Miss Funkyflyy's Commodores Bio (Part 1) The story of the Commodores began in 1967, when Lionel Richie met Thomas McClary in the registration line at The Tuskegee Institute. Richie played sax, McClary was a guitarist and together they formed The Mystics, a group that also included William King on trumpet. Their worst rivals were The Jays, another school-band, from where keyboardist Milan Williams was drafted when The Jays disbanded. A new name for the group was needed and during a rehearsal, William King was blindfolded and selected the word "commodore" at random from a dictionary. The Commodores now comprised seven members: Lionel Richie (sax), Thomas McClary (guitar), William King (trumpet), Milan Williams (keyboards), Jimmy Johnson (sax), Michael Gilbert (bass & lead vocals) and Andre Callaghan (drums). As the Commodores' reputation spread around their home town and nearby Montgomery, The Tuskegee Institute sent them to perform at a benefit talent-show in New York. There, they were spotted by Benjamin "Benny" Ashburn, a Harlem-native with a background in public relations.

Ashburn, who at the time worked as a representative for a liquor wholesaler, was a shrewd businessman. He didn't make any offers, but let the Tuskegee boys know that he saw a great potential in them. About a year later, The Commodes returned to New York. After struggling hard while trying to make it on their own, they turned to Ashburn for guidance and he took them under his wings. The Commodores signed a management contract with Ashburn and he booked them on every club and showcase he could. Ashburn became the Commodores' mentor, manager and friend and was to play an integral part in the great future that awaited the group. Benny Ashburn arranged an audition for Atlantic Records in 1969 and there, the Commodores recorded an album's worth of material from which Atlantic released the Jerry "Swamp Dogg" Williams-produced single "Keep On Dancing". It's an irresistible, catchy song and had been a huge R&B hit for Alvin Cash the previous year. The "Swamp Dogg" Williams-penned B-side, "Rise Up", sounds very similar to The Bar-Kays' "Soul Finger".

The tapes from those early sessions have re-surfaced -at least in Europe- and are available on CD from various small labels. It mainly consists of cover versions, such as Sly & The Family Stone's "Sing A Simple Song", Intruders' "Cowboys To Girls", Temptations' "I Know I'm Losing You" and Johnny Taylor's "Who's Making Love". Later that year, Jimmy Johnson, Michael Gilbert and Andre Callaghan left the Commodores (two were drafted for the Vietnam war, the third left because he didn't think the group could make it). The trio was replaced by bassist Ronald La Pread from Tuskegee blues outfit The Corvettes and Walter "Clyde" Orange who had his own band, The J-Notes. Orange both played drums and sang lead, a duty he continued in the Commodores. Lionel Richie was too shy and was more than happy to just blow his sax and sing back-up. At show at an attorney's convention, set up by Ashburn, the Commodores made such an impression on Motown executive Suzanne DePasse that she hired the Commodores to be the warm-up band for The Jackson Five on a world wide tour.

That tour eventually lasted nearly three years and gave the Commodores stage experience, or rather arena experience. But what they really wanted was a record contract and in 1972, the Commodores were signed to MoWest, Motown's new subsidiary, started after the labels' move from Detroit to Los Angeles. Little did Motown know that they'd just got their hands on what would be one of their biggest act of the Seventies. The Commodores naturally wanted to be self-contained, write and produce their own material, but Motown's policy for all newcomers was to set them to work with company staff. The Commodores weren't exactly considered a priority and were therefor tossed around between Hal Davis, Willie Hutch, Norman Whitfield and Jeffrey Bowen. In addition, the new arrivals discovered that it was hard to get studio time, as the recording facilities were constantly occupied by Motown's big names, like The Four Tops, Jackson Five, The Supremes or Gladys Knight. But this was a period of change for Motown and soon several of the label's key artists departed.

The Commodores were handed to Pam Sawyer and Gloria Jones who wrote and produced their debut single on MoWest "The Zoo (The Human Zoo)", released in March 1972. It failed to chart and so did their second MoWest single, "Don't You Be Worried" (backed with the funky "Determination", produced by Willie Hutch). The Commodores' first single on the "real" Motown label was "Are You Happy". It was also the first song where Lionel Richie handled the lead vocals all by himself. The record passed unnoticed, but Milan Williams' frenetic, synthesizer-laden instrumental "Machine Gun", issued in April 1974, became a huge hit, landing at #7 R&B and #22 Pop, even charting at #20 in the U.K. That particular track was produced by James Anthony Carmichael, who from this point on became the Commodores' permanent producer. Carmichael worked with the Commodores on every album that followed, until he chose to go with Lionel Richie, when he opted for a solo career in 1982.

The Commodores' debut album, also entitled "Machine Gun", went into the top one hundred and sold gold in Japan and the Philippines, countries where the Tuskegee group had toured with The Jackson Five. The second single to chart from "Machine Gun" was a typical, bottom-heavy, Jeffrey Bowen production called "I Feel Sanctified" (from which Bowen borrowed a substantial part for The Temptations' "Happy People"). It reached #12 on the U.S. R&B chart in October 1974. The Commodores then spent the next two years touring the United States and opened for The Rolling Stones and Stevie Wonder. In April 1975, they released their first number one R&B hit "Slippery When Wet", taken from their sophomore album, "Caught In The Act". The Commodores were by now rightfully established as one of the funkiest bands in the land, but felt that in order to reach a bigger and more diverse audience, they'd have to try something new. And their next effort was indeed very different from its funky predecessors. For the first time, a Lionel Richie penned ballad was chosen as the single.

