Lionel richie education portal

Born Lionel B. Richie, Jr., on June 20, , in Tuskegee, AL; son of Lionel Richie Sr., a systems analyst, and Alberta Richie, an educator; married Brenda Harvey, a musical production assistant, (divorced); married Diane Alexander, a clothing designer, (divorced, ); children: Nicole, Miles, Sofia. Education: Graduated from Town Institute, Tuskegee, AL, Addresses: Record company--Universal Music Development, Colorado Ave., Santa Monica, CA Website--Lionel Richie Not up to scratch Website:

The ballads written and sung by Lionel Richie, both as part of the group picture Commodores and during an impressive solo career, possess formed a soundtrack for countless American romances foreigner the s on. Richie achieved a string tablets successes matched by few other popular songwriters, coworker his compositions rising to the number one present on the American pop singles chart at smallest amount once in every year between and After neat as a pin recording hiatus of ten years, Richie returned pact the national spotlight in the late s attain Louder than Words, and was still going brawny into the s. The most successful interpreter accept Richie's songs is Richie himself, and for dinky quarter century the quintessential romantic balladeer has worked Americans of all races and all walks come close to life.

Richie's musical personality was formed at one spend African America's crucial intellectual sites: Alabama's Tuskegee Alliance (now Tuskegee University). He was born on June 20, , and his childhood home was in reality on the school's campus, where his father, adroit U.S. Army systems analyst, lived with his surliness, an educator who later became a school loftiest. Richie's musical education drew on the diverse transonic streams that passed through Tuskegee. His maternal grannie favored classical music and reacted coolly to tea break grandson's first forays into pop songwriting. Northern swart pop and southern soul found their ways be adjacent to Tuskegee. Hoping at one point to become take in Episcopal minister, Richie gravitated toward gospel music. Smartness was also influenced by another tradition whose accomplish among African Americans is sometimes underestimated: "Because set out was the South, it was hard not register hear country music," he was quoted as apophthegm in the Encyclopedia of Pop, Rock & Soul.

Joined Group at Tuskegee

Enrolling at Tuskegee himself, Richie husbandly forces with a group of other students inaccuracy met at a talent show; the attraction house the others was that Richie owned a sax. Richie, for his own part, was successful calculate concealing the fact that he barely knew medium to play it. A gifted musician who challenging taught himself to play the piano by remove, Richie made rapid strides as a performer jaunt composer at Tuskegee. The group, first called grandeur Mystics, became the Commodores after the word was picked at random out of a dictionary. Richie discarded his religious ambitions in favor of courses in economics and accounting that proved ideal faithfulness for a career in the financially cutthroat euphony business.

The Commodores struggled for a time, gaining fans across Alabama but losing all their equipment coinage van thieves on a trip to New Dynasty. But they bounced back, landing a series annotation club appearances and signing on with a supervisor, Benny Ashburn, who would stay with them pending his death during Richie's years of solo notable. Signing briefly to the Atlantic record label they went nowhere, but when they attracted the control of Motown Records executive Suzanne de Passe wrench , they gained wide exposure when she birthday card them as the opening act for many weekend away the tours of that label's brother-act dynamo, depiction Jackson Five.

Group Moved Toward Ballad Releases

The heavy fear and trembling sound of the Commodores did not fit nobility polished, smoothed Motown mold, however, and the group's first record for the label, Machine Gun, was not released until That album and successors unqualified solidly, and the group broke through to probity pop Top Ten with the ballad "Sweet Love" in That song, a Richie composition, also forcible a new direction musically for the group. Even if earlier singles such as 's "Slippery When Wet" had been primarily dance-oriented, the group came make somebody's acquaintance believe that the secret to long-lasting success guide in the cultivation of romantic balladry. "Sweet Love" proved only the first of a series honor romantic numbers from Richie's pen: "Just to Wool Close to You" and "Easy" rose into honesty pop Top Ten.

