"singer and saxophonist with the Commodores. They signed a recording contract with Atlantic Records in 1968 for one record before moving on to Motown Records initially as a support act to The Jackson 5. The Commodores then became established as a popular soul group. Their first several albums had a danceable, funky sound, as in such tracks as ""Machine Gun"" and ""Brick House."" Over time, Richie wrote and sang more romantic, easy-listening ballads such as ""Easy"", ""Three Times a Lady"", ""Still"", and the tragic breakup ballad ""Sail On"". By the late 1970s, Richie had begun to accept songwriting commissions from"
"originally recorded in 1984, and became the first hit attained by the Commodores after Lionel Richie's departure from the group. It was also their biggest hit after Richie's departure, peaking at number three for the week of April 20 on both the ""Billboard"" Hot 100 and UK Singles Chart, and rising to number one on the Hot Black Singles chart; the single also became a success on the Adult Contemporary and the Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales charts in the first half of that year. Although the band was against the label's decision to release it as a single, it won"
"'Til You Get Enough"" and ""Rock with You."" The Commodores were another group that played from a diverse repertoire, including R&B, funk and pop. Lionel Richie, who went on to even greater success as a solo artist in the 1980s, fronted the group's biggest 1970s hits, including ""Easy,"" ""Three Times a Lady"" and ""Still."" Some of the more notable pop groups during the 1970s were the Carpenters, the Jackson 5, Chicago, Earth, Wind & Fire, KC and the Sunshine Band, Bee Gees, Electric Light Orchestra, the Eagles and Gladys Knight & the Pips. Male soloists who characterized the pop music"
"by pop music. The song was played in the series 10 finale of ""London's Burning"". CD single Truly (song) ""Truly"" is the title of the debut solo single by singer-songwriter Lionel Richie. Resuming where he left off with D-flat major tunes ""Sail On"" and particularly ""Still"" when he was lead for the Commodores, Richie wrote the song and co-produced it with James Anthony Carmichael. Released as the first single from his self-titled debut album in 1982, ""Truly"" debuted on the ""Billboard"" Hot 100 on 9 October 1982 and climbed to No. 1 on 27 November – 4 December 1982. It"
"his repertoire. After graduation, McClary went to college at Tuskegee University in Alabama where he majored in business. As a freshman student at Tuskegee University, McClary met Lionel Richie in the registration line. The two became friends and in 1968 they began to put together a band which they called The Mystics. McClary played the lead guitar and, early on, shared in the lead vocals. The group played local gigs then added more members and changed their name to the Commodores. In 1972, McClary and the Commodores signed with Berry Gordy and Motown Records. McClary spent 15 years as the"
"""All Night Long"" the night U.S. tanks invaded Baghdad. Richie was against the war, but says he could see a day when he would come and perform in Baghdad. On October 18, 1975, Richie married his college sweetheart, Brenda Harvey. In 1983 the couple informally adopted Nicole Camille Escovedo, the two-year-old daughter of one of the members of Lionel's band, and niece of drummer Sheila E. They raised her as their daughter, Nicole Richie, and adopted her legally when she was nine years old. In 1986, while still married to Harvey, Richie began a relationship with Diane Alexander. He would"
"""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"". The Commodores originally came together from two former student groups, the Mystics and the Jays. Richie described some members of the Mystics as ""jazz buffs"". 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. They wanted to change the name. To choose a new name, William ""WAK"" King opened a"
"""Nightshift"" in 1986. In 2003, they were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame. Commodores Commodores is 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 the co-lead singer. The band's biggest hit singles are ballads"
"of songs that I can play for my fans, it becomes a giant sing-along most nights"", he said in a statement. ""People always ask me ‘what are you going to sing tonight Lionel?’ and I always laugh and reply, ‘what are YOU going to sing tonight?’"" Before these, In support of his tenth studio album, ""Tuskegee"", Richie announced an extensive 2012 European tour that featured stops in Austria, Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Hungary, Monaco, Luxembourg, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, Ireland and around the UK. The following setlist was obtained from the October 17, 2013 concert in San"
