Lionel Richie facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Lionel Richie
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Richie in 2022
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Lionel Brockman Richie Jr.
June 20, 1949 Tuskegee, Alabama, U.S.
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| Years active | 1968–present |
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Brenda Harvey
(m. 1975; div. 1993)Diane Alexander
(m. 1995; div. 2004) |
| Children | 3, including Nicole and Sofia |
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Lionel Brockman Richie Jr. (born June 20, 1949) is a famous American singer, songwriter, and music producer. He is also a well-known television personality. Lionel Richie first became famous in the 1970s. He was a songwriter and one of the main singers for the Motown group called Commodores.
With the Commodores, he wrote and sang many popular songs. These included "Easy", "Sail On", "Three Times a Lady", and "Still". In 1980, he wrote and produced the number one song "Lady" for Kenny Rogers.
In 1981, Lionel Richie wrote and produced "Endless Love". He sang this song as a duet with Diana Ross. It became one of the best-selling songs ever. It was also the biggest hit for both artists. In 1982, he started his solo music career. His first album, Lionel Richie, sold over four million copies. It featured hit songs like "You Are", "My Love", and the number one song "Truly".
His second album, Can't Slow Down (1983), was a huge success. It reached number one in the U.S. and sold over 20 million copies worldwide. This made it one of the best-selling albums of all time. It included number one hits such as "All Night Long (All Night)" and "Hello". In 1985, he helped write the charity song "We Are the World" with Michael Jackson. This song sold over 20 million copies.
His third album, Dancing on the Ceiling (1986), had the number one song "Say You, Say Me". This song was from the 1985 movie White Nights. Another hit from the album was the song "Dancing on the Ceiling". Lionel Richie took a break from recording music from 1986 to 1996. Since then, he has released seven more studio albums. He also became a judge on the singing competition American Idol in 2018 and is still a judge today.
Lionel Richie has sold over 100 million records around the world. This makes him one of the world's best-selling artists. He has won four Grammy Awards. These include Song of the Year for "We Are the World" and Album of the Year for Can't Slow Down. He has also received many other honors. In 2022, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
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Early Life and Education
Lionel Richie was born on June 20, 1949, in Tuskegee, Alabama. His father, Lionel Brockman Richie, was a U.S. Army systems analyst. His mother, Alberta R. Foster, was a teacher and school principal. His grandmother, Adelaide Mary Brown, was a classical pianist.
Lionel grew up on the campus of Tuskegee Institute. His family home was a gift to his grandparents from Booker T. Washington. He went to Joliet Township High School in Joliet, Illinois. He was a great tennis player there. He received a tennis scholarship to attend Tuskegee Institute.
At Tuskegee, he was part of the marching band, the Marching Crimson Pipers. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in economics. He also studied accounting. Lionel thought about becoming a priest, but he decided to follow his passion for music instead. He is a member of two honor fraternities, Kappa Kappa Psi and Alpha Phi Alpha.
Music Career
Starting with the Commodores
While he was a student in Tuskegee, Lionel Richie started several R&B music groups in the mid-1960s. In 1968, he joined the Commodores as a singer and saxophonist. They first signed with Atlantic Records, then moved to Motown Records. The Commodores became a very popular soul music group.
Their early albums had a danceable, funky sound. Songs like "Machine Gun" and "Brick House" are good examples. Over time, Lionel Richie started writing and singing more romantic, easy-listening songs. These included "Easy", "Three Times a Lady", "Still", and "Sail On".
In 1974, Lionel Richie had his first big success as a songwriter. He co-wrote "Happy People" for The Temptations. By the late 1970s, he was writing songs for other artists. He wrote "Lady" for Kenny Rogers, which became a number one hit in 1980. He also produced Kenny Rogers' album Share Your Love. Lionel Richie and Kenny Rogers remained close friends. In 1981, Lionel Richie sang the theme song for the movie Endless Love. This was a duet with Diana Ross. The song topped music charts in many countries and became one of Motown's biggest hits.
