Lionel Richie

Lionel Richie
Richie in France, 2012
Born	Lionel Brockman Richie, Jr. (1949-06-20) June 20, 1949 (age 67) Tuskegee, Alabama, U.S.
Residence	Beverly Hills, California, U.S.
Years active	1968–present
Net worth	$200 million (2016)
Spouse(s)	Brenda Harvey (m. 1975; div. 1993) Diane Alexander (m. 1995; div. 2004)
Children	Nicole Richie (b. 1981) Myles Richie (b. 1994) Sofia Richie (b. 1998)
Website	lionelrichie.com
Musical career
Genres	Soul R&B pop pop rock soft rock country gospel
Occupation(s)	Singer songwriter actor record producer
Instruments	Vocals piano saxophone
Labels	Island Mercury Motown
Associated acts	Diana Ross Commodores Nicole Richie Alabama Marvin Gaye Stevie Wonder Luther Vandross Michael Jackson Janet Jackson Patti Labelle USA for Africa Live Aid Jason Derulo Natasha Bedingfield Kenny Rogers Akon Trijntje Oosterhuis Good Charlotte

Lionel Brockman Richie, Jr. (born June 20, 1949) is an American singer, songwriter, actor and record producer. Beginning in 1968, he was a member of the funk and soul band the Commodores and then launched a hugely successful solo career in 1982. He also co-wrote the 1985 charity single "We Are the World" with Michael Jackson, which sold over 20 million copies. Richie has sold over 100 million records worldwide, making him one of the world's best-selling artists of all time. He is also a five-time Grammy Award winner. In 2016, Richie received the Songwriters Hall of Fame's highest honor, the Johnny Mercer Award.

Lionel Brockman Richie, Jr. was born and raised in Tuskegee, Alabama, the son of Alberta R. (Foster) and Lionel Brockman Richie, Sr. He grew up on the campus of Tuskegee Institute.

Richie graduated from Joliet Township High School, East Campus. A star tennis player in Joliet, he accepted a tennis scholarship to attend Tuskegee Institute, and dropped out of Tuskegee Institute after his sophomore year. Richie seriously considered studying divinity to become a priest with the Episcopal Church, but ultimately decided he was not "priest material" and decided to continue his musical career. He is a member of Kappa Kappa Psi, a national honor fraternity for marching band members, and an active life member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity.

As a student in Tuskegee, Richie formed a succession of R&B groups in the mid-1960s. 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 soul group. Their first several albums had a danceable, funky sound, as in such tracks as "Machine Gun" and "Brick House." Over time, Richie wrote and sang more romantic, easy-listening ballads such as "Easy", "Three Times a Lady", "Still", and the tragic breakup ballad "Sail On".