His career spanned almost fifty years, during which he performed and recorded with seminal groups including John Mayall's Bluesbreakers and the Ike & Tina Turner Revue.

[2] He is perhaps best known for his innovative arrangement of Ike & Tina Turner's version of the Creedence Clearwater Revival song "Proud Mary.

It became a signature song for Ike & Tina Turner and won them a Grammy Award for Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Group in 1972.

[8][9][10] In the mid-1980s, Richardson joined Albert Collins and the Icebreakers and became an influential figure in the Chicago blues scene.

Though limited by health problems in later years, he continued to perform and record and to sit in on jam sessions with friends.