Richie was born in the Alabama town of Tuskegee.
There he spent his childhood. He grew up in the Illinois town of Joliet.
Richie began his career as a member of The Commodores, and Three Times a Lady is the band’s most well-known song.
His self-titled debut album was a huge hit in 1982. Can’t Slow Down, the sequel, was even more successful.
He performed All Night Long in front of a global audience of over two billion people at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, as a surprise guest.
Richie returned to music in 1996 with Louder Than Words, after a few years away. Four years later, he released Renaissance, which included the song Angel.
Tuskegee, a country album comprised of fresh versions of many of Richie’s biggest popular songs, each featuring a different guest artist, catapulted him back to the top of the charts in 2012.
It was his first number one album on the Billboard 200 chart since 1986, as well as the number one country album chart.
Tuskegee was also his first platinum album since 1986, with more than 1 million copies sold, according to the Recording Industry Association of America.
Are both Lionel Richies Parents Black?
Lionel Richie’s ancestors include African Americans, Cherokee Native Americans, English, French-Canadians, and Scots.
