Lionel Richie

1.1. Early Life and Education

Lionel Brockman Richie Jr. was born on June 20, 1949, in Tuskegee, Alabama. He spent his formative years on the campus of Tuskegee Institute, where his family home was a gift to his grandparents from Booker T. Washington. His father, Lionel Brockman Richie (1915-1990), served as a systems analyst in the U.S. Army, while his mother, Alberta R. Foster (1917-2001), was a dedicated teacher and school principal.

Richie later moved to Joliet, Illinois, where he attended Joliet Township High School, East Campus. A talented tennis player, he earned a tennis scholarship to return to Tuskegee Institute. During his time there, he was an active member of the Marching Crimson Pipers, the university's marching band. He pursued a Bachelor of Science degree in economics with a minor in accounting. Despite considering a path in divinity to become a priest in the Episcopal Church, in which he was baptized, Richie ultimately decided against it, choosing instead to pursue music, even though he did not know how to read or write music. He is also a member of Kappa Kappa Psi, a national honor fraternity for band members, and an active life member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity.

1.2. Family and Early Influences

Richie's family played a significant role in his early life. His grandmother, Adelaide Mary Brown, was a classical pianist, suggesting an early exposure to music. Through his appearance on NBC's Who Do You Think You Are? in 2011, it was revealed that his maternal great-grandfather, J. Louis Brown, was likely the biological son of federal judge and slaveowner Morgan Welles Brown. J. Louis Brown was also a national leader of an early Black American fraternal organization, serving as the principal organizer and Supreme Grand Archon of the Knights of Wise Men. This organization, formed in Nashville in 1879, functioned as a fraternal insurance and burial benefit society for Black men in the post-Civil War period. These family connections and his upbringing on a historically Black university campus likely provided a rich cultural and historical backdrop to his development.

2.1. Commodores Era

While a student at Tuskegee Institute in the mid-1960s, Lionel Richie began forming various R&B groups. In 1968, he co-founded the Commodores, serving as both a singer and saxophonist. The band initially signed a one-record deal with Atlantic Records in 1968 before transitioning to Motown Records. At Motown, they first gained exposure as a support act for The Jackson 5 before establishing themselves as a prominent soul group.

Early Commodores albums featured a distinctively danceable and funky sound, exemplified by tracks such as "Machine Gun" and "Brick House". Over time, Richie's influence led the band towards a more romantic, easy-listening ballad style. He wrote and sang many of the group's most successful ballads, including "Easy", "Three Times a Lady", "Still", and the breakup ballad "Sail On". By the late 1970s, Richie's songwriting prowess was increasingly recognized, leading him to accept commissions for other artists. His success with the Commodores laid the groundwork for his eventual transition to a solo career.

2.2. Solo Career

Lionel Richie's solo career began in 1982, marking a significant shift in his musical journey and leading to unprecedented global stardom.

2.2.1. 1980s Solo Success

Lionel Richie officially launched his solo career in 1982 with the release of his debut album, Lionel Richie. This album was an immediate commercial success, selling over 4 M copies and peaking at number three on the U.S. music charts. It featured three hit singles: "Truly", which became a U.S. number-one hit and solidified his reputation as a balladeer, along with the top-five hits "You Are" and "My Love".

His follow-up album, Can't Slow Down, released in 1983, propelled him to the forefront of international superstardom. This album sold more than twice as many copies as his debut, exceeding 20 M units worldwide, and earned him two Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year. Can't Slow Down spawned the number-one hit "All Night Long (All Night)", a vibrant, Caribbean-flavored dance track accompanied by a colorful music video produced by former Monkee Michael Nesmith. In 1984, Richie famously performed "All Night Long" at the closing ceremony of the XXIII Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

The album also featured another number-one hit, "Hello" (1984), a sentimental love song that showcased his evolution away from his R&B roots towards a more pop-oriented ballad style. In 1984, he achieved three more Top 10 hits: "Stuck on You" (number 3), "Running with the Night" (number 7), and "Penny Lover" (number 8). He also wrote and produced "Missing You" for his former Motown labelmate and duet partner, Diana Ross, which reached number 10 on the pop chart and number 1 on the R&B chart.

In 1985, Richie wrote and performed "Say You, Say Me" for the film White Nights. This song earned him an Academy Award and reached number one on the U.S. charts, holding the top spot for four weeks. It was ranked as the number-two song of 1986 by Billboard-s Year-End Hot 100 chart.

