Lionel Ritchie
BORN: June 20, 1949, Tuskegee, AL
After leaving the Commodores, Lionel Richie became one of the most successful
male solo artists of the '80s, arguably eclipsed during his 1981-1987 heyday
only by Michael Jackson and Prince. Richie dominated the pop charts during
that period with an incredible run of 13 consecutive Top Ten hits, five of
them number ones. As his popularity skyrocketed, Richie moved farther away
from his R&B origins and concentrated more on adult contemporary balladry,
which had been one of his strengths even as part of the Commodores. After
1987, Richie fell silent, taking an extended break from recording and touring
before beginning a comeback toward the tail end of the '90s.
Lionel Brockman Richie, Jr. was born on June 20, 1949 in Tuskegee, AL, and
grew up on the campus of the Tuskegee Institute, where most of his family
had worked for two generations prior. While attending college there, Richie
joined the Commodores, who went on to become the most successful act on the
Motown label during the latter half of the '70s. Richie served as a saxophonist,
sometime vocalist, and songwriter, penning ballads like "Easy," "Three Times
a Lady," and "Still" (the latter two became the group's only number one pop
hits). Although the Commodores maintained a democratic band structure through
most of their chart run, things began to change when the '70s became the
'80s. In 1980, Richie wrote and produced country-pop singer Kenny Rogers'
across-the-board number one smash "Lady," and the following year, Richie's
duet with Diana Ross, "Endless Love" (recorded for the Brooke Shields film
of the same title), became the most successful single in Motown history,
topping the charts for a stunning nine weeks. With the media's attention
now focused exclusively on Richie, tensions within the Commodores began to
mount, and before the end of 1981, Richie decided to embark on a solo career.
Richie immediately set about recording his solo debut for Motown. Titled
simply Lionel Richie, the album was released in late 1982 and was an immediate
smash, reaching number three on the pop charts on its way to sales of over
four million copies. It spun off three Top Five pop hits, including the first
single "Truly," which became Richie's first solo number one. If Lionel Richie
made its creator a star, the follow-up Can't Slow Down made him a superstar.
Boasting five Top Ten singles, including the number ones "All Night Long
(All Night)" and "Hello," Can't Slow Down hit number one, eventually sold
over ten million copies, and won the 1984 Grammy for Album of the Year. Such
was Richie's stature that he was invited to perform at the closing ceremonies
of the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, a spectacular stage event that was broadcast
worldwide.
In 1985, Richie put his superstar status to work for a greater good, joining
Michael Jackson in co-writing the USA for Africa charity single "We Are the
World"; the all-star recording helped raise millions of dollars for famine
relief. By the end of the year, he was on top of the charts again with "Say
You, Say Me," a ballad recorded for the film White Nights but not included
on the soundtrack album. The song was slated to be the title track on Richie's
upcoming album, but delays in the recording process prevented the record
from being released until August 1986, by which time the title was changed
to Dancing on the Ceiling (in order to promote Richie's next single release).
Three more Top Tens followed "Say You, Say Me," as did "Se La," which became
the first of Richie's solo singles not to reach the pop Top Ten. Overall,
Dancing on the Ceiling didn't match the success of Can't Slow Down, but it
still sold an impressive four million copies, although Richie's reputation
for sentimental ballads was beginning to incur a backlash in some quarters.
1987 saw Richie's nine-year streak of writing at least one number one single
(a feat matched only by Irving Berlin) come to an end. As a matter of fact,
Richie all but disappeared from the music business, simply choosing to take
some time off after nearly two decades of recording and performing (or, perhaps,
quitting while he was ahead). His silence was broken only in 1992, when Motown
released a compilation titled Back to Front; in addition to some of his solo
hits and a few Commodores tracks, Back to Front also featured three new songs,
including the number one R&B hit "Do It to Me" (which wasn't as successful
on the pop charts).
Richie wasn't bitten by the recording bug again until 1996, by which time
he'd endured his share of personal loss: his father had passed away, and
his marriage to wife Brenda -- the muse behind some of his most successful
ballads -- had fallen apart. In approaching his comeback, Richie attempted
to update his sound to reflect a decade's worth of developments in urban
R&B. The result, Louder Than Words, was a moderate success, reaching
the Top 30 and going gold. However, it didn't produce any major hit singles,
and Richie's nods to new jack swing and hip-hop were criticized as awkward.
1998's Time found Richie in a more familiar element, relying on his signature
sound with only slight musical updates. However, the album flopped, spending
only a few weeks in the lower reaches of the charts. Richie's next album,
Renaissance, was released to a favorable reception in Europe in late 2000;
it was issued in the U.S. in early 2001. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide