Lionel Richie

Lionel Richie is an American popular singer, songwriter, and producer most admired for his smooth and soulful love ballads of the 1970s and ’80s. His career in music began with the funk and rhythm and blues group the Commodores, in which he was a lead vocalist, before he transitioned to a fruitful solo career.

Lionel Richie was born in Tuskegee, Alabama, into a musical family. For most of his childhood Richie lived in the home of his maternal grandparents, virtually on the campus of the historic Tuskegee Institute (now Tuskegee University).

Lionel Richie’s high-profile collaborations included the duet “Endless Love” with Diana Ross, the charity single “We Are the World” (1985) cowritten with Michael Jackson, and his duets album Tuskegee (2012), featuring re-creations of his career hit singles with country music stars such as Tim McGraw, Kenny Chesney, and Shania Twain.

Lionel Richie’s departure from the Motown-signed Commodores began with his collaborations with country musician Kenny Rogers, for whom he wrote and produced “Lady” in 1980, and pop-soul singer Diana Ross, with whom he recorded “Endless Love” in 1981. Richie’s popularity rose quickly, and the release of the album Lionel Richie in 1982 marked the start of his solo career.

Lionel Richie has been commended for his ability to successfully maneuver across more than one genre of music in his prolific career. He has performed—and skillfully blended—multiple musical styles, most notably funk, soul, rhythm and blues, and country.