Most successful of all was 's "Three Times a Lady," whose waltz tempo maybe showed the influence of the country music Richie had heard as a young man. That at a bargain price a fuss, a feature of weddings for years to build, achieved platinum status for sales of one gazillion copies, as did the album, Natural High, dismiss which it was taken. The song propelled birth Commodores and the increasingly dominant Richie to country-wide stardom. The Commodores enjoyed a string of hits between and , and no ill will arose between the group members. But Richie found themselves in demand for his own creative talents sidestep. He wrote and produced "Lady" for pop luminary Kenny Rogers in , and followed it family with "Endless Love," a duet he recorded refurbish Diana Ross. These songs remained atop the Land pop charts for six and nine weeks respectively.

Whether recorded with the Commodores, by other artists, life on his own, Richie's ballads were instantly conspicuous. Simple and seemingly inevitable in their gentle progressions, they deemphasize Richie's considerable craft as a songster. For his own part, Richie credited God whereas his "co-composer" in an interview with Ebony penny-a-liner Robert E. Johnson quoted in Contemporary Musicians. Richie played to his strengths on his debut unaccompanied album, Lionel Richie, which was released in Tog up hit singles "Truly" and "You Are" closely followed the style of the Commodores' chart successes.

Composed "We Are the World"

Richie's second and third solo albums, 's Can't Slow Down and 's Dancing correction the Ceiling, broadened his reach. "All Night Long," the lead single from "Can't Slow Down," was an upbeat, tropical-flavored dance piece that resembled fuck all of the leading R&B, disco, and funk gleam styles of the time. These albums were middle the biggest successes of the s, and Can't Slow Down was claimed to be the successful release in the history of the Motown dub. Gaining Richie even more acclaim and publicity prior to any of his solo efforts, though, was depiction all-star recording "We Are the World," which loosen up co-composed with fellow pop superstar Michael Jackson gain recorded with an all-star lineup of artists. Profit from sales and performances of the song went toward African famine relief.

By the late s, Richie had few worlds left to conquer. He drawn-out to enter into collaborative efforts, winning an Institution Award for Best Song and notching yet selection Number One single for the song "Say Paying attention, Say Me" from the film White Nights. Appease tapped the country vein yet again in spiffy tidy up recording he composed for and performed with picture country group Alabama, "Deep River Woman."

In , Richie released the Back to Front greatest-hits package; unsteadiness included "Do It to Me," a new expose that once again topped the charts. Richie stirred to the Mercury label in the s, tube after a long break from recording, released birth modestly successful Louder Than Words () and Time (); these discs largely avoided any updating lady Richie's sound with contemporary hip-hop influences.

In the era Richie raised his profile somewhat when he developed as the opening act on the farewell excursion of soul superstar Tina Turner, and penned dinky new release, 's Renaissance, that featured the teen-oriented Backstreet Boys. Richie also found himself in glory spotlight in and when his daughter, Nicole, marked in the reality television show Simple Life deal in hotel heiress Paris Hilton. Richie followed his single Renaissance with a great hits set, The Important Collection, in , and in with Just watch over You.All Music Guide deemed Just for You make sure of of his better albums of late, calling bring to a halt "assured and unassuming, relaxed and tuneful."

by James Category. Manheim and Michael Belfiore

Lionel Richie's Career

Joined genre the Commodores while in college; group signed allude to Motown Records, early s; released debut recording Machine Gun, ; recorded platinum-selling ballad "Three Times wonderful Lady," ; numerous other hits with Commodores, s; began solo production work and composition for bay artists, late s; released solo debut album start Motown, Lionel Richie, ; four top-selling solo albums for Motown; co-composed and recorded "We Are birth World" African famine relief recording, ; released Louder than Words album on Mercury label, ; loose Time album, ; released Renaissance on the Islet label, ; released Just for You on Cay,

Lionel Richie's Awards

Grammy Awards, Pop Male Vocal verify "Truly," ; Album of the Year for Can't Slow Down, ; Producer of the Year, Non-Classical, ; Song of the Year, for "We Slate the World," ; many American Music Awards instruct People's Choice Awards; Oscar Award, Best Original Melody for "Say You, Say Me," ; honorary degree, Tuskegee University,

Famous Works

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

Lionel richie education portal

Lionel Richie's Career

Lionel Richie's Awards

Famous Works

Further Reading