Richard Fink IV, a four-time Guinness World Record breaker, #1 best-selling author, and recognized by the Wall Street Journal as the “world’s leading online vocal coach,” has an extraordinary story. His journey to becoming a highly sought-after vocal specialist seems impossible, given his childhood prognosis of impending deafness.
As a child, Richard endured multiple ear tube surgeries and, by his early teens, faced significant hearing challenges: his right ear suffered 80% hearing loss with complete comprehension loss, and his left ear had 40% hearing loss with significant comprehension difficulties. As it turns out, despite his ears being mechanically healthy, a rare neurological disorder in his brain’s auditory cortex prevented proper processing of sound and identifying words clearly. Doctors warned he would likely be profoundly deaf by age 30, prompting him to learn sign language while clinging to his passion for music as a drummer.
Years later, when Richard discovered singing in his senior year of high school, he fell in love with the feeling of expression and connection to others through voice. However, he had trouble singing in tune, he ran out of breath easily, his voice would crack often, and his throat hurt while fighting and straining for high notes. But none of that stopped him. Threatened by total hearing loss, he felt the pressure to achieve his musical aspirations before time ran out. So he quit the rock band he was in, sold his drum set, and started writing songs and singing every day.
Determined to succeed, Richard began to study physiology and neurology books, learned vocal techniques from tapes and DVDs, traveled great distances to work with world-renowned singing teachers—long before online resources like YouTube existed. And from 1994 to 1996, he was fortunate enough to be mentored by Ted Neeley during the A.D. Jesus Christ Superstar tour, where Ted’s guidance proved to be a cornerstone in the trajectory of Richard’s career, pursuing his passion in music regardless of the obstacles that lie ahead.













