Richard Lloyd (born October 25, 1951) is an American guitarist and songwriter, best known as a founding member of the rock band Television.

Lloyd frequently attended Hendrix's shows, as well as those of other well-known acts such as Led Zeppelin, The Who, The Jeff Beck Group with Rod Stewart, The Allman Brothers Band, and the Grateful Dead.

He chose the latter, which led to his deep friendship with another guitarist named Al Anderson, who went on to be one of a couple of Americans to play in Bob Marley's touring band, The Wailers, along with Donald Kinsey.

By this time Lloyd had already met and knew Jimi Hendrix, Buddy Guy, and members of Led Zeppelin, and could be frequently found backstage conversing with his heroes.

After living in Boston for a period of time, Lloyd moved back to New York, but desired to visit other centers of musical culture.

He spent the next two years in Los Angeles from 1971, practicing the electric guitar without an amplifier and going to record company parties, which at that time were very ostentatious.

He lived as a roommate with Richard Cromelin, the music critic for the Los Angeles Times, so again, he had access to the highest level and echelon of rock 'n roll.

As they made their way through the country, with stops in famous towns like Memphis and New Orleans, he reached New York and heard the unpleasant news that the Mercer Arts Center, known for hosting the first concerts of bands like the Dolls, the Modern Lovers and Suicide, had collapsed.

Television rehearsed seven days a week for five or six hours a day during the fall and winter of 1973, and made their first public performance on March 2, 1974, at the Town House Theatre on W. 44th St. Television were looking for a club where they could develop an audience and play more often as the house band, when Verlaine spotted a guy putting up the awning on a bar on the Bowery which stood under a flophouse for homeless alcoholics.

Fred Smith's solid bass playing allowed for a more transcendent and profound music from the two guitarists and drummer[citation needed], resulting in their being signed to Elektra Records in 1977.

As a debut release in 1977, Marquee Moon remains on lists of greatest albums in rock and roll history, and never has been out of print.

In 1990, Lloyd recorded a version of the Roky Erikson/13th Floor Elevators song "Fire Engine", which was included on the tribute album compilation Where the Pyramid Meets the Eye.

He has also produced a number of records for other New York bands, including The Blondes, Inc., Christopher Purdy, Miss Mother USA and Kevin Otto; as well as Skinny Girls Are Trouble (2010), the third album by country-punk songwriter Jim Neversink.

The CD features Lloyd on everything but drums (played by session drummer Chris Purdy, with Television's Billy Ficca on one track).

[10] According to Lloyd's website, other players on the record are John Klages and David Leonard on rhythm guitar, and most likely Steve Cohen on bass and Ed Shockley on drums.