * Peggy Lee, '' Sugar 'n' Spice'' (Capitol, 1962) * Peggy Lee, '' Make It with You'' (Capitol, 1970) *

Carly Simon Carly Elisabeth Simon (born June 25, 1943) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and author. She rose to fame in the 1970s with a string of hit records; her 13 Billboard Hot 100, top 40 U.S. hits include "Anticipation (song), Anticipatio ...

, ''

Playing Possum ''Playing Possum'' is the fifth studio album by American singer-songwriter Carly Simon, released by Elektra Records, on April 16, 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, ''Cry Tough (Nils Lofgren album), Cry Tough'' (A&M, 1976) * Harvey Mandel, ''Baby Batter'' (Janus, 1971) * Shelly Manne, ''Daktari'' (Atlantic, 1967) * Hugh Masekela, ''Hugh Masekela's Latest'' (Uni, 1967) * Dave Mason, ''Split Coconut'' (CBS, 1975) * Lonette McKee, ''Lonette'' (Sussex, 1974) * Carmen McRae, ''I Am Music'' (Blue Note, 1975) * Mike Melvoin, ''Keys to Your Mind'' (Liberty, 1966) * Sérgio Mendes, ''Brasil '88'' (Elektra, 1978) * Bette Midler, ''Bathhouse Betty'' (Warner Bros., 1998) * Liza Minnelli, ''Gently (album), Gently'' (Angel, 1996) * Joni Mitchell, ''Mingus (Joni Mitchell album), Mingus'' (Asylum, 1979) * The Monkees, ''The Monkees Present'' (Colgems, 1969) * The Monkees, ''Instant Replay (The Monkees album), Instant Replay'' (Colgems, 1969) * Hugo Montenegro, ''Process 70'' (Time, 1962) * Chris Morris (author), Chris Morris, ''Christopher Morris Band'' (MCA, 1977) * Alphonse Mouzon, ''The Man Incognito'' (Blue Note, 1976) * Maria Muldaur, ''Waitress in a Donut Shop'' (Reprise, 1974) * Gerry Mulligan, ''The Age of Steam'' (A&M, 1972) * Sammy Nestico, ''This Is the Moment'' (Fenwood Music, 2002) * Juice Newton, ''Quiet Lies'' (Capitol, 1982) * Harry Nilsson, ''Sandman (album), Sandman'' (RCA Victor, 1976) * Jeffrey Osborne, ''Stay With Me Tonight (album), Stay With Me Tonight'' (A&M, 1983) * Jimmy and Carol Owens, ''The Witness'' (Light, 1978) * Freda Payne, ''Payne & Pleasure'' (ABC, 1974) * Van Dyke Parks, ''Jump! (album), Jump!'' (Warner Bros., 1984) * Stu Phillips (composer), Stu Phillips, ''A Touch of Modern'' (MGM, 1956) * Steve Porcaro, ''Metro'' (Walt Disney, 1997) * Gregory Porter, ''Nat King Cole & Me'' (Blue Note, 2017) * John Powell (film composer), John Powell, ''Mr. & Mrs. Smith'' (Recall, 2005) * Don Preston, ''Vile Foamy Ectoplasm'' (Muffin, 1993) * Joshua Radin, ''Underwater'' (Mom + Pop, 2012) * Helen Reddy, ''Ear Candy (Helen Reddy album), Ear Candy'' (Capitol, 1977) * Emitt Rhodes, ''The American Dream (Emitt Rhodes album), The American Dream'' (A&M, 1970) * Howard Roberts, ''Jaunty-Jolly!'' (Capitol, 1967) * Robbie Robertson & Alex North, ''Carny'' (Warner Bros., 1980) * Tommy Roe, ''We Can Make Music'' (ABC, 1970) * Linda Ronstadt, ''Winter Light (Linda Ronstadt album), Winter Light'' (Elektra, 1993) * Willie Ruff, ''The Smooth Side of Ruff'' (Columbia, 1968) * Buffy Sainte-Marie, ''Sweet America'' (ABC, 1976) * Mongo Santamaría, ''Afro Roots'' (Prestige, 1989) * Diane Schuur, ''Music Is My Life'' (Atlantic, 1999) * Clifford Scott (musician), Clifford Scott, ''Lavender Sax'' (World Pacific, 1964) * Tom Scott (saxophonist), Tom Scott, ''The Honeysuckle Breeze'' (Impulse!, 1967) * Tom Scott, ''Great Scott!'' (A&M, 1972) * Ravi Shankar, ''Charly'' (World Pacific, 1968) * Ravi Shankar, ''Shankar Family & Friends'' (Dark Horse, 1974) * Judee Sill, ''Heart Food'' (Asylum, 1973) * Nancy Sinatra, ''Boots (album), Boots'' (Reprise, 1966) * The Singers Unlimited, ''Just in Time'' (Pausa, 1978) * Joanie Sommers, ''The Voice of the Sixties!'' (Warner Bros., 1961) * Joanie Sommers, ''Softly, the Brazilian Sound'' (Warner Bros., 1964) * Phil Spector, ''Back to Mono 1958–1969'' (Abkco, 1991) * The Surfers, ''Tahiti'' (HiFi, 1960) * Gábor Szabó, ''Wind, Sky and Diamonds'' (Impulse!, 1967) * Bob Thiele, Gábor Szabó & Tom Scott, ''Light My Fire'' (Impulse!, 1967) * Mel Tormé, ''Comin' Home Baby!'' (Atlantic, 1962) * Vinx, ''Rooms in My Fatha's House'' (I.R.S., 1991) * Wendy Waldman, ''Wendy Waldman'' (Warner Bros., 1975) * Mary Wilson (singer), Mary Wilson, ''Mary Wilson (album), Mary Wilson'' (Motown, 1979) * Nancy Wilson (jazz singer), Nancy Wilson, ''Guess Who I Saw Today'' (Capitol, 2005) * Richard "Popcorn" Wylie, ''Extrasensory Perception'' (ABC, 1974) * Daniel Valdez, ''Mestizo'' (A&M, 1974) * David Werner (musician), David Werner, ''Imagination Quota'' (RCA Victor, 1975) * Gary Wright, ''Headin' Home'' (Warner Bros., 1979)

Bibliography

* Richards, Emil (1972). ''World of percussion; a catalog of 300 standard, ethnic, and special musical instruments and effects''. Gwyn Pub. Co. * * * * *

References

External links

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