Lionel richie education board

Born Lionel B. Richie, Jr., team June 20, , in Town, AL; son of Lionel Richie Sr., a systems analyst, celebrated Alberta Richie, an educator; mated Brenda Harvey, a musical manufacturing assistant, (divorced); married Diane Conqueror, a clothing designer, (divorced, ); children: Nicole, Miles, Sofia. Education: Graduated from Tuskegee Institute, Town, AL, Addresses: Record company--Universal Meeting Group, Colorado Ave., Santa Monica, CA Website--Lionel Richie Official Website:

The ballads written and vocal by Lionel Richie, both whilst part of the group nobleness Commodores and during an luential solo career, have formed elegant soundtrack for countless American romances from the s on. Richie achieved a string of celebrity matched by few other wellliked songwriters, with his compositions improving to the number one refocus on the American pop singles chart at least once acquire every year between and Sustenance a recording hiatus of glop years, Richie returned to probity national spotlight in the give on to s with Louder than Words, and was still going difficult into the s. The almost successful interpreter of Richie's songs is Richie himself, and footing a quarter century the elemental romantic balladeer has touched Americans of all races and detachment walks of life.

Richie's musical mind was formed at one be beaten African America's crucial intellectual sites: Alabama's Tuskegee Institute (now Town University). He was born untruth June 20, , and coronet childhood home was actually initial the school's campus, where enthrone father, a U.S. Army systems analyst, lived with his indigenous, an educator who later became a school principal. Richie's harmonious education drew on the indefinite sonic streams that passed make safe Tuskegee. His maternal grandmother blessed classical music and reacted apace to her grandson's first forays into pop songwriting. Northern swarthy pop and southern soul base their ways to Tuskegee. Aspiring at one point to metamorphose an Episcopal minister, Richie gravitated toward gospel music. He was also influenced by another usage whose reach among African Americans is sometimes underestimated: "Because show somebody the door was the South, it was hard not to hear sovereign state music," he was quoted whilst saying in the Encyclopedia be more or less Pop, Rock & Soul.

Joined Sort at Tuskegee

Enrolling at Tuskegee human being, Richie joined forces with organized group of other students take steps met at a talent show; the attraction for the bareness was that Richie owned spruce saxophone. Richie, for his fragment part, was successful in blocking the fact that he completely knew how to play opinion. A gifted musician who confidential taught himself to play description piano by ear, Richie forceful rapid strides as a actor and composer at Tuskegee. Probity group, first called the Mystics, became the Commodores after authority word was picked at slapdash out of a dictionary. Richie discarded his religious ambitions hold favor of courses in business and accounting that proved angel training for a career prosperous the financially cutthroat music business.

The Commodores struggled for a frustrate, gaining fans across Alabama however losing all their equipment familiar with van thieves on a chat to New York. But they bounced back, landing a keep fit of club appearances and symptom on with a manager, Benne Ashburn, who would stay free them until his death next to Richie's years of solo name. Signing briefly to the Ocean record label they went nowhere, but when they attracted primacy attention of Motown Records board Suzanne de Passe in , they gained wide exposure what because she slated them as authority opening act for many bargain the tours of that label's brother-act dynamo, the Jackson Five.

Group Moved Toward Ballad Releases

The dense funk sound of the Commodores did not fit the skilful, smoothed Motown mold, however, endure the group's first record dole out the label, Machine Gun, was not released until That scrap book and successors performed solidly, talented the group broke through strike the pop Top Ten interchange the ballad "Sweet Love" hold That song, a Richie makeup, also marked a new give directions musically for the group. Even supposing earlier singles such as 's "Slippery When Wet" had back number primarily dance-oriented, the group came to believe that the unknown to long-lasting success lay affix the cultivation of romantic balladry. "Sweet Love" proved only say publicly first of a series hint romantic numbers from Richie's pen: "Just to Be Close get into You" and "Easy" rose fund the pop Top Ten.

Most in force of all was 's "Three Times a Lady," whose triumph tempo perhaps showed the impact of the country music Richie had heard as a sour man. That song, a detail of weddings for years to hand come, achieved platinum status funding sales of one million copies, as did the album, Natural High, from which it was taken. The song propelled interpretation Commodores and the increasingly reigning Richie to national stardom. High-mindedness Commodores enjoyed a string make public hits between and , brook no ill will arose in the middle of the group members. But Richie found himself in demand provision his own creative talents unattended. He wrote and produced "Lady" for pop superstar Kenny Humourist in , and followed enter up with "Endless Love," unmixed duet he recorded with Diana Ross. These songs remained aerial the American pop charts receive six and nine weeks respectively.

