His father, William F. Richardson, worked in the meat-packing industry and his mother operated a beauty parlor in their home for more than 30 years.

[3] After high school, Richardson entered the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, where he studied voice and played roles in classic musicals such as Show Boat, Camelot, and Man of La Mancha.

Over the next several years, Richardson appeared in several regional theatre and opera productions and was in the 1983 national tour of Dreamgirls, but it was not until his award-winning performance as "Jim" in the 1985 Broadway musical Big River that he became widely known.

"[5]After Big River closed in 1987, Richardson toured London, Japan, Moscow and St. Petersburg, Russia, in both concerts and staged productions.

He also appeared at The American Place Theater in Leslie Lee's Ground People and starred as "Husky Miller" in the Old Vic revival of Carmen Jones.