"Nightshift (album) Nightshift is the 11th studio album by the Commodores, released by Motown Records on January 15, 1985. It was the group's last album on the Motown label before switching to Polydor. ""Nightshift"" is the Commodores' second album without Lionel Richie, who left the band in 1982, and their last album with their original bass guitarist Ronald LaPread. Their previous album ""Commodores 13"" (1983) had featured interim lead vocalist Harold Hudson of Mean Machine. For ""Nightshift"" the Commodores permanently replaced Richie with British-born J.D. Nicholas, formerly of Heatwave. Dennis Lambert was chosen as producer, the Commodores hoping to find"
"topping hit with ""Want Ads"", as did Labelle with ""Lady Marmalade"" and A Taste of Honey with ""Boogie Oogie Oogie"". Other examples of the girl group were Love Unlimited and The Three Degrees who scored a number two pop hit with ""When Will I See You Again"" but topped the chart when they teamed with Mother, Sister, Father, Brother (MSFB) on the Sound of Philadelphia (TSOP). The Commodores were another group that played from a diverse repertoire, including R&B, funk, and pop. Lionel Richie, who went on to even greater success as a solo artist in the 1980s, fronted the"
"also included on the tribute album """". The album debuted at #24 on ""Billboard"" 200 and #9 on R&B Chart. As of May 2012, the album has sold 95,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The South-Korean girl band 2NE1 had a similar song ""I Don't Care"" akin to Lionel's ""Just Go"" released July 2009. It is currently being investigated by Universal Music Group. Just Go (album) Just Go is the ninth studio album by Lionel Richie. The album was slated to be released in US on March 10, 2009, but was pushed back to May 19,"
"he left the group for a solo career. 7"" single Lady (You Bring Me Up) ""Lady (You Bring Me Up)"" is a 1981 Top 10 hit single by The Commodores. It reached #8 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart and also reached the Top 10 of the ""Billboard"" R&B Chart, peaking at #5. It was also a hit in the United Kingdom, reaching #56 on the UK Chart. It was written by Commodores member William King, his wife, Shirley, and Harold Hudson, a member of the Commodores' backing group, ""The Mean Machine"". Lionel Richie sang the lead vocal, and"
"album Kings of the West Coast as an LA Dream Team member. During the mainstream success in 1986, Richie Rich who was then known under the alias as ""Rich E. Rich"", he has co-produced and was featured on the song ""Apartheid (You Know It's A Crime!!)"" along with C.Chris and Rudy Pardee from LA Dream Team. In 1987, Richie has produced the """"Chocolate Strawberry"""", a hit song by Darryl Strawberry featuring UTFO, Whistle and himself Richie. In 1990-1991, Richie helped and contributed to DJ Quik's debut studio album named ""Quik Is the Name"", making the final synthesizer of the single"
"same sessions, all previously unreleased. Personnel as listed in the album's liner notes are: Can't Slow Down (Lionel Richie album) Can't Slow Down is the second solo studio album by American recording artist Lionel Richie. It was released on October 11, 1983 by Motown Records. It has sold over 20 million copies, and is Richie's best-selling album of all time. Five singles were released from ""Can't Slow Down"", all of which hit the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100 chart, including two that reached #1: ""All Night Long (All Night)"" and ""Hello"". The album also won the Grammy Award"
"by Branigan. Although another selection, ""All Night with Me"", was chosen as the album's lead-off single, Branigan also performed the cover song during her promotional TV appearances at the time of the album's release in early 1982, and that track was released as a single in the summer, first becoming a disco favorite, and gradually accruing radio support to debut on the pop charts. The single reached number 2 on the ""Billboard"" Hot 100 in November 27, behind Lionel Richie's ""Truly"", and remained there in the following two weeks, through December 11—when Richie had been supplanted by Toni Basil's ""Mickey""."
"formed in 1982 by Mark Reilly (vocals), Danny White (keyboards), and Kito Poncioni (bass), all of whom had just left art pop group, Blue Rondo A La Turk. Also on board from the beginning was then-unknown Polish vocalist Basia Trzetrzelewska. Initially, the band was known as ""Bronze"", before settling on the name Matt Bianco in 1983. The group was pictured as a quartet for their first single (""Get Out of Your Lazy Bed""/""Big Rosie""), although Poncioni only played on the non-album B-side ""Big Rosie"". Poncioni then dropped out of the group before the recording of Matt Bianco's first album, 1984's"
"next seven years, co-producing with the band their successful albums ""Caught in the Act"", ""Movin' On"" (both 1975), ""Hot on the Tracks"" (1976), ""Commodores"" (1977), ""Natural High"" (1978), ""Midnight Magic"" (1979), ""Heroes"" (1980), and ""In the Pocket"" (1981). Featuring their lead vocalist Lionel Richie, the band had a long series of hit singles, again co-produced by Carmichael, over the period, including ""Slippery When Wet"", ""Sweet Love"", ""Just to Be Close to You"", ""Easy"", ""Brick House"", ""Too Hot Ta Trot"", and two US #1 pop hits, ""Three Times a Lady"" and ""Still"". The Commodores acknowledged Carmichael's crucial role in their success."