His third solo album, Dancing on the Ceiling, released in 1986, continued his streak of success, though it would be his last widely popular album for some time. It produced five U.S. and U.K. hits: "Say You, Say Me" (U.S. number 1), "Dancing on the Ceiling" (U.S. number 2), "Love Will Conquer All" (U.S. number 9), "Ballerina Girl" (U.S. number 7), and "Se La" (U.S. number 20). Following this period of intense activity, Richie took a decade-long break from recording and performing, from 1986 to 1996.

2.2.2. Later Career and Musical Evolution

After a hiatus from recording, Lionel Richie returned to the music scene in 1992 with Back to Front, his first greatest-hits collection, which included new material like "Do It to Me," a track that topped the R&B charts. In 1996, he released Louder Than Words, an album on which he deliberately maintained his signature style of well-crafted soul music, avoiding contemporary musical trends. This sound would later be recognized as contemporary R&B.

While albums like Louder Than Words and Time (1998) did not achieve the same commercial success as his earlier work in the United States, some of his subsequent albums, such as Renaissance (2000) and Just for You (2004), saw a return to his classic style and found considerable success in Europe, though they received only modest attention in the U.S.

In 2006, Richie released his eighth studio album, Coming Home. The lead single, "I Call It Love", premiered in July 2006 and became his biggest U.S. hit in a decade. The album itself was a notable success for Richie in the United States, peaking at number six on the Billboard 200 chart and achieving gold status with over 500 K units sold.

Richie continued to engage with his audience through various performances, including headlining a Fourth of July tribute concert at the Philadelphia Museum of Art in 2006 and performing at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. In May 2009, he expressed interest in a Commodores reunion. His album Just Go was released in 2009, reaching number 24 on the Billboard 200. On July 7, 2009, Richie performed "Jesus is Love" at Michael Jackson's memorial service.

In 2011, Richie toured Australia and New Zealand with guest artist Guy Sebastian. They recorded a new version of Richie's 1983 number-one single "All Night Long (All Night)" to raise money for Australian floods and New Zealand earthquake relief efforts. On March 26, 2012, Richie released his tenth studio album, Tuskegee, which featured 13 of his hit songs performed as duets with various country stars, including Kenny Rogers. The album returned him to the top of the Billboard 200 chart, his first number-one album there since Dancing on the Ceiling, and achieved platinum status within six weeks of its release. It also marked his best first-week sales since SoundScan began tracking album sales in 1991.

On June 28, 2015, Richie performed a "triumphant" show to an audience of between 100 K and 120 K people at the Glastonbury Festival in England. This performance was followed by his return to the top of the UK albums chart with a reissued compilation album of his work. In May 2023, Richie was invited to headline the Coronation Concert at Windsor Castle in celebration of the Coronation of Charles III and Camilla.

Richie's popularity extends significantly to various Arab states, where he has performed in countries such as Morocco, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, and Libya. In 2006, ABC News reported on his immense popularity in Iraq, noting that "Grown Iraqi men get misty-eyed by the mere mention of his name." It was reported that Iraqi civilians were playing "All Night Long" on the night U.S. tanks entered Baghdad during the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Richie, who was against the war, has expressed a desire to perform in Baghdad someday.

2.3. Songwriting and Collaborations

Lionel Richie's talent as a songwriter has been a cornerstone of his career, yielding numerous hits for himself and other artists, and leading to iconic collaborations.

In 1974, Richie achieved his first significant commercial success as a songwriter with "Happy People", which he co-wrote with Jeffrey Bowen and Donald Baldwin. Although initially intended for the Commodores, it was recorded by The Temptations and became their number-one R&B hit.

By the late 1970s, Richie began accepting songwriting commissions from other artists. He famously wrote "Lady" for Kenny Rogers, which became a number-one hit in 1980. He also produced Rogers' album Share Your Love the following year, and the two artists maintained a strong friendship. The Latin jazz composer and salsa romantica pioneer La Palabra later achieved international success with his cover of "Lady", which was widely played in Latin dance clubs.

In 1981, Richie performed the title theme song for the film Endless Love as a duet with Diana Ross. Released as a single, the song topped pop music charts in Canada, Brazil, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, and the U.S., becoming one of Motown's biggest hits and remaining among the top 20 bestselling singles of all time. It marked the biggest career hit for both artists.

One of his most significant collaborations was co-writing the 1985 charity single "We Are the World" with Michael Jackson. Performed by USA for Africa, this song sold over 20 M copies and became another number-one hit, earning a Grammy Award for Song of the Year.

2.4. Television and Other Ventures

Beyond his music career, Lionel Richie has ventured into television and other projects, expanding his public presence and influence.

