The title selection was accompanied by a video directed by Stanley Donen, which drew inspiration from Royal Wedding, a 1951 Fred Astaire film Donen had directed. In 1986, Richie released Dancing on the Ceiling, his last widely popular album, which produced a run of US and UK hits including " Say You, Say Me" (U.S. He also collaborated with Michael Jackson on the charity single " We Are the World" by USA for Africa, another #1 hit. charts and staying there for four weeks, making it the #2 song of 1986 according to Billboard's Year-End Hot 100 chart, behind the charity single " That's What Friends Are For" by Dionne and Friends. Now described by one critic as "the black Barry Manilow", in 1985 Richie wrote and performed a suitably soothing theme song, " Say You, Say Me", for the film White Nights, winning an Oscar for his efforts as well as reaching #1 on the U.S. Richie had three more top ten hits in 1984, " Stuck on You" (#3), " Running with the Night" (#7) and " Penny Lover" (#8).
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Several more Top 10 hits followed, the most successful of which was the ballad " Hello" (1984), a sentimental love song that showed how far Richie had moved from his R&B roots. In 1984, Richie performed "All Night Long" at the closing ceremony of the XXIII Olympic Games in Los Angeles. The album contained the #1 hit " All Night Long" a Caribbean-flavored dance number that was promoted by a colorful music video produced by former Monkee Michael Nesmith. His 1983 follow-up album, Can't Slow Down, sold over twice as many copies and won two Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year, propelling him into the first rank of international superstars. The album hit #3 on the music charts and sold over 4 million copies. #1 song " Truly", which launched his career as one of the most successful balladeers of the 1980s, and the top five hits " You Are" and " My Love". Richie's 1982 self-titled debut contained three hit singles: the U.S. His debut album, Lionel Richie, produced another chart-topping single, " Truly", which continued the style of his ballads with the Commodores. He was replaced as lead singer for The Commodores by Skyler Jett in 1983. Its success encouraged Richie to branch out into a full-fledged solo career in 1982. Issued as a single, the song topped the UK, Canada, Brazil, Australia, Japan, New Zealand and US pop music charts, and became one of Motown's biggest hits (in the US it sold 2 million copies and became a platinum single record). Also in 1981 Richie sang the theme song for the film Endless Love, a duet with Diana Ross. Latin jazz composer and salsa romantica pioneer La Palabra enjoyed international success with his cover of "Lady," which was played at Latin dance clubs. Richie and Rogers maintained a strong friendship in later years. He composed " Lady" for Kenny Rogers, which hit #1 in 1980, and produced Rogers's album Share Your Love the following year. 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".īy the late 1970s he had begun to accept songwriting commissions from other artists. The Commodores then became established as a popular soul group.
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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. In 1968 he became a singer and saxophonist with the Commodores. Career The Commodores Īs a student in Tuskegee, Richie formed a succession of R&B groups in the mid-1960s. He is a member of Kappa Kappa Psi and an active life member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity. After receiving his undergraduate degree from Tuskegee, Richie briefly attended graduate school at Auburn University. A star tennis player in Joliet, he accepted a tennis scholarship to attend Tuskegee Institute, and graduated with a major in economics. Richie graduated from Joliet Township High School, East Campus. His family moved to Joliet, Illinois, where his mother Alberta was principal at Eliza Kelly Elementary school and his father worked at Armcom through the now defunct Joliet Arsenal. His grandfather's house was across the street from the home of the president of the college. He grew up on the campus of Tuskegee Institute. Richie was raised in Tuskegee, Alabama, the son of Alberta R.