Solo Success
Lionel Richie's first solo album, Lionel Richie, came out in 1982. It had three hit songs. "Truly" was a number one hit in the U.S. It helped him become one of the most successful ballad singers of the 1980s. The album also had top five hits like "You Are" and "My Love". The album reached number 3 on the music charts and sold over 4 million copies.
His next album, Can't Slow Down (1983), sold more than twice as many copies. It won two Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year. This album made him a huge international star. It featured the number one hit "All Night Long". This was a fun, Caribbean-style dance song. In 1984, he performed "All Night Long" at the closing ceremony of the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
Many more top 10 hits followed. One of the most successful was the ballad "Hello" (1984). This was a romantic love song that showed how much his music style had grown. In 1984, he had three more top ten hits: "Stuck on You", "Running with the Night", and "Penny Lover". He also wrote and produced "Missing You" for Diana Ross. In 1985, he wrote and performed "Say You, Say Me" for the movie White Nights. This song won an Academy Award and reached number one in the U.S.
In 1986, Richie released Dancing on the Ceiling. This album had five hit songs in the U.S. and UK. These included "Say You, Say Me", "Dancing on the Ceiling", "Love Will Conquer All", "Ballerina Girl", and "Se La". He took a break from music after this album. He returned to recording and performing in 1992 with his greatest hits album, Back to Front.
Since then, he has kept a more relaxed schedule for recording and live shows. In 1996, he released Louder Than Words. He continued to make well-crafted soul music, which is now known as contemporary R&B. His albums in the late 1990s, like Louder Than Words and Time, were not as commercially successful as his earlier work. However, some of his more recent albums, such as Renaissance and Just for You, have been popular in Europe.
Recent Career Highlights
In 2006, Lionel Richie was the main performer at a Fourth of July concert in Philadelphia. He released his eighth studio album, "Coming Home", on September 12, 2006. The first song from the album, "I Call It Love", became his biggest U.S. hit in ten years. The album was a success, reaching number 6 on the charts.
In May 2008, Richie received the George and Ira Gershwin Lifetime Achievement Award at UCLA. In May 2009, he said he would like to get The Commodores back together. He released an album called Just Go in 2009. On July 7, 2009, Richie performed "Jesus is Love" at Michael Jackson's memorial service.
In 2011, Richie toured Australia and New Zealand with guest artist Guy Sebastian. They recorded Richie's 1983 hit "All Night Long" together. This was to raise money for flood relief in Australia and earthquake relief in New Zealand.
On March 26, 2012, Richie released his tenth studio album, Tuskegee. This album featured 13 of his hit songs performed as duets with country music stars. The album returned him to the top of the Billboard 200 chart. It was his first number one album there since Dancing on the Ceiling. It became a platinum album within six weeks.
On June 28, 2015, Richie performed for a huge crowd at the Glastonbury Festival in England. His show was called "triumphant" by the BBC. After this, a collection of his songs as a solo artist and with the Commodores returned to the top of the UK albums chart. In September 2017, it was announced that Richie would be a judge for the new American Idol show. He has been a judge on the show for seven seasons, including 2024.
In May 2017, Richie was honored at Berklee College of Music. Students performed a medley of his songs. Richie also received an Honorary Doctorate of Music. In December 2017, Richie received the Kennedy Center Honors. In March 2019, Richie announced a 33-date tour across North America called the 'Hello Tour'. In May 2023, Richie was a headline performer at Windsor Castle for the Coronation Concert for King Charles III. He is also the First Global Ambassador for the Prince's Trust.
Popularity in the Arab World
Lionel Richie is very popular in many Arab states. He has performed in countries like Morocco, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, and Libya. In 2006, a report by ABC News said that Iraqi men would get emotional just hearing his name. They could sing his songs. Richie was told that Iraqi civilians were playing "All Night Long" when U.S. tanks entered Baghdad in 2003. Richie was against the war and has said he would like to perform in Baghdad someday.