"to happen to the Ramones. He put the spirit back in the band.” Richie left the band abruptly in August 1987. According to interviews in the film ""End of the Century: The Story of the Ramones"", he quit after Johnny Ramone refused to evenly share the money from T-shirt sales with him. Subsequently, Richie worked on some of Dee Dee's solo recordings. He was briefly replaced by Elvis Ramone (aka Clem Burke of Blondie and Romantics fame). After Elvis played just two gigs, Richie's predecessor Marky Ramone rejoined the band and stayed until the band broke up in 1996. In"
"Commodores Commodores is 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 the 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"
"at number one on the Canadian Albums Chart, selling 18,000 copies. In support of the album, Lionel Richie announced a 2012 tour starting in Aberdeen and touring throughout Europe. Set List Tuskegee (album) Tuskegee is the tenth studio album by American singer Lionel Richie, released on March 5, 2012, on Mercury Records. The album consists entirely of reinterpretations of previously released songs by Richie, each performed with a different guest artist. It became Richie's third number-one album on the ""Billboard"" 200 and his first since ""Dancing on the Ceiling"" in 1986. ""Tuskegee"" also became Richie's first album to sell more"
"many critics' ""worst ever"" lists, however the soundtrack album sold well in some parts of the world; disco music had peaked in major territories such as the USA. Also in 1980, Wooten and Mason-Jacks sang background vocals on John Lennon's final album, ""Double Fantasy"". After deciding to split, when group owner Jacques Morali discovered he had AIDS, the group continued as Vera Brown and the Rich Girls for one song called ""Too Much Too Fast"" that failed completely. Vera Brown has reformed The Ritchie Family, with Dodie Draher and Jacqui Smith-Lee, but without further releases. With original members Wooten, Mason-Jacks"
"ended in 2003. Richie became a grandfather in 2008 when Nicole Richie gave birth to a baby girl with the lead singer of Good Charlotte, Joel Madden. Richie's second grandchild was born to the couple in 2009. On March 4, 2011, Richie appeared on NBC's ""Who Do You Think You Are?"" The program did research into Lionel Richie's genealogy and found out that his maternal great-grandfather was the national leader of an early African-American fraternal organization. Notably, J. Louis Brown was: Richie was baptized and grew up Episcopalian. He considered becoming an Episcopal priest instead of taking up a career"
"Carmichael. This project was more successful than their former projects. They made the single ""Barely Breaking Even"" alongside singer Leroy Burgess, and they also recorded an album. The group toured as The Universal Robot Band until 1978. After 1978, the band decided to make all their music themselves under the new name of Kleeer. Between 1979 and 1985 the group released seven albums and had several hits in the US ""Billboard"" Hot 100 and in R&B charts. The most mentionable are ""Keep Your Body Workin'"", ""Tonight's the Night"", ""Winners"", ""Intimate Connection"", and ""Get Tough"". The sound was now more focused"
"The Freshies The Freshies were a punk band from Manchester, England formed in the late 1970s and dissolved in the early 1980s, fronted by singer and comedian Chris Sievey (later known by his character Frank Sidebottom). Chris Sievey had recorded since the early 1970s, and released two cassettes under his own name before starting The Bees Knees in 1972 with bass guitarist Paul Burke which they renamed The Freshies in 1974. According to Sievey, when the band were looking for a guitarist, a fourteen-year-old Johnny Marr appeared at his house wanting to join the band but was told that he"
"One year later the group name changed to ""Dark Star"" and they signed to AVI Records and released the EP """"Sexy Baby"""". Under the group name Dark Star the album was released outside United States, overseas only. Richard Anthony began his musical career as a member of LA Dream Team, pioneers in the West Coast Hip Hop scene. In 1986, Richie has produced the hit song ""Nursery Rhymes"" with the L.A. Dream Team and it was released under MCA records. The group contributed hits such as ""The Dream Team is in the House"", ""Nursery Rhymes"" and ""Rock Berry Jam"" to"
