Yes, even now with how much of his voice has gone downhill his range is still superior to Jon's, and I think it always was. Richie always sang backing a third above Jon for a reason, which gave the band that signature sound vocally that the fans love. There's a few songs (namely on These Days) where the arrangement was made that Jon sang higher than Richie but mostly it's been the other way around throughout the bands career. Richie's lower range sucks btw, but technically can still hit the same lower notes Jon can....