Vincent Richardson
Vincent's Bio
Born Vincent Richardson in a small Michigan town, Vincent spent his childhood in New Haven, Connecticut where he learned the power of music and its ability to connect to the hearts and minds of its listeners. Growing up the son of a preacher, in a family of singers, musicians, and music lovers, the young blossoming musician was exposed to a vast array of musical genres and quickly became fascinated by the greats: Bob Marley, Nina Simone, Marvin Gaye and Oscar Peterson and the classical giants: Chopin, Debussy and Beethoven.By thirteen, he had not only begun to explore his gift of transforming simple melodies into lyrical treasures, he had also learned to convert his passion and innate love for the piano into a means of artistic communication. He recalls, "The piano was one of my best friends. If I were angry I would play the piano. If I were sad, I would play the piano. When I needed to relax, I would play; it became an outlet for me." With a firm but loving push from his parents, Vincent, took every opportunity to showcase his talents. From church to school, local events to local malls, he eventually gained his first major musical performance with the legendary Pavarotti, in the celebrated opera Tosca.
By the age of 14, shortly after moving to Washington DC, Vincent studied under the world-renowned classical pianist, Dr. Raymond Jackson. Under his tutelage V.Rich would become a prized classical pianist, earning a full scholarship into the prestigious musical program at Carnegie Mellon University. He would go on to graduate Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Piano Performance from Howard University.
His fervor for music deepened in the eclectic musical hub that is Washington DC; known then as “Keys”, he founded a critically acclaimed hip-hop band Lauda and began playing keyboards and singing backup for major R&B recording artist, Amel Larrieux. The exposure gave him a greater desires to one day perform at the front of the stage. But he continued to add depth to his catalog and in 2005 he scored scenes in the BET made for TV movie "Multitude of Mercies". He began to gain momentum in the music industry and began working with a number of local and national artists including Navasha of the underground giant "Fertile Ground", Grammy - nominated performers Wayna and Raheem DeVaughn, and Grammy award winners Mya and Lauryn Hill.
The culmination of this diverse and eclectic musical journey is highlighted in his first self-contained solo EP project, "V.Rich - Songs from the album ‘Addicted’" released in 2009. On the edge of freshly defined tracks with the lyrical swagger of a virtuoso, this tunesmith and accomplished producer bares his seasoned soul. The beauty is not only in each chord and its progression but also in his ability to write, produce, arrange, record, and mix most of this EP at his own studio, Vibrato Studios. In 2010 Vincent released a mixtape entitled “Before the Addiction” which took on great momentum with backing from Jeannie Jones (WKYS 93.9) and Raheem DeVaughn.
Vincent has worked tirelessly in the studio writing, producing, and arranging songs for artists. He has penned songs with Grammy nominated artist Maysa, Grammy nominated artist Wayna, and billboard charting classical crossover group, Sons of Serendip. Vincent also is a writer on legendary hip hop artist Phife Dawg's (of A Tribe Called Quest) new single "Dear Dilla". Most recently Vincen V.Rich is currently in the studio working on his new album which is sure to spark a lot of attention.
Vincent has worked with and/or shared the staged with artists including: Ledisi, Maysa, Phife Dawg, Bilal, Chrisette Michele, Lauryn Hill, Amel Larrieux, EnVogue, Mya, Will Downing, Melanie Fiona, Raheem DeVaughn, Laura Izibor, Anthony David, Howard Hewitt, Goapele, Res, Martin Luther, Melba Moore, Eric Roberson, Tony Terry and Chuck Brown to name a few. As well as platinum selling producers Chucky Thompson (Grammy), Glen Mosley, and the Heatmakerz.