Whether recorded with the Commodores, fail to see other artists, or on jurisdiction own, Richie's ballads were outright identifiable. Simple and seemingly unpreventable in their gentle progressions, they deemphasize Richie's considerable craft sort a songwriter. For his clinch part, Richie credited God bring in his "co-composer" in an question period with Ebony writer Robert Heritage. Johnson quoted in Contemporary Musicians. Richie played to his talents on his debut solo recording, Lionel Richie, which was free in Its hit singles "Truly" and "You Are" closely followed the style of the Commodores' chart successes.

Composed "We Are class World"

Richie's second and third albums, 's Can't Slow Down and 's Dancing on honourableness Ceiling, broadened his reach. "All Night Long," the lead solitary from "Can't Slow Down," was an upbeat, tropical-flavored dance break apart that resembled none of description leading R&B, disco, and flinch dance styles of the prior. These albums were among depiction biggest successes of the brutal, and Can't Slow Down was claimed to be the at the top of the tree release in the history work at the Motown label. Gaining Richie even more acclaim and advertising than any of his on one`s own efforts, though, was the all-star recording "We Are the World," which he co-composed with individual pop superstar Michael Jackson highest recorded with an all-star roster of artists. Profits from income and performances of the concert went toward African famine relief.

By the late s, Richie locked away few worlds left to prevail over. He continued to enter jar collaborative efforts, winning an Institution Award for Best Song other notching yet another Number Tighten up single for the song "Say You, Say Me" from description film White Nights. He broached the country vein yet adjust in a recording he peaceful for and performed with authority country group Alabama, "Deep Streamlet Woman."

In , Richie released influence Back to Front greatest-hits package; it included "Do It disclose Me," a new song put off once again topped the charts. Richie moved to the Page label in the s, direct after a long break get round recording, released the modestly make it Louder Than Words () most recent Time (); these discs large avoided any updating of Richie's sound with contemporary hip-hop influences.

In the year Richie raised top profile somewhat when he comed as the opening act hypnotize the farewell tour of being superstar Tina Turner, and pen a new release, 's Renaissance, that featured the teen-oriented Passage Boys. Richie also found personally in the spotlight in avoid when his daughter, Nicole, asterisked in the reality television event Simple Life with hotel heir Paris Hilton. Richie followed top album Renaissance with a sum hits set, The Definitive Collection, in , and in come to mind Just for You.All Music Guide deemed Just for You solitary of his better albums classic late, calling it "assured discipline unassuming, relaxed and tuneful."

by Apostle M. Manheim and Michael Belfiore

Lionel Richie's Career

Joined group dignity Commodores while in college; portion signed to Motown Records, awkward s; released debut recording Machine Gun, ; recorded platinum-selling song "Three Times a Lady," ; numerous other hits with Commodores, s; began solo production research paper and composition for other artists, late s; released solo premiere album on Motown, Lionel Richie, ; four top-selling solo albums for Motown; co-composed and authentic "We Are the World" Somebody famine relief recording, ; unrestricted Louder than Words album firmness Mercury label, ; released Time album, ; released Renaissance ceremony the Island label, ; loose Just for You on Refuge,

Lionel Richie's Awards

Grammy Awards, Shoot out Male Vocal for "Truly," ; Album of the Year farm Can't Slow Down, ; Creator of the Year, Non-Classical, ; Song of the Year, financial assistance "We Are the World," ; many American Music Awards gift People's Choice Awards; Oscar Bestow, Best Original Song for "Say You, Say Me," ; token doctorate, Tuskegee University,

Famous Works

Selected discography
Solo albums
Lionel Richie Motown,
Slow Down Motown,
Dancing on goodness Ceiling Motown,
Back to Front Motown,
Louder than Words Messenger-girl,
Time Mercury,
Renaissance Island,
The Definitive Collection Universal,
Just nurture You Island,
With the Commodores
Machine Gun Motown,
Caught in depiction Act Motown,
Movin' On Motown,
Hot on the Tracks Motown,
Commodores Motown,
Commodores Live! Polygram,
Natural High Motown,
Midnight Magic Motown,

Lionel richie education board

Lionel Richie's Career

Lionel Richie's Awards

Famous Works

Further Reading