Lionel Richie - American star of the 80s

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

In the 1980s, Lionel Richie reigned on the world musical Olympus. At that time he was no less popular than Michael Jackson. All thirty of the artist's singles, released between 1981 and 1987, hit the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100 hit parade, five of them took first place. Let's find out what was the road to fame Lionel Richie.

Biography and the beginning of creative activity

The singer was born in the USA, in a small town in Alabama, 1949-20-06. As a child, the boy spent a lot of time on the student campus, since almost all of his immediate family worked at the Tuskegee Institute. Lionel was interested in the saxophone and started playing in local soul bands when he entered college.

In 1967, Richie was accepted into The Commodores as a saxophonist, but soon became the main vocalist. The team successfully performed in Alabama, then there were performances in New York, first in small clubs, and then at large venues, which served as the beginning of a successful career. The Commodores became a very popular rhythm and blues band.

Over time Lionel Richiebegan to try himself as a composer. In 1980, he wrote the song Lady for country singer Kenny Rogers, which became a very big hit and spent many weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100. A year later, the singer recorded a duet with Diana Ross - the song Endless Love for the film Endless Love. The single became one of the highest grossing pop songs of the 1980s. Then Lionel Richie decided to leave the group and start performing on his own.

Solo career

In 1981, the artist began to create a debut album called Lionel Richie. Its release took place at the end of 1982. The disc was a resounding success, the title track Truly soared to the top of the American charts, three more singles settled in the top five of the charts. The listeners liked both the compositions themselves and the incomparable vocals of Lionel Richie. The song Truly was nominated for a Grammy.

If the debut CD made Richie a star, the second album turned him into a superstar. It included both energetic and incendiary compositions and heartfelt ballads. The sentimental song "Hello" by Lionel Richie with the accompanying video clip about the life of a blind girl received the greatest love from the audience.

The singer became so popular that he was even invited to perform at the closing ceremony of the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles.

In 1985, Lionel Richie had several other big hits, including the single We Are the World with Michael Jackson, published as part of the US forAfrica.”

Declining popularity

In 1987, the musician's third album was released, but it did not have the due success. During that period, rock and techno began to come into fashion, and sugary ballads were forced out of the charts. Richie announced a pause in creativity. He was going to take a break, but it turned out that the break dragged on for five years. In 1988, information appeared in the press that his wife attacked Lionel, catching him with his mistress. This story caused a negative reaction from the public. In 1989, doctors discovered polyps on the ligaments of the singer, and over the next three years he underwent treatment.

Ritchie returned to the scene in 1996 with a new New Jack Swing album. But the record did not have much success, like the three subsequent discs. The most successful of the late Lionel Richie albums was Coming Home, released in 2006. But the singer was never able to merge with the new musical trends of the 21st century. Unfortunately, the best moments of his career are in the distant past.