Who is Lionel Richie?

Lionel Richie

Lionel Richie spent his youth on the campus of the Tuskegee Institute in Tuskegee, Alabama where he was born. His grandfather's house was across the street from campus, where he once worked with founder and renowned educator and activist Booker T. Washington. After his family relocated to Joliet, Illinois, Richie returned to Tuskegee on a tennis scholarship and graduated with a degree in economics. But his interest in music soon brought about big changes in his life.

In 1968, Lionel Richie formed the eclectic R&B/soul group The Commodores along with several other freshmen at the Tuskegee Institute. The group first signed with Atlantic, jumping quickly to the influential Motown Records after just one record. They toured extensively with groups like The Jackson 5, Stevie Wonder and The Rolling Stones, perfecting their live show and building a strong fan base. The group had chart success with funkier tracks like "Machine Gun" and "Brick House," but it was ballads like "Easy" and "Three Times A Lady," written by and featuring Lionel on lead vocal, that truly propelled them to the pinnacle of fame and success.