Personal Life
On October 18, 1975, Lionel Richie married his college sweetheart, Brenda Harvey. In 1983, they informally adopted Nicole Camille Escovedo, who was two years old. She was the daughter of a member of Richie's band. The Richies raised Nicole as their daughter and officially adopted her when she was nine. Nicole is now known as Nicole Richie.
Lionel Richie married Diane Alexander on December 21, 1995. They have a son, Miles Richie, and a daughter, Sofia Richie. Their marriage ended in 2004.
Richie had problems with his throat for a long time. He had surgery four times in four years. Doctors told him he might lose his singing career. He then saw a holistic doctor. This doctor told him the problem was simply acid reflux from foods he ate before bed.
Lionel Richie became a grandfather in 2008 when Nicole Richie had a baby girl with Joel Madden. His second grandchild was born to the couple in 2009. Lionel Richie is also a Freemason.
Richie has helped raise over $3.1 million for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. He shared that his grandmother was diagnosed with breast cancer in her 80s. She survived and lived to be 103 years old. He said she was his symbol of hope and why he became involved in breast cancer awareness.
Awards and Honors
Lionel Richie has won four Grammy Awards. He won Song of the Year in 1985 for "We Are the World", which he co-wrote with Michael Jackson. He also won Album of the Year in 1984 for Can't Slow Down. He was named Producer of the Year (Non-Classical) in 1984. He won Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for "Truly" in 1982.
Lionel Richie was the first person to receive a RIAA diamond album award. This award is for albums that sell over 10 million copies.
Richie has been nominated for two Golden Globe awards and won one. In 1982, he was nominated for Best Original Song for the film Endless Love. In 1986, he won the award for Best Original Song for "Say You, Say Me", from the film White Nights. This song also won the Academy Award for Best Original Song.
Tours
Headlining Tours
- Running With the Night Tour (1984)
- The Outrageous Tour (1986–1987)
- In Concert (1998–2001)
- The One World Tour (2004)
- Coming Home Tour (2007)
- Just Go Tour (2009)
- Tuskegee Tour (2012)
- All the Hits, All Night Long (2013–2016)
- All the Hits Tour (with Mariah Carey) (2017)
- Hello! Hits Tour (2019)
- Sing a Song All Night Long Tour (with Earth, Wind & Fire) (2023–2024)
- Say Hello To The Hits Tour (2024–2025)
Discography
Solo Albums
- Lionel Richie (1982)
- Can't Slow Down (1983)
- Dancing on the Ceiling (1986)
- Louder Than Words (1996)
- Time (1998)
- Renaissance (2000)
- Just for You (2004)
- Coming Home (2006)
- Just Go (2009)
- Tuskegee (2012)
Albums with Commodores
- Machine Gun (1974)
- Caught in the Act (1975)
- Movin' On (1975)
- Hot on the Tracks (1976)
- Commodores (1977)
- Natural High (1978)
- Midnight Magic (1979)
- Heroes (1980)
- In the Pocket (1981)
Film and Television Appearances
Lionel Richie has appeared in several TV shows and movies, often playing himself.
Television
- The Simpsons (2007) – Himself (voice)
- Who Do You Think You Are? (2011) – Himself
- Sport Relief 2012 (2012) – Barman
- Oprah's Master Class (2014) – Himself
- American Idol (2018–present) – Judge
- American Housewife (2019) – Himself
- Jeopardy! The Greatest of All Time (2020) – Himself
- The Rookie (2020) – Himself
- Jeopardy! (2022) – Contestant
Film
- Scott Joplin (1977) – The Minstrel Singers (with The Commodores)
- Thank God It's Friday (1978) – Himself (with The Commodores)
- Madonna: Truth or Dare (1991) – Himself (Documentary)
- The Preacher's Wife (1996) – Britsloe
- Pariah (1998) – Lavender Mob
- The Black Godfather (2019) – Himself (Documentary)
- Studio 666 (2022) – Himself
- The Greatest Night in Pop (2024) – Himself (Documentary)
See also
In Spanish: Lionel Richie para niños
- List of best-selling music artists
- List of highest-certified music artists in the United States