"This Is Your Life" (August, 1975) climbed to R&B #13, but it was with Lionel's "Sweet Love" (from "Movin' On" 1975), that the Commodores found their winning formula. The single shot to R&B #2 and Pop #5 and the mellow follow-up "Just To Be Close To You", taken from the Commodore's first platinum-seller "Hot On The Tracks (1976), repeated the success. For the second single from that LP, the Commodores returned to the funk and it's obvious that The Ohio Players served as the inspiration for Richie and Ronald LaPread when they wrote "Fancy Dancer". That same year, 1976, the Commodores supported the O'Jays on a huge, 42-city American tour. It's been said that the Alabama youngsters virtually stole the show and from here, the Commodores no longer were a warm-up band, but the headline act. In 1977, they headlined their own American tour, giving 85 concerts in some 72 cities and embarked on their first, own world tour.

It coincided with the March-release of their "Commodores" LP (re-named "Zoom" in the U.K.). The concerts were allegedly highly spectacular, with lots of audience participation, smoke and cannon-fired confetti. Sadly, the tour was cut short, due to the tragic death of bassist Ronald LaPread's wife Kathy, who succumbed to cancer in 1977. Every band member contributed to the albums, but Lionel Richie - who by now was the group's primary lead vocalist- was responsible for writing the majority of the singles. However, the Commodores returned to their funky roots after Lionel's country-flavored ballad and mega-hit "Easy". On "Brick House", Walter "Clyde" Orange -who had handled both the skins and the lead vocals during the group's beginnings- did his thang. "Brick House" came out in August, 1977 and got to R&B #4 and Pop #5. "Clyde" was also the lead vocalist on the uptempo stomper "Too Hot Ta Trot", (R&B #1, Pop #24 1977).

That track was later edited and included on the soundtrack to the 1978 disco-movie "Thank God It's Friday", where the Commodores co-starred with Donna Summer. The full (studio) version of "Too Hot Ta Trot" was issued on "Commodores Live", recorded during the massive 1977 U.S. coast-to coast tour. This double album, issued in October 1977, is arguably one of the finest live albums ever made and has left a powerful testament to the Commodores' unique showmanship. Thankfully, it's available on CD. May 1978 saw the release of the Commodores' fifth album, "Natural High", which sold platinum and spawned their largest cross-over hit. "Three Times A Lady", written by Lionel Richie, rose to #1 on both the R&B and Pop charts in June 1978 and became Motown's biggest single ever. "Flying High", (R&B #21, Pop #38) released in August 1978, was the second single from "Natural High". It was followed by a "Greatest Hits" LP.

In 1979, "Three Times A Lady" gave the Commodores several international awards, plus the Peoples Choice Award for "Best Song" and the American Music Awards for "Most Popular Single". That same year, the Commodores released the "Midnight Magic" album, which did extremely well in Britain. The hit singles, emanating from Lionel Richie's pen, continued with the 1979 singles "Sail On" (R&B # 8, Pop #4) and "Still", which simultaneously topped both the R&B and Pop charts in the U.S.. Milan Williams wrote the third single "Wonderland" (R&B #21, Pop #25). Also in 1979, bassist Ronald LaPread (together with Harold Hudson from the Commodores' back-up band The Mean Machine) produced, wrote and arranged the entire side B of fellow Tuskegee, Alabama-based 7th Wonder's "Climbing Higher" album. It was time to cross the Atlantic again. The Commodores performed at the Saarbrï¿½cken Festival in Germany, which was the starting-shot for their second European tour.

They were greeted with open arms and sold out houses virtually everywhere they went. In 1980, the Commodores were voted "Favorite Soul Group" at the American Music Awards and won the Peoples Choice Award for "Best Song" with "Still". Surprisingly enough, the highly spiritual "Heroes", the Commodores' tenth LP, released the same year, was a poor seller in the U.K., at least compared to their previous albums, but went platinum in the United States. The singles "Old-Fashion Love" (R&B #8, Pop #20) and the title track "Heroes" (R&B #27, Pop #54) were obviously hits, but not big enough to end the malicious media speculations about the Commodores' heydays being over. The third single "Jesus Is Love" only made it to a disappointing R&B #34. By now, Lionel Richie was of course a much sought-after songwriter, but had resisted all outside requests until Kenny Rogers approached him. Richie wrote "Lady" for the country star, which became a top ten hit, sold sixteen million copies and earned Richie several prestigious awards.

It's been suggested that the other members of the Commodores weren't too happy about the situation, since the song had originally been written for them and they desperately needed a hit. Rumors that Lionel Richie was leaving the group were naturally fueled by all of this, but in every interview, Richie was persistently denying having any such plans. Go forward to Bio Part 2 Sources & Notes: For this bio I gathered data from various sources, some confirmed, some not. All chart positions referred to are from Billboard Magazine and were compiled from Joel Whitburn's book "Top Ten R & B Singles 1942-1988," published by Record Research, Inc.. Lionel Richie - Lionel Richie | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic Lionel Richie google+ AllMusic Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine Lionel Richie 's solo career began while he was still in the Commodores , as he wrote and sang (as a duet with Diana Ross ) the theme to the Brooke Shields romance Endless Love, which became a bigger hit than any of the group's singles, thereby setting the stage for his departure and his 1982 self-titled solo debut. He wasn't working in unfamiliar territory, or with new musicians.

