Richard Rudolph, born on October 27, 1946, is an accomplished American songwriter, musician, music publisher, and producer. He began his career in the music industry as a songwriter at Chicago's Chess Records in 1969, where he co-wrote the title song for Minnie Riperton's debut solo album, "Come to My Garden." This collaboration marked the beginning of a fruitful partnership with producer Charles Stepney.

Rudolph's career as a record producer took off when he teamed up with Stevie Wonder to produce Minnie Riperton's successful album "Perfect Angel," which featured the globally acclaimed song "Lovin' You," co-written by Rudolph and Riperton. Over his extensive career, Rudolph has written over two hundred songs and worked with a wide array of artists, including Stevie Wonder, Teena Marie, The Manhattan Transfer, and many others.

In addition to his music production, Rudolph has contributed to several feature films as a music supervisor and executive music producer, including projects like "Cocoon," "Running Scared," and "The Black Dahlia." He also co-founded Third Stone/Atlantic Records with actor/producer Michael Douglas.

Rudolph was married to Minnie Riperton from 1972 until her passing in 1979, and they had two children, Marc and Maya Rudolph, the latter of whom became a well-known actress. He is currently married to designer Kimiko Kasai and resides in Santa Monica and Tokyo, Japan. Throughout his career, Rudolph has significantly impacted the music industry, with his work contributing to the sale of over 30 million albums worldwide.