Inducted October 27, 2019, Musician, Producer, Arranger, Songwriter Richie Zito’s career began at 15 years old, when Gerry Wexler signed him to Atlantic Records. In 1973, Richie moved to L.A. and soon attained success as a prolific Session Musician, recording with artists including Elton John, Ringo Starr, Tina Turner, The Beach Boys, Rick James, Donna Summer, Barbara Streisand, Lionel Richie and Giorgio Moroder.
In 1980 Richie became a member of Elton John’s Band. They recorded 3 albums and toured the world culminating in a Concert at Central Park for 450,000 people.
Richie played guitar on the notable motion picture soundtracks for Scarface , Top Gun American Gigolo, Flashdance, Beverly Hills Cop, and Streets of Fire.
Richie continued his career by Producing records for Eddie Money & Ronnie Spector, Joe Cocker, The Cult, Cher, Alice Cooper, Little Richard, Poison, Heart a #1 for Cheap Trick, and a # 1 for Bad English to name a few.
In 1990 Richie was honored with Billboard’s Producer of the Year Award.
As a songwriter, Richie Zito wrote songs for Diana Ross, Roger Daltrey, and Graham Nash.