The Commodores decided to work as their own band, so their producer, James Anthony Carmichael , was able to devote his energy to working on Richie 's album. Using the pop-crossover ballad style of "Endless Love," "Three Times a Lady," and "Easy" as their template, the duo turned Lionel Richie into a sleek, state-of-the-art record that, at its best, provides some irresistible pop pleasures. The key to its success -- and the reason it was scorned by some Commodores fans -- is that Richie doesn't even make a pretense of funk here, leaving behind the loose, elastic grooves of his previous bands (a move that makes sense, since his voice never suited that style particularly well), choosing to concentrate on ballads and sparkly mid-tempo pop, peppered with a few stylish dance grooves. The ballads, of course, provided two big hits with "My Love" and "Truly," two numbers that illustrate that he was moving ever-closer to mainstream pop, since these are unapologetic AOR slow-dance tunes.

The other big hit, "You Are," is an effervescent, wonderful pop tune that showcases Richie at his sunniest; it's one of his greatest singles. Throughout the first part of the record, the dance numbers are served up and they're very good -- "Serves You Right" has a shiny, propulsive groove, while "Tell Me" jams nicely. After "You Are," the record bogs down with a couple of ballads that are on the wrong side of adult contemporary -- too formless, too hookless to really catch hold -- but they don't hurt the first seven songs, which form a dynamic mainstream pop-soul record, one of the best the early '80s had to offer. It's the sound of Lionel Richie finding his solo voice, and, the next time out, he knew how to use it even better than he does here.

[The 2003 reissue of Lionel Richie includes two bonus tracks: a solo demo of "Endless Love" which not only fits perfectly with this record, but is less cloying, and an instrumental of "You Are" whose primary worth is to hear the detail and expertise in the production Richie and Carmichael assembled.] Track Listing Commodores’s Biography — Free listening, videos, concerts, stats and photos at Last.fm Listeners Biography The Commodores are an American funk / soul band, which was at its peak in the late 1970s through the mid 1980s. The members of the group met as mostly freshmen at Tuskegee Institute (now Tuskegee University) in 1968, and signed with Motown in November 1972, having first caught the public eye opening for The Jackson 5 while on tour. The group's most successful period was in the late 1970s and early 1980s when Lionel Richie was co-lead singer.

The band's biggest hit singles are ballads such as " Easy ", " Three Times a Lady ", and " Nightshift "; and funky dance hits which include " Brick House ", " Fancy Dancer ", " Lady (You Bring Me Up) ", and " Too Hot ta Trot ". In 1986 the Commodores won their first Grammy for the song " Nightshift ". Band history The Commodores originally came together from two former groups, the Mystics and the Jays. There was even a Jazz aspect to one of the groups. They wanted to change the name. Together, a six-man band was created from which the notable individuals were Lionel Richie, Thomas McClary, and William King from the Mystics; Andre Callahan, Michael Gilbert, and Milan Williams were from the Jays. To choose a new name, William "WAK" King opened a dictionary and randomly picked a word. "We lucked out", he remarked with a laugh when telling this story to People magazine. "We almost became 'The Commodes! The band originated while its members attended Tuskegee University in Alabama.

After winning the university's annual freshman talent contest, they played at fraternity parties as well as a weekend gig at the Black Forest Inn, one of a few clubs in Tuskegee that catered to college students. They performed mostly cover tunes and some original songs with their first singer, James Ingram (not the famous solo artist). Ingram, older than the rest of the band, left to serve active duty in Vietnam, and was later replaced by Walter "Clyde" Orange, who would write or co-write many of their hit tunes. Lionel Richie and Orange alternated as lead singers. (Orange was the lead singer on the Top 10 hits " Brick House " and " Nightshift ".) The Commodores made a brief appearance in the 1978 film Thank God It's Friday. They performed the song " Too Hot ta Trot " during the dance contest; the songs " Brick House " and " Easy " were also played during the movie. " Machine Gun ", the instrumental title track from the band's debut album, became a staple at American sporting events, and is similarly featured in many films, including Boogie Nights and Looking for Mr. Goodbar. It reached No.

22 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1975. Another instrumental, " Cebu " (named after an island in the Philippines), later became a staple in the Quiet storm format. Three albums released in 1975 and 1976 ( Caught in the Act , Movin' On , and Hot on the Tracks ) are considered the peak of their harder funk period. After those recordings the group started to move towards a softer sound. That move was hinted at in their 1976 Top Ten hits " Sweet Love " and " Just to Be Close to You ". In 1977 the Commodores released " Easy ", which became the group's biggest hit yet, reaching No. 4 in the U.S., followed by " Brick House ", also top 5, both from their album The Commodores , as was " Zoom ". The group reached No. 1 in 1978 with " Three Times a Lady ". In 1979 the Commodores scored another top-five ballad, " Sail On ", before reaching the top of the charts once again with another ballad, " Still ".

In 1981 they released two top-ten hits with " Oh No " (No. 4) and their first upbeat single in almost five years, " Lady (You Bring Me Up) " (No. 8). In 1982, Lionel Richie left to pursue a solo career. A transition that was smooth but slow, Richie's departure was evident after it was mentioned to the band why his distinct sound would never be a part of The Commodores; Skyler Jett replaced Richie as co-lead singer. Also in 1982, their manager Benjamin Ashburn who also managed another band Platinum Hook died of a heart attack aged 54. Over time, several founding members left - McClary left in 1983 (shortly after Richie) to pursue a solo career and to develop a gospel music company. McClary was replaced by guitarist-vocalist Sheldon Reynolds while LaPread left in 1986 and moved to Auckland, New Zealand and Reynolds departed for Earth, Wind & Fire in 1987, which prompted trumpeter William "WAK" King to take over primary guitar duties for live performances.

