While in college in the mid-60s Richie formed various R&B groups and then in 1968, hit it big time when he became frontman, lead singer, and saxophonist for the Commodores, a Motown Records band that became hugely popular across the U.S. in the 1970s. The Commodores, which also included original band members Walter "Clyde" Orange, Milan "Quickdraw" Williams, William "WAK" King, Thomas McCleary, and Ronald LaPread, produced hits like "Three Times a Lady," "Easy," and "Brick House."

Lionel Richie was known to write and sing many of the band’s songs—including some of their biggest hits, specializing in ballads. He quickly became the most well-known and popular member of the group, and expanded his songwriting and composing for other artists in music, including fellow musician and friend Kenny Rogers, for whom he produced single "Lady," the #1 song in 1980, as well as Kenny Rogers’ album Share Your Love in 1981. Lionel Richie is also renowned for his famous duet with singing sensation Diana Ross in the early 80s, "Endless Love."

Lionel Richie, however, decided to leave the Commodores in 1981 to pursue a solo music career, and then a year later he released his self-titled debut, selling more than four million copies. But he sold twice as many albums with his follow-up Can’t Slow Down in 1983, and won two Grammy Awards, one for Album of the Year. Former Monkee Michael Nesmith produced an interesting and somewhat startling music video of Can’t Slow Down’s hit "All Night Long." Lionel Richie and Michael Jackson worked together on the single "We Are the World" for charity USA for Africa.

After his third successful album, Dancing on the Ceiling in 1986, most of Lionel Richie’s large success was gone, although he did purposely enjoy a more relaxed lifestyle and schedule. Richie did go on to produce several more albums in the 1990s, such as Back to Front, Louder Than Words, and Time, but none was quite able to garner the same critical acclaim as his earlier works.

A currently single guy now in his late fifties, Lionel Richie has been married twice and has three children. Together with his first wife Brenda Richie, they adopted three-year-old Nicole Richie in 1984, who is now an actress and socialite.

After sixteen years of marriage, Lionel and Brenda divorced and he married Diane Alexander almost immediately thereafter. The two had two children together before they split.

YUDDY