It is now June 24, 2019, and American singer, songwriter, actor, and record producer Lionel Richie is set to appear here in South Florida next month. Just about everything that can be said about the legendary musician has been said. Nevertheless, Lionel Richie’s career is still rolling along. Last week Richie celebrated his seventieth birthday, a milestone in life for most of us, but Richie just keeps moving forward. I’m sure Richie reflects on his life and legacy of music created during his over fifty year career, but he never slows down.
For me, Lionel Richie’s legacy started a while before I got into high school. Richie is one of those musicians whose music seemed to always be somewhere in the major events of my young years. Those years with the Commodores helped me to develop an ear for the music that would become a part of me for years to come. From the mid to late 1970’s, Lionel and the Commodores were one of the groups that made music at the time unparalleled. I just can’t remember a time in history like those years. Let us first look at how it all started for Lionel Richie.
Richie was born and raised in Tuskegee, Alabama, the son of Lionel Brockman Richie Sr. and Alberta R. Foster. He grew up on the campus of Tuskegee Institute. He graduated from Joliet Township High School, East Campus, in Joliet, Illinois. A star tennis player in Joliet, he accepted a tennis scholarship to attend Tuskegee Institute, and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in economics. Richie seriously considered studying divinity to become a priest in the Episcopal Church, but ultimately decided he was not “priest material” and decided to continue his musical career.
As a student in Tuskegee in 1968, he became a singer and saxophonist with the Commodores. 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. The Commodores then became established as a popular band.
During my young years before high school I can remember hits like Slippery When Wet, Just to be Close to You playing on the radio constantly. Then came the fifth studio album, Commodores released in 1977. The album delivered hits like Easy, Zoom and the major hit Brick House. As I entered high school and joined the marching band, those songs were prominently at the top of our playlist. Without a doubt I was very familiar with the Commodores and Lionel Richie at that time.
By the late 1970’s, Richie had begun to accept songwriting commissions from other artists. He composed “Lady” for Kenny Rogers, which hit No. 1 in 1980, and produced Rogers’ album Share Your Love the following year. Richie and Rogers maintained a strong friendship in later years. In 1981 Richie sang the theme song for the film Endless Love, a duet with Diana Ross. Issued as a single, the song topped the Canada, Brazil, Australia, Japan, New Zealand and US pop music charts, and became one of Motown’s biggest hits. While still a member of the Commodores, Richie became an international star, all but insuring his leaving the band and pursuing a solo career.
That is exactly what happened. Richie’s 1982 debut solo album, Lionel Richie, contained three hit singles: the U.S. number-one song “Truly”, which continued the style of his ballads with the Commodores and launched his career as one of the most successful balladeers of the 1980’s, and the top five hits “You Are” and “My Love”. The album hit No. 3 on the music charts and sold over 4 million copies. Motown had to be ecstatic about how things were going. It set up a promise of something great to come in the future. Indeed it was.
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 contained the number-one hit “All Night Long” a Caribbean-flavored dance number that was promoted by a colorful music video produced by former Monkee Michael Nesmith. In a contemporary review for The Village Voice, music critic Robert Christgau gave the album a “B+” and called it a “surprisingly solid” improvement, particularly with respect to Richie’s ballad singing. He felt that its “jumpy international dance-pop” suits Richie more than the Commodores’ funk had and predicted that, considering his “well-established appeal to white people,” Can’t Slow Down has the potential to become a “mini-Thriller”.
Interestingly, Christgau made reference to Michael Jackson’s album Thriller. The album that historically helped Jackson win eight Grammy awards. One of the most successful albums of all time. Looking back thirty-five years I still wonder if things could have been different for Lionel Richie. What if Michael Jackson never recorded Thriller? Or, what if he recorded it after Can’t Slow Down? The album is Lionel Richie’s best-selling album of all time, and won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year in 1985. Could it have been considered historic if there were no Thriller?
You see, as I reflect on Can’t Slow Down, it always seemed to chase Thriller. Five singles were released from Can’t Slow Down, all of which hit the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100 chart, including two that reached #1: “All Night Long (All Night)” and “Hello”. Thriller produced seven singles—”The Girl Is Mine”, “Billie Jean”, “Beat It”, “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’ ”, “Human Nature”, “P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)”, and “Thriller”—all of which reached the top 10 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. Without Thriller at the time, we might very well place Can’t Slow Down in a higher category.
Like Thriller, Can’t Slow Down provided Lionel Richie with major hits that still regularly can be heard on radio stations worldwide. Both Richie and Jackson have written and recorded many more hits outside of their major efforts. Thriller came first and delivered more hits, and sold more albums than Can’t Slow Down. The rest is history.
As we reflect on the music now over thirty-five years old, Lionel Richie seems a long way from retirement. He is a judge for the revival of the reality talent show American Idol. On March 25, 2019, R&B Legend Lionel Richie announced an epic 33-date tour across North America for the summer. As I mentioned earlier in this post, Richie will be appearing here in South Florida next month. No slowing down for Lionel Richie.
What might be next for Richie? Well, I would not be surprised is Lionel Richie recorded new music. Remember, he is still a very talented songwriter with a long list of hits. He might even write more music for other artists. Whatever he does, be sure Lionel Richie still can’t slow down.