Keyboardist Milan Williams exited the band in 1989 after allegedly refusing to tour South Africa. The group also gradually abandoned its funk roots and moved into the more commercial pop arena. In 1984 former Heatwave singer James Dean "J.D." Nicholas assumed co-lead vocal duties with drummer Walter Orange. The band remained hitless until 1985 when their final Motown album, Nightshift , produced by Dennis Lambert—all prior albums were produced by James Anthony Carmichael)—delivered the Grammy Award-winning title track " Nightshift " (No. 3 in the U.S.). It was a tribute to Marvin Gaye and Jackie Wilson . In 2010 a new version was recorded, dedicated to Michael Jackson . The Commodores were on a European tour performing at Wembley Arena, London, on June 25, 2009, when they walked off the stage after they were told that Michael Jackson had died. Initially the band thought it was a hoax. However, back in their dressing rooms they received confirmation and broke down in tears. The next night at Birmingham's NIA Arena, J.D.

Nicholas added Jackson's name into the lyrics of the song, and thenceforth the Commodores have mentioned Jackson and other deceased R&B singers. Thus came the inspiration upon the one-year anniversary of Jackson's death, to re-record, with new lyrics, the hit song " Nightshift " as a tribute. " Nightshift " won The Commodores their first Grammy for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals in 1985. In 1990 the Commodores formed Commodores Records and re-recorded their 20 greatest hits as Commodores Hits Vol. I & II . They have recorded a live album Commodores Live! along with a DVD of the same name, and a Christmas album titled Commodores Christmas . In 2012, the band was working on new material, some contributions written by current and former members. The Commodores now consist of Walter "Clyde" Orange, James Dean "J.D." Nicholas, and William "WAK" King, along with their five-piece band, known as the " Mean Machine ". The group continues to perform, playing at arenas, theaters, and festivals around the world.

Studio albums Lionel Richie | Download Music, Tour Dates & Video | eMusic Biography All Music Guide All Music Guide: After leaving the Commodores, Lionel Richie became one of the most successful male solo artists of the '80s, arguably eclipsed during his 1981-1987 heyday only by Michael Jackson and Prince. Richie dominated the pop charts during that period with an incredible run of 13 consecutive Top Ten hits, five of them number ones. As his popularity skyrocketed, Richie moved further away from his R&B origins and concentrated more on adult contemporary balladry, which had been one of his strengths even as part of the Commodores. After 1987, Richie fell silent, taking an extended break from recording and touring before beginning a comeback toward the end of the '90s. He settled into a relaxed recording and touring schedule. Through the early 2010s, his albums switched between sophisticated R&B, surprisingly pop-oriented material, and even contemporary country.

Lionel Brockman Richie, Jr., was born on June 20, 1949, in Tuskegee, Alabama, and grew up on the campus of the Tuskegee Institute, where most of his family had worked for two generations prior. While attending college there, Richie joined the Commodores, who went on to become the most successful act on the Motown label during the latter half of the '70s. Richie served as a saxophonist, sometime vocalist, and songwriter, penning ballads like "Easy," "Three Times a Lady," and "Still" (the latter two became the group's only number one pop hits). Although the Commodores maintained a democratic band structure through most of their chart run, things began to change when the '70s became the '80s. In 1980, Richie wrote and produced country-pop singer Kenny Rogers' across-the-board number one smash "Lady," and the following year, Richie's duet with Diana Ross, "Endless Love" (recorded for the Brooke Shields film of the same title), became the most successful single in Motown history, topping the charts for a stunning nine weeks.

With the media's attention now focused exclusively on Richie, tensions within the Commodores began to mount, and before the end of 1981, Richie decided to embark on a solo career. Richie immediately set about recording his solo debut for Motown. Titled simply Lionel Richie, the album was released in late 1982 and was an immediate smash, reaching number three on the pop charts on its way to sales of over four million copies. It spun off three Top Five pop hits, including the first single, "Truly," which became Richie's first solo number one. If Lionel Richie made its creator a star, the follow-up, Can't Slow Down, made him a superstar. Boasting five Top Ten singles, including the number ones "All Night Long (All Night)" and "Hello," Can't Slow Down hit number one, eventually sold over ten million copies, and won the 1984 Grammy for Album of the Year. Such was Richie's stature that he was invited to perform at the closing ceremonies of the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, a spectacular stage event that was broadcast worldwide.

In 1985, Richie put his superstar status to work for a greater good, joining Michael Jackson in co-writing the USA for Africa charity single "We Are the World"; the all-star recording helped raise millions of dollars for famine relief. By the end of the year, he was on top of the charts again with "Say You, Say Me," a ballad recorded for the film White Nights but not included on the soundtrack album. The song was slated to be the title track on Richie's upcoming album, but delays in the recording process prevented the record from being released until August 1986, by which time the title was changed to Dancing on the Ceiling (in order to promote Richie's next single release). Three more Top Tens followed "Say You, Say Me," as did "Se La," which became the first of Richie's solo singles not to reach the pop Top Ten. Overall, Dancing on the Ceiling didn't match the success of Can't Slow Down, but it still sold an impressive four million copies, although Richie's reputation for sentimental ballads was beginning to incur a backlash in some quarters.

Richie's nine-year streak of writing at least one number one single (a feat matched only by Irving Berlin) came to an end in 1987. As a matter of fact, Richie all but disappeared from the music business, exhausted after two decades of recording and performing, and also occupied with taking care of his ailing father. Richie's silence was broken in 1992, when Motown released a compilation titled Back to Front; in addition to some of his solo hits and a few Commodores tracks, Back to Front also featured three new songs, including the number one R&B hit "Do It to Me." Richie wasn't bitten by the recording bug again until 1996, by which time he'd endured his share of personal loss: his father had passed away, and his marriage to wife Brenda -- the muse behind some of his most successful ballads -- had fallen apart. In approaching his comeback, Richie attempted to update his sound to reflect a decade's worth of developments in R&B. The result, Louder Than Words, was a moderate success, reaching the Top 30 and going gold.

