Happy birthday, Lionel!
Lionel Richie Bio
Lionel Brockman Richie, Jr. was born on June 20, 1949 in Tuskegee, Alabama. Lionel was born to a US army systems analyst father and an educator mother. Richie spent most of his childhood living with his maternal grandparents, right in the campus of Tuskegee Institute, now Tuskegee University, as per Britannica.
Most of Richie's family members worked in the Tuskegee Institute for two generations. While Richie was a college student in Tuskegee Institute, he joined the music group called The Commodres, as per All Music.
How Lionel Richie Started His Music Career
Richie was a soxophonist, sometime-vocalist, and songwriter for The Commodores, and wrote ballads for the group, which included, "Easy", "Three Times a Lady," and "Still." Richie was active as a Commodores member during the 1970's until 1981. Before 1981 ended, though, Richie decided to pursue a solo career in music.
Lionel's self-titled debut album was released in late 1982. It reached the number three spot on multiple pop charts, and at the time, was on progress into becoming a multi-platinum album. The first single off Lionel's debut album, "Truly," was Richie's first song as a solo artist to had reached number one on the charts. Three other singles off Richie's debut album reached the top of the charts.
Lionel Richie's Major Accomplishments and Accolades
Richie's sophomore album, "Can't Slow Down" generated five top ten singles for the singer. The singles "All Night Long (All Night)" and "Hello" reached number one on several songs charts. "Can't Slow Down" the album itself reached number one, and garnered a diamond status. Among of Lionel's awards were the Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance-Truly (1983), Grammy Award for Producer of the Year, Non-Classical (1985), Grammy Award for Song of the Year-We are the World (1986), and American Music Awards Icon Award (2022), just to name a few.
Lionel Richie Joins 'American Idol'
In 2018, Lionel started serving as a judge in the reality singing competition series, "American Idol," alongside Katy Perry and Luke Bryan.
Storm Warning Issued Amid Lionel Richie's Live Performance
Richie was scheduled to perform live in an open-air concert in Somerset on June 11 when a storm warning was issued, as per Somersetlive.co.uk. It wasn't clear if Lionel's concert pushed through, despite the storm warning being issued at the time.
Lionel Richie Is Now an Insurance Broker's Brand Ambassador
A Grand Rapids, Michigan insurance broker called Acrisure recently designated Lionel Richie as its brand ambassador. As per Fox 17, Lionel decided to join Acrisure due to the insurance brand's innovative business principles, and because the company and the artist share the same morals and professional aspirations.
