Dick Richmond spent most of his 38 years at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch involved in the entertainment field as a reviewer, feature writer, columnist and editor. He was there at the beginning of Contemporary Productions and was commissioned by Steve Schankman to write this book because of his familiarity with the company.

Richmond is the co-author or editor of "Treasure Under Your Feet," "In the Wake of the Golden Galleons," "Diabetes: The Facts That Let You Regain Control of Your Life," " The Male Homemaker's Handbook: Or Never Kiss a Kid Who's Just Eaten a Toad" and "You Can Be Rich by Thursday: The Secrets of Making a Fortune in Multi-Level Marketing."

Steve Schankman co-founded Contemporary Productions in 1968 as a local and regional booking agency for bands. Contemporary emerged as one of the nation's top producers of entertainment, corporate marketing programs and special events.

Steve served as chairman of the Saint Louis Zoological Commission from 2000-2007. Under his leadership, the Zoo completed a $70 million capital campaign. His financial contributions to the Zoo include a $1 million donation to create the Steven F. Schankman Family Plaza which houses the Animals Always sculpture designed by internationally acclaimed artist Albert Paley.

Steve serves on several boards including the Boy Scouts of America, Variety Club, Commerce Bank and University of Missouri St. Louis Chancellor's Council. He is a strong supporter of the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra having served 14 years on its board. He also donated the Schankman Pavilion for the orchestra's outdoor performances.

Steve resides in his hometown of St. Louis with his wife, Andi. He has two grown sons and a grandson. Performing music has always been his avocation and after 40 years, his vocation is still the business of music.