However, it didn't produce any major hit singles, and Richie's nods to contemporary production trends were criticized as awkward. Released in 1998, Time found Richie in a more familiar element, relying on his signature sound with only slight musical updates. However, the album flopped, spending only a few weeks in the lower reaches of the charts. Richie's next album, Renaissance, was released to a favorable reception in Europe in late 2000; it was issued in the U.S. in early 2001. It fared best in the U.K., where it went platinum. Three years later, on the heels of enduring a very public and bitter divorce with his second wife, Richie released Just for You, another album that was most successful in the U.K. The 2006 album Coming Home -- released the same year his popularity in certain Arab states was covered by mainstream media outlets -- found him working with an all-star cast of collaborators including Jermaine Dupri, Raphael Saadiq, Sean Garrett, and Dallas Austin. In the U.S., it reached the Top 10 of the pop and R&B charts.

The wholly modern Just Go, released in 2009, featured assistance from Stargate, Terius "The-Dream" Nash, Christopher "Tricky" Stewart, and Akon. His next release was much different: 2012's Tuskegee featured fully countrified updates of hits from his past, including "Easy" (with Willie Nelson), "Hello" (with Jennifer Nettles), and "Dancing on the Ceiling" (with Rascal Flatts). The album reached the top of the U.S. pop and country charts. Lionel Richie - Biography - IMDb Lionel Richie Biography Showing all 69 items Jump to: Overview (3) | Mini Bio (1) | Spouse (2) | Trade Mark (1) | Trivia (22) | Personal Quotes (40) Overview (3) 5' 11" (1.8 m) Mini Bio (1) Lionel Richie was born on June 20, 1949 in Tuskegee, Alabama, USA as Lionel Brockman Richie Jr. He was previously married to Diana Alexander Richie and Brenda Harvey-Richie .

Spouse (2) His distinctive, rich and smooth singing voice Trivia (22) He was one of the original members of The Commodores and left the group in 1982. He performed at benefit dinner for Global Business Council on HIV/AIDS in front of former President Bill Clinton and UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on June 12, 2002. He seriously considered becoming an Episcopalian Priest before turning to music. He has performed with the SAS ( Spike Edney 's All Stars) Band. He attended and graduated from Joliet Central High School in Joliet, Illinois. He is the adoptive father of Nicole Richie , with his then-wife, Brenda Harvey-Richie . He has two children with his second wife Diana Alexander Richie: Myles Brockman Richie (born May 27, 1994) and Sofia Richie (born August 26, 1998). With Michael Jackson , co-wrote the song "We Are the World" and was one of its performers. He attended and graduated from Tuskegee Institute in Tuskegee, Alabama. He is longtime friends with radio personality Tom Joyner .

Michael Jackson was the godfather of his daughter Nicole Richie . He is a member of Kappa Kappa Psi fraternity and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. He was inducted into the American Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1994. He was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Recording at 7018 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California on June 20, 2003. He appeared on Canadian Idol (2003) on August 11, 2004. His music was one of the weekly themes of the show, and seven young finalists worked with him individually to prepare for singing his songs in competition. On Who Do You Think You Are? (2010), Richiel was able to trace one of his ancestors to a father and son, Morgan W. and Dr. Morgan Brown, one of whom impregnated Lionel's slave ancestor. The Browns descend through a wife of another Morgan Brown to Zacharie Clothier and his wife who immigrated to Canada from France. Other descendants of Zacharie Cloutier include Madonna , Lady Gaga and Beyoncé Knowles .

Phil Collins was inspired to call the demo of his 1990 single "Do You Remember?" "Lionel" because it reminded him of Richie's music. He was inducted into the International Mustache Hall of Fame in 2015 (inaugural class) in the category Music & Arts. Baseball player Leonys Martín was named after Richie, his mother's favorite musical artist. Richie's grandmother was diagnosed with breast cancer in her eighties, but survived and went on to live to 103. He counts Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye as major musical inspirations. His album "Tuskegee" (2012) is named after the Alabama city where he was born and raised. Personal Quotes (40) Lionel Richie, love song, okay, thank you very much, good-bye. And all of a sudden I realized that, in my career, what has made my career has always been the surprises. So much of my career has been about saying things the way people say them, using melodies not that I can sing but that the people can sing. I think the whole world is dying to hear someone say, "I love you".

I think that if I can leave the legacy of love and passion in the world, then I think I've done my job in a world that's getting colder and colder by the day. I find the greatest songs in the world come out of pain, and I don't like it! Here's what it does: It strips away all of your facade. It makes you so honest. It's cleansing. By growing up in Alabama, I had a melting pot of the whole pie: R&B, gospel, country. Just when I think it couldn't get any bigger, "Tuskegee" reaches a new level of success. I'm a songwriter, and people will tell you the greatest stories about their lives, whether you want to hear it or not. I just like people. I'll hold a conversation at a gas station. It's not about the fame and the fortune, I just like people. I grew up with the Grand Ole Opry, Dottie West, Conway Twitty, Buck Owens... not realizing it was influencing me as much as it was. I find myself going out on the road to get my confidence back, because I lose it at home. I am a country boy and proud of it. I always like to challenge myself.

