Singer Richard Marx performs in the next show in the Newport Beach Summer Concert Series

Sept. 14, 2017 4 PM PT

Pop singer Richard Marx knows what some of you are thinking.

The musician best known for such late-’80s ballads as “Right Here Waiting” and “Hold On to the Nights” can stir up nostalgic thoughts, both pleasant and painful, he says.

“People respond in an emotional way,” Marx said by phone. “It’s humbling and it’s mind-blowing.”

Marx, who will turn 54 on Sept.16, will be the featured star Sept. 22 at the Hyatt Regency Newport Beach’s annual Summer Concert Series, where he’ll perform songs from his nearly three-decade career that includes highlights like selling more than 30 million albums worldwide and achieving Billboard Top 5 single hits.

He also has written songs in Nashville for acts such as Jennifer Nettles, Vince Gill and Keith Urban. “Long Hot Summer,” performed by Urban, earned Marx a 14th chart topper.

Music always was a part of his life.

Marx, a Chicago native, spent his teen years singing jingles his father had written. His mother was a studio singer.

At 18, he moved to Hollywood after Lionel Richie heard a recording of his songs and suggested he head west. There, he learned everything he could about the music industry. He would spend years learning the studio system, performing in local clubs and providing background vocals.

Five years after his move, his debut album was released by EMI records and the first single, “Don’t Mean Nothing,” made it to No. 3 on the Billboard pop chart. It also earned him a Grammy nomination for Best Rock Vocal Performance.

Marx could boast nine hit singles by age 26.

After a string of successes, he launched into a second act as a songwriter and producer, with works including “To Where You Are,” the first hit single from Josh Groban’s debut album, and “This I Promise You” by boy-band ’NSync.

Marx would earn a 2004 Song of the Year Grammy Award for co-authoring the late Luther Vandross’ hit “Dance with My Father.”

In 2014, Marx released his eighth album, “Beautiful Goodbye,” featuring new material that included orchestral elements and tracks that were deliberately more sensual and adventurous, he says.

His hits and current material were all spotlighted during his recent Las Vegas residency at the Donny & Marie Showroom at Flamingo that ended Sept. 2.

His three sons all express musical interest and together, they have have performed songs in sold-out concerts, he says.

The best compliment I get is when people say, ‘I just feel like I hung out with you for a couple of hours.’

— Richard Marx, singer and songwriter

Marx says he and his family’s support of several different causes has remained important to him throughout his career.

He donated the royalties from his hit single “Should’ve Known Better” to build a room at the NYU Medical Center for pediatric cancer patients. He also has performed benefit concerts for the American Cancer Society, Make-A-Wish Foundation and the Special Olympics, among other organizations.

Since 2008, he has hosted an annual event in Chicago for the Ronald McDonald House Charities, along with an annual benefit concert for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, raising more than $4 million for research to cure the disease.

He says the upcoming Newport Beach concert is a way for him to connect with an audience in an intimate setting, where he can share anecdotes behind the hit song and meet fans who tell him how his songs remain meaningful in their lives.

“The best compliment I get is when people say, ‘I just feel like I hung out with you for a couple of hours,’ ” Marx says. “If I don’t connect to you with my personality or my sense of humor, I failed.”

The Hyatt’s four-month jazz festival that kicked off June 16 will continue to showcase a range of genres, including contemporary, acoustic and vocals.

Concertgoers will hear shows at the Hyatt’s Back Bay Amphitheater and may select drinks, appetizers and dinner from the hotel’s lounge and restaurant.

The remaining shows in the series are:

Sept. 29: Fourplay — Bob James, Nathan East, Chuck Loeb & Harvey Mason

Oct. 6: Jeffrey Osborne/ Mindi Abair & The Boneshakers

Oct. 13: An Evening with Chris Botti