American singer-songwriter, record producer and TV personality Lionel Brockman Richie was born 75 years ago in Tuskegee, Alabama, is in a relationship and has 3 children.
After graduating from high school, being an ‘ace’ in tennis, he obtained a scholarship in this sport. He even thought about becoming a priest and study theology but changed his mind and opted for a music career.
In the 1960s, Lionel created various groups and in 1968 became the lead singer of the soul band ‘The Commodores’. He also wrote songs for the band as well as other artists like Kenny Rogers and received commission for his work. Then, in 1981, he sang in duet with Diana Ross the international number one hit ‘Endless Love’. A year later, Lionel proceeded with his career as a solo artist.
During the rest of the 1980s, Lionel issued a number of albums which contained a string of number one and Top 10 hits like ‘Truly’, ‘All Night Long’, ‘Hello’, ‘Stuck on You’, ‘Dancing on the Ceiling’ and ‘Say You, Say Me’, amongst others. Additionally, he also contributed with numerous famous artists to the song for charity by USA for Africa ‘We are the World’, which was yet another number one hit worldwide.
After a 10-year career break, Richie resumed singing and released a number of albums which, however, did not prove as successful as the previous ones. Then his career took a positive turn in the 2000s after issuing a couple of albums which received good acclaim.
During his +50-year career, Lionel issued over 20 albums and more than 40 singles plus a number of music videos. He also starred in a few movies and appeared in several TV shows.
Lionel is also a breast cancer research activist and in 2003 helped raise funds during his performance in the Foundation’s annual spring gala.
Richie won numerous awards amongst which there are 4 Grammy, 1 Golden Globe, 1 Academy and 9 American Music. He was also the first person to win an RIAA Diamond Album Award. His songs sold more than 100 million copies around the world and is considered as one of the best-selling artists worldwide ever.
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