Lionel Richie

Lionel Richie launched his solo career in 1982 but began a decade earlier, fronting his group the Commodores, the premier R&B pop unit of the seventies. By the 1980s he had become the most popular singer/songwriter in the world. A decade later he was the ultimate star entertainer with a ‘nice guy’ image. The Lionel Richie story is about a five-time Grammy winner who has sold more than 100 million albums worldwide. For nine consecutive years he had number 1 singles in America, a feat matched only by Irving Berlin. Richie is also known for co-writing the charity song “We Are the World” with Michael Jackson. In recent years. Richie has been a judge on American Idol and has held a music residency in Las Vegas. He is the recipient of multiple Grammys and American Music Awards, and has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

His is also the story of two broken marriages, personal insecurities and near-death experiences.

This is the first book written about Lionel Richie and the Commodores and draws on Sharon Davis’ unique access to the Motown archive, her numerous in depth interviews with Richie as well as her time as the Commodores’ publicist.