Tony Richards is an American musician who was the original drummer of classic heavy metal band W.A.S.P.
Richards played for various bands in his early career before relocating to the Los Angeles area from Phoenix, AZ in 1980.
He began making a name for himself as one of the hottest drummers in the LA heavy metal scene with a band called Dante Fox, later to become known as Great White.
With bandmates Don Costa (W.A.S.P./M80), Mark Kendall (Great White), and Jack Russell (Great White), they regularly played the most popular heavy metal clubs in Hollywood and LA such as the Troubador, Roxy Theatre, Whisky a Go Go, and Starwood.
In late 1982, Richards, soon followed by Costa, left Dante Fox after being asked by Blackie Lawless to join the new band he was assembling called W.A.S.P.