I never want to be put into a box. Greatness comes from fear. Fear can either shut us down and we go home, or we fight through it. Country music has always been about as close to R&B as you can possibly get. We're storytellers. All artists are egotistical maniacs with inferiority complexes. I travel around the world, experiencing every language, every religion... some places where there's just no reason to smile, because their lives are so difficult. I knew I was going to do a country album one day. But I was just trying to figure out for the life of me, what we were going to do to make it different, unique. Growing up with country, R&B, gospel, and classical music from my grandmother and pop, Tuskegee was the perfect melting pot for my influences as a writer. Exactly when people are in turmoil is the time that the entertainment business has always been at its best. Because people don't want to be reminded every day that they are under siege, or that they're not having a great time of life. Country is bringing in a little rock element... a little '80s element. Melody is king now.

But its just in the music, its not so much in the songwriting, which is still very basic to the storytelling aspect of it. Believe me, I love commerce as much as the rest of the readers of "Businessweek". But in art, you have to be true to yourself and your musical vision. People have known me well for a long time, so if I was chasing a trend and doing something that wasn't authentic to who I am, they would know it in just a few seconds. People, as critical as it looks, we're okay. We are in control, whether we feel it or not. People have allowed me into their homes, through my words and my music. My earliest memories of country music are the Grand Ole Opry. 'Let the music play on' would be my legacy. Your kids can say some cruel things to you at times. For example, Nicole, Miles and Sofie are standing there in the room and I'm dressed to kill in my own mind. They will say to me, "Dad, you're not going out there looking like that are you?". If that doesn't kill a star, I don't know what does! You cannot beat the feeling of sitting on top of the charts.

I had almost forgotten what it feels like... It feels great! It is really a very exciting time and I am enjoying the ride. When I was growing up, music was music and there were no genres. We didn't look at it as country music. Popular music in Tuskegee was country music. So I didn't know it in categories. It was the radio. When I came up with the idea for "Tuskegee", I didn't want to be confined by boundaries of age, genre or demographics. I am thrilled with how well this album has been received by people from all walks of life. It is truly living up to the vision we had when we created it. The best compliment that has ever been given to me was, I was at the airport one day and a guy came in and said, "Lionel, my wife loves you, the kids love you, my mother-in-law loves you, the family loves you.". Taking time to sit back and watch and think about what you've seen is important. Traveling did a great deal to me. I found that when I travel and just sit in the corner and watch, a million ideas come to me. Kids will keep it real.

If I've ever had in my life a great anchor, it's them. They get in your head, 'don't get too famous'. If you think you're really famous and think you're really hip, go hang out with your kids for an afternoon. That's about as earthbound as it's going to get. It's quite interesting that in my growing up I had several influences. We had gospel music on campus. R&B music was, of course, the community, and radio was country music. So I can kind of see where all the influences came from. It was very interesting in my world, because I grew up as a fan and I did not know that there was a thing called R&B, pop, country, classical - I just knew that I loved music. I want to let everybody know that I'm from there, and country is Tuskegee. Or should I say rather, my country is Tuskegee. I was born and raised there, it's not just someplace I passed through one day. [on meeting Nelson Mandela] Nothing else on this planet unglued me this way, right in front of everyone.

For him to say, "Your lyrics, your songs got me through so many days of captivity." I just couldn't - he's talking to me, you know? It gave me a sense of real purpose: Why am I doing this? [on putting a show together] Were threading the needle, "Who got married on these songs? Who went to school on these songs? Where are the frat party songs?". You have to put it all in and see what falls off the ledge. Every generation speaks. From the '70s and '80s on, I understood what was happening in my generation. Then came the MTV group, and that was considered off-the-chain, and some people didn't want to do it. And then comes [daughter] Nicole and her group, and there goes the neighborhood. Now we're in total reality. I call it 'overdose reality'. Everybody has a reality show now. With cellphones, everybody's a star. In America, you're only as hot as your last record. In Canada, when they pass it down from generation to generation, you're part of the fabric of the country, and that's the beauty of it.

There are only twelve notes and if you're blessed enough to find 30 years in the business writing songs on twelve notes - I'm the luckiest guy in the world. See also The Commodores The Commodores the largest selling act for Motown throughout the 1970s and 1980s The Commodores were founded by Lionel Richie (saxophone), William King (trumpet), Thomas McClary (guitar), Milan Williams (keyboards), Ronald LaPread (bass) and Walter "Clyde" Orange (drums), at Tuskegee Institute , in 1968. The name "Commodores" was chosen at random from the dictionary. The group played primarily around Tuskegee until taking a chance and playing a gig at Smalls Paradise in New York City. Despite the fact that the venue's owner was less than impressed with their performance, he invited them back to fill in for a last-minute cancellation. This time the Commodores played before a standing-room-only crowd, and they were booked for another two weeks (the owner did not know that most of the audience was comprised of friends and family of the band members).

In 1971 the Commodores auditioned to be the opening act for the Jackson 5 on that group's European tour; they went on to play that role for more than two years. It was while so engaged that the Commodores were signed by Motown, in 1972. Their first Top Ten single, "Machine Gun," was followed by the Top Twenty single "I Feel Sanctified" and the Number One hit "Slippery When Wet," all within seventeen weeks of signing with Motown. The Commodores went on to become the largest selling act for Motown throughout the 1970s and 1980s. Lionel Richie left the Commodores in 1983 to pursue a solo career. He was replaced by James Dean "J.D." Nicholas, formerly the lead vocalist for Heat Wave. In 1986, the Commodores won their very first Grammy, for the multi-platinum single "Night Shift." Their contract with Motown expired soon after, and the group signed with Polydor. They were released from their contract after two low-selling albums and most of the band members left to pursue other career options.

