Richard Dale Kotzen Jr. (born February 3, 1970) is an American rock guitarist, singer, and songwriter. As a solo artist, Kotzen has a back catalogue of more than 20 album releases. He was signed to California-based Shrapnel Records from 1988 to 1991, and again from 1995 to 1997. He was a member of glam metal band Poison from 1991 to 1993, Mr. Big from 1999 to 2002, and since 2012, has been the frontman of the band The Winery Dogs.

Kotzen began playing piano at the age of five. At the age of seven, he was inspired to learn the electric guitar, by the band Kiss. He started his career in a band named Arthur's Museum. Kotzen was eventually discovered by Shrapnel Records' Mike Varney, and he recorded his first solo album by the age of 19, the first of two instrumental records, simply entitled Richie Kotzen. He created the video Rock Chops for REH video in 1989, highlighting many of his formative techniques, including using wide-intervals and fluid sweeping. One year later, a second solo album called Fever Dream was released, which was the first one to also feature his lead vocals. Since then, Kotzen has released a long series of more than twenty albums with musical influences ranging from rock, hard rock, pop, blues, blue-eyed-soul, R&B and funk to jazz fusion.

In 1991, at age 21, Kotzen joined glam metal band Poison, co-writing and performing on the album Native Tongue. This album produced two top-twenty singles which Kotzen co-wrote, "Stand" and "Until You Suffer Some (Fire and Ice)". Kotzen was fired from Poison in 1993 when it was discovered that he had become romantically involved with Rockett's then-fiancée Deanna Eve.[1]

Kotzen then focused on his solo career, regularly releasing song oriented, R&B/soul/blues and funk influenced melodic rock albums. He also made guest appearances on several albums by artists like Glenn Hughes, Stevie Salas and T.M. Stevens. In 1995 and 1997 he collaborated with Greg Howe on two jazz rock fusion albums.

In 1999, Kotzen replaced Paul Gilbert as guitarist in the mainstream hard rock band Mr. Big, performing on their album Get Over It. He also contributed guitars and songwriting to their subsequent release Actual Size. The record included the Kotzen song "Shine".

In 2001, while still in Mr. Big, Kotzen recorded and released another solo album called Slow, which contains a mix of bluesy rock for which a music video was filmed. On some of the songs on Slow Kotzen experimented with the use of a drum computer, while on others he played drums. After Mr. Big disbanded in 2002, Kotzen continued his solo career, and didn't return when the band was reformed in 2009, with Gilbert returned on guitars. He released his next solo album Change, in 2003.

In 2002, Kotzen established a recording studio and production company. He has since produced his own albums and collaborated with various figures in rock (e.g. Gene Simmons), jazz and fusion, including jazz legend Stanley Clarke, with whom he realized the project Vertú.

The 2004, follow-up-album to Change, Get Up featured a more edgy, aggressive rock sound. It was more hard rock oriented than any of his previous solo outputs since Fever Dream and contains the ballad "Remember".