Lionel Richie

Born in 1949 in Tuskegee, Alabama, Lionel Richie grew up immersed in soul and rhythm and blues before joining the Commodores in the late 1960s, a funk-and-soul band signed to Motown, where he gradually became the songwriter of ballads and lead singer. With the Commodores he contributed to a series of studio albums in the 1970s, then launched a solo career in the early 1980s marked by the albums 'Lionel Richie' (1982), 'Can't Slow Down' (1983) and 'Dancing on the Ceiling' (1986), which established a sound blending pop, R&B and romantic ballads. At the same time he wrote for other artists — notably 'Lady' for Kenny Rogers — and recorded the duet 'Endless Love' with Diana Ross in 1981. After a quieter period he returned in the 1990s and 2000s with albums such as 'Louder Than Words' (1996), 'Renaissance' (2000) and 'Just Go' (2009), then revisited his catalogue in a country-pop mode with 'Tuskegee' (2012). Active on stage, Richie alternates international tours, occasional collaborations and TV appearances, sustaining a trajectory in which R&B ballads, melodic pop and songwriting centred on voice and harmonies remain at the heart of his artistic identity.