In late 1991, Orange, King and Nicholas began creating all new digital recordings of Commodores hits. They formed Commodores Records and Entertainment in August 1992, and released an anthology of greatest hits soon after. Discography (Albums) Nicole Richie | ZoomInfo.com Nicole Richie + Get 10 Free Contacts a Month Please agree to the terms and conditions I agree to the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . I understand that I will receive a subscription to ZoomInfo Grow at no charge in exchange for downloading and installing the ZoomInfo Contact Contributor utility which, among other features, involves sharing my business contacts as well as headers and signature blocks from emails that I receive. Web References (11 Total References) 2.2 Born in Tuskegee, Alabama, Richie grew up on the campus of Tuskegee Institute. His grandfather's house was across the street from the home of the president of the Institute. His family moved to Illinois where he graduated from Joliet Township High School, East Campus, in Joliet. A star tennis player in Joliet, he accepted a tennis scholarship back at Tuskegee Institute and later graduated with a major in economics. ...

Over time, Richie wrote and sang more romantic, easy-listening ballads such as "Easy", "Three Times a Lady" and "Still". By the late 1970s had begun to accept songwriting commissions from other artists. He composed "Lady" for Kenny Rogers, which hit #1 in 1980, and he produced Rogers' Share Your Love album the following year.Richie and Rogers have maintained a strong friendship in later years. ... Also in 1981, Richie sang a duet with Diana Ross in the theme song for the film Endless Love. ... Its success encouraged Richie to branch out into a full-fledged solo career in 1982. ... In accepting the award, Richie said: "Forget about surviving 30 some odd years in the music business, Lionel Richie survived 27 years of Nicole Richie".2 ...

Richie is also a prominent member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.citation needed In November 2008, Richie appeared in South Africa for the radio show called The Rude Awakening on Highveld Stereo where Jeremy Mansfield created a show called Lionels where the 4 Rude Awakening DJs Paul Rotherham, Sam Cowen, Whackhead Simpson and Bongani Nxumalo all performed as contestants in this Idols style show called Lionels. ... On December 31, 2008, Richie performed in Times Square for the New Year's Eve celebration and ball drop. Popularity in the Arab World In recent years, Richie has become a phenomenon in various Arab states,34 and has performed in Morocco, Dubai, Qatar and even Libya.5 ... They raised Nicole Richie as their daughter and adopted her legally when she was nine years old.In a November 15, 2005 CNN interview with Ryan Seacrest, Richie stated that her birth father was not a member of Lionel's band. ... Lionel became a grandfather on January 11, 2008 when his daughter Nicole Richie gave birth to a 6 lb (2.7 kg). ...

Paris Hilton â€¢ Nicole Richie Diana Ross, Commodores, wn.com [cached] Diana Ross, Commodores, Nicole Richie, Alabama (band), Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Luther Vandross, Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson, Patti Labelle, USA for Africa ... In accepting the award, Richie said: "Forget about surviving 30 some odd years in the music business, Lionel Richie survived 27 years of Nicole Richie." ... Richie is also a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. On December 31, 2008, Richie performed in Times Square for the New Year's Eve celebration and ball drop. ... as their daughter Nicole Richie and adopted her legally when she was nine years old. In a November 15, 2005 CNN interview with Ryan Seacrest, Nicole Richie denied that her birth father was a member of Richie's band. ... Richie married Diane Alexander on December 21, 1995.

(born May 27, 1994), Diana Ross, Commodores, wn.com [cached] Diana Ross, Commodores, Nicole Richie, Alabama (band), Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Luther Vandross, Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson, Patti Labelle, USA for Africa ... In accepting the award, Richie said: "Forget about surviving 30 some odd years in the music business, Lionel Richie survived 27 years of Nicole Richie." ... Richie is also a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. On December 31, 2008, Richie performed in Times Square for the New Year's Eve celebration and ball drop. ... as their daughter Nicole Richie and adopted her legally when she was nine years old. In a November 15, 2005 CNN interview with Ryan Seacrest, Nicole Richie denied that her birth father was a member of Richie's band. ... Richie married Diane Alexander on December 21, 1995.

(born May 27, 1994), Diana Ross, Commodores, premiereselection.com [cached] Diana Ross, Commodores, Nicole Richie, Alabama (band), Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Luther Vandross, Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson, Patti Labelle, USA for Africa ... In accepting the award, Richie said: "Forget about surviving 30 some odd years in the music business, Lionel Richie survived 27 years of Nicole Richie." ... Richie is also a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. On December 31, 2008, Richie performed in Times Square for the New Year's Eve celebration and ball drop. ... Lionel Richie | Biography & History | AllMusic google+ Artist Biography by Steve Huey After leaving the Commodores , Lionel Richie became one of the most successful male solo artists of the '80s, arguably eclipsed during his 1981-1987 heyday only by Michael Jackson and Prince . Richie dominated the pop charts during that period with an incredible run of 13 consecutive Top Ten hits, five of them number ones.

As his popularity skyrocketed, Richie moved further away from his R&B origins and concentrated more on adult contemporary balladry, which had been one of his strengths even as part of the Commodores . After 1987, Richie fell silent, taking an extended break from recording and touring before beginning a comeback toward the end of the '90s. He settled into a relaxed recording and touring schedule. Through the early 2010s, his albums switched between sophisticated R&B, surprisingly pop-oriented material, and even contemporary country. Lionel Brockman Richie, Jr. , was born on June 20, 1949, in Tuskegee, Alabama, and grew up on the campus of the Tuskegee Institute, where most of his family had worked for two generations prior. While attending college there, Richie joined the Commodores , who went on to become the most successful act on the Motown label during the latter half of the '70s. Richie served as a saxophonist, sometime vocalist, and songwriter, penning ballads like "Easy," "Three Times a Lady," and "Still" (the latter two became the group's only number one pop hits).