In September 2017, it was announced that Richie would join the revival of American Idol as a judge, a role he has continued to hold for seven seasons through 2024. He has made several other television appearances, including on The Simpsons (voice role in "He Loves to Fly and He D'ohs", 2007), Who Do You Think You Are? (2011), Sport Relief 2012 (as a barman in a sketch), Oprah's Master Class (2014), American Housewife (2019), and Jeopardy! (2020, 2022). He also had a cameo in The Rookie in 2020.

In film, Richie appeared with the Commodores in Scott Joplin (1977) and Thank God It's Friday (1978). He also featured in documentaries such as Madonna: Truth or Dare (1991) and The Black Godfather (2019), and The Greatest Night in Pop (2024). He took on acting roles in The Preacher's Wife (1996) and Pariah (1998), and made a cameo in the horror-comedy Studio 666 (2022).

In October 2017, it was reported that Richie had secured the rights to produce a Curtis Mayfield biopic, indicating his interest in behind-the-scenes production. Furthermore, he serves as the First Global Ambassador and First Chairman of the Global Ambassador Group for the Prince's Trust, a charity founded by King Charles III to help vulnerable young people.

4.1. Marriages and Children

On October 18, 1975, Lionel Richie married his college sweetheart, Brenda Harvey. In 1983, the couple informally adopted Nicole Camille Escovedo, the two-year-old daughter of a member of Richie's band and niece of drummer Sheila E. The Richies raised Nicole as their own and legally adopted her when she was nine years old. In June 1988, Brenda Harvey was arrested and charged with various offenses, including corporal injury to a spouse, after she discovered Richie at Diane Alexander's Beverly Hills apartment. Richie and Harvey divorced on August 9, 1993, after nearly 18 years of marriage. He was reportedly required to pay 2.50 B JPY in alimony.

Richie married Diane Alexander on December 21, 1995. They had two children: a son, Miles Brockman Richie (born May 27, 1994), and a daughter, Sofia Richie (born August 24, 1998). This marriage ended in 2004.

Richie became a grandfather in 2008 when Nicole Richie gave birth to a daughter, Harlow, with Joel Madden, the lead singer of the rock band Good Charlotte. His second grandchild, Sparrow, was born to the couple in 2009.

In terms of his health, Richie experienced prolonged throat problems, undergoing surgery four times over four years. Conventional doctors suggested he might lose his singing career. However, he sought a holistic doctor who diagnosed the issue as acid reflux caused by foods he consumed before bed, a condition that was successfully managed. Richie is also a Freemason.

4.2. Philanthropy and Social Contributions

Lionel Richie has actively engaged in various philanthropic and social causes throughout his career. He has been a prominent supporter of breast cancer research, helping to raise over 3.10 M USD for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Richie has shared that his grandmother, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in her 80s but survived and lived to be 103 years old, served as his enduring symbol of hope and motivated his activism in the fight against breast cancer.

His most widely recognized humanitarian effort is his involvement in "We Are the World", the 1985 charity single he co-wrote with Michael Jackson for USA for Africa. The song raised substantial funds for famine relief in Africa. In 2010, he participated in a remix production of "We Are the World" to aid victims of the 2010 Haiti earthquake.

Richie also contributed to disaster relief efforts in Australia and New Zealand in 2011, recording a version of "All Night Long" with Guy Sebastian to raise money for flood and earthquake victims. His commitment to social betterment is further underscored by his role as the First Global Ambassador and First Chairman of the Global Ambassador Group for the Prince's Trust, a charity founded by King Charles III to help vulnerable young people.

6.1. Studio Albums

• Lionel Richie (1982)
• Can't Slow Down (1983)
• Dancing on the Ceiling (1986)
• Louder Than Words (1996)
• Time (1998)
• Renaissance (2000)
• Just for You (2004)
• Coming Home (2006)
• Just Go (2009)
• Tuskegee (2012)

6.2. Compilation and Live Albums

• Machine Gun (1974) (with Commodores)
• Caught in the Act (1975) (with Commodores)
• Movin' On (1975) (with Commodores)
• Hot on the Tracks (1976) (with Commodores)
• Commodores (1977) (with Commodores)
• Natural High (1978) (with Commodores)
• Midnight Magic (1979) (with Commodores)
• Heroes (1980) (with Commodores)
• In the Pocket (1981) (with Commodores)
• Back to Front (1992)
• Truly: The Love Songs (1997)
• Encore: Live At Wembley Arena (2002)
• The Definitive Collection (2003)
• Sounds of the Season (2006)
• Gold (2006)
• Live In Paris (2007)

6.3. Singles

8.1. Television

8.2. Film