Richard Leveridge was born in London on July 19, 1670 and died there on March 22, 1758. He was an English bass singer of the London stage and composer of baroque music, including many popular songs.

In 1695 he became the leading bass singer in the company with which Henry Purcell worked, playing roles such as the magician Ismeron in The Indian Queen, where he sang the major aria "Ye twice ten hundred deities". After Purcell's death he continued to work for composers Daniel Purcell and Jeremiah Clarke. Leveridge also began to compose himself, and in February 1699 all three provided music for The Island Princess, in which Leveridge's performance was widely acclaimed.

Two books of his songs were published in 1697 and 1699, and his popular theatre songs also appeared as single sheet music. After a spell in Dublin he returned to London in 1702 for a revival of The Island Princess and a new production of Macbeth billed as "with music Vocal and Instrumental, all new Composed by Mr Leveridge". He sang the role of Hecate in this work for nearly 50 years, and the music remained popular for more than a century after his death.