Although the Commodores maintained a democratic band structure through most of their chart run, things began to change when the '70s became the '80s. In 1980, Richie wrote and produced country-pop singer Kenny Rogers ' across-the-board number one smash "Lady," and the following year, Richie 's duet with Diana Ross , "Endless Love" (recorded for the Brooke Shields film of the same title), became the most successful single in Motown history, topping the charts for a stunning nine weeks. With the media's attention now focused exclusively on Richie , tensions within the Commodores began to mount, and before the end of 1981, Richie decided to embark on a solo career. Richie immediately set about recording his solo debut for Motown. Titled simply Lionel Richie , the album was released in late 1982 and was an immediate smash, reaching number three on the pop charts on its way to sales of over four million copies. It spun off three Top Five pop hits, including the first single, "Truly," which became Richie 's first solo number one. If Lionel Richie made its creator a star, the follow-up, Can't Slow Down , made him a superstar.

Boasting five Top Ten singles, including the number ones "All Night Long (All Night)" and "Hello," Can't Slow Down hit number one, eventually sold over ten million copies, and won the 1984 Grammy for Album of the Year. Such was Richie 's stature that he was invited to perform at the closing ceremonies of the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, a spectacular stage event that was broadcast worldwide. In 1985, Richie put his superstar status to work for a greater good, joining Michael Jackson in co-writing the USA for Africa charity single "We Are the World"; the all-star recording helped raise millions of dollars for famine relief. By the end of the year, he was on top of the charts again with "Say You, Say Me," a ballad recorded for the film White Nights but not included on the soundtrack album. The song was slated to be the title track on Richie 's upcoming album, but delays in the recording process prevented the record from being released until August 1986, by which time the title was changed to Dancing on the Ceiling (in order to promote Richie 's next single release).

Three more Top Tens followed "Say You, Say Me," as did "Se La," which became the first of Richie 's solo singles not to reach the pop Top Ten. Overall, Dancing on the Ceiling didn't match the success of Can't Slow Down , but it still sold an impressive four million copies, although Richie 's reputation for sentimental ballads was beginning to incur a backlash in some quarters. Richie 's nine-year streak of writing at least one number one single (a feat matched only by Irving Berlin ) came to an end in 1987. As a matter of fact, Richie all but disappeared from the music business, exhausted after two decades of recording and performing, and also occupied with taking care of his ailing father.

Richie 's silence was broken in 1992, when Motown released a compilation titled Back to Front ; in addition to some of his solo hits and a few Commodores tracks, Back to Front also featured three new songs, including the number one R&B hit "Do It to Me." Richie wasn't bitten by the recording bug again until 1996, by which time he'd endured his share of personal loss: his father had passed away, and his marriage to wife Brenda -- the muse behind some of his most successful ballads -- had fallen apart. In approaching his comeback, Richie attempted to update his sound to reflect a decade's worth of developments in R&B. The result, Louder Than Words , was a moderate success, reaching the Top 30 and going gold. However, it didn't produce any major hit singles, and Richie 's nods to contemporary production trends were criticized as awkward. Released in 1998, Time found Richie in a more familiar element, relying on his signature sound with only slight musical updates. However, the album flopped, spending only a few weeks in the lower reaches of the charts.

Richie 's next album, Renaissance , was released to a favorable reception in Europe in late 2000; it was issued in the U.S. in early 2001. It fared best in the U.K., where it went platinum. Three years later, on the heels of enduring a very public and bitter divorce with his second wife, Richie released Just for You , another album that was most successful in the U.K. The 2006 album Coming Home -- released the same year his popularity in certain Arab states was covered by mainstream media outlets -- found him working with an all-star cast of collaborators including Jermaine Dupri , Raphael Saadiq , Sean Garrett , and Dallas Austin . In the U.S., it reached the Top 10 of the pop and R&B charts. The wholly modern Just Go , released in 2009, featured assistance from Stargate , Terius "The-Dream" Nash , Christopher "Tricky" Stewart , and Akon .

His next release was much different: 2012's Tuskegee featured fully countrified updates of hits from his past, including "Easy" (with Willie Nelson ), "Hello" (with Jennifer Nettles ), and "Dancing on the Ceiling" (with Rascal Flatts ). The album reached the top of the U.S. pop and country charts. The Commodores - Reach High 1982 - YouTube The Commodores - Reach High 1982 Want to watch this again later? Sign in to add this video to a playlist. Need to report the video? Sign in to report inappropriate content. Rating is available when the video has been rented. This feature is not available right now. Please try again later. Uploaded on Nov 29, 2009 This is one of my favorite songs post Lionel Richie and before the band trickled down and added JD Nicholas. It is a funky number that was featured on All Their Greatest Hits. Reach High and Painted Picture were the only new songs and the lead on both was not a member of the Commodores, so yes Walter Orange is not the real lead on this record.

Category LIONEL RICHIE - free downloads mp3 Commodores , Elton John , Fats Domino , Garth Brooks , Peter Gabriel , Prince , Toto Music Downloads Search and download from over 6 million songs, music videos and lyrics. Largest collection of free music. All songs are in the MP3 format and can be played on any computer or on any MP3 Player including the iPhone. Live concert albums of your favorite band. Learn how to download music and how to burn music. EMD offers a premium experience that includes unlimited access to CD quality music and advanced discovery features in an advertising free environment. Members also enjoy unlimited free mp3 music downloads without registration.

Question: Of which band was Lionel Richie a member until 1982?
Answer: THE COMMODORES