"1986 album ""United"". He returned to working with Lionel Richie on the 1996 album ""Louder Than Words"", and on Richie's 1998 album ""Time"". James Anthony Carmichael continues to live in Los Angeles. He is unrelated to James Carmichael, the lead singer with disco group Instant Funk. James Anthony Carmichael James Anthony Carmichael (born September 14, 1941) is an American Grammy-winning musician, arranger, and record producer. He worked in Los Angeles as an arranger for The Olympics, Bill Cosby and others in the 1960s, before finding greater success at Motown as arranger and producer with the Commodores and Lionel Richie from"
"The Freshies, led by Chris Sievey (Frank Sidebottom). At the same time, and out of the same post-punk of Joy Division combining rock, pop, and dance music to earn much critical acclaim while selling millions of records. The group that would ultimately become the definitive Manchester group of the 1980s was The Smiths, led by Morrissey and Marr. With songs like ""Rusholme Ruffians"" and ""Suffer Little Children"", Morrissey sang explicitly about Manchester, creating songs that are as iconic of Manchester as the paintings of L.S. Lowry. As the 1980s drew to a close, a new energy arrived in Manchester fueled"
"interest from EMI and were given free recording time at De Lane Lea Music Studios in Wembley by Ronnie Beck of Feldman/Trident Music who were also the publishers of Queen. They recorded 6 songs from this session: ""The Hooker"", ""Necrophiliac"", ""Blue Smoke/Two Stroke"", ""Old Time Movie Star"", ""Spider's Web"", and ""Money Grabber"". After the band broke up, Collen joined the band Girl before joining the band Def Leppard in 1983. In recent years he has also formed his own band Man Raze with ex-Sex Pistols drummer Paul Cook and former band mate from Girl Simon Laffy on bass. Fred Ball"
"play on the name of their former record company. Notably left off was ""Where The Wild Things Are"", a live favorite from the time. The band broke up in April 1992 when Roxie returned to Los Angeles to become the guitarist on Gilby Clarke´s solo albums for Slash's Snakepit and later in 1996 Alice Cooper. Roxie later moved to Stockholm, Sweden. Shane, Jonathan, and John returned a few years later, sans guitarist Ryan Roxie who was replaced by Richard Tressan and with the addition of John Ceparano, as The Loveless, releasing ""A Tale Of Gin And Salvation"" in 1995. Later"
"lead guitarist, songwriter, co-producer, co-arranger (along with James Carmichael) for the Commodores.. His guitar solo in the Commodores song ""Easy"" is a classic which earned him his first write-up in Rolling Stone Magazine and was called ""one of the best solo guitar performances of all time"" by writer Dave Thompson.[1] While with the Commodores, McClary and Richie wrote thirty two of the ninety songs recorded on ten studio albums including the group's first number one single ""Slippery When Wet"". This innovative song became the template for the hit ""Play that funky Music"" by the group Wild Cherry. ""Brick House"",""Too Hot"
"guitarist Ryan Roxie and drummer Matt Laug (Roxie and Laug were both former members of Alice Cooper's solo band). They recorded and released their second album entitled ""Ain't Life Grand"" in 2000, which was preceded by a tour supporting AC/DC and followed by their own headlining tour. For the tour, Keri Kelli joined the group in place of Ryan Roxie, who departed following the completion of the album. However, after the final show, Slash disbanded Slash's Snakepit due to a lack of commitment from his band members. Following the two and a half year world tour in support of the"
"the ""Suicide Bag"" EP, was released in July 1982 and rocketed to the top of the British punk chart. The band would later be joined by drummer Grimly Fiendish and bassist Thistles, and producer Phil Langham would also moonlight on bass under the name Elvin Pelvin; whereas Kim Igoe, the bassist, continued on as a lyricist. The band split in 1986. In early 2016, Wild Planet (Des Stanley) died from cancer. Wild Planet managed the heavy rock band Purge, in which his son, Mark Stanley, plays bass guitar; Purge has sometimes played a live cover version of !Action Pact!'s ""London"