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Colt1861Navy

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Re: Colt1861Navy post# 767

Saturday, 06/29/2002 4:45:04 PM

Saturday, June 29, 2002 4:45:04 PM

Post# of 1767
Rock 'n' Roll Artists...Lionel Richie

http://www.lionelrichie.co.uk/

Although Lionel Richie has just started his fourth decade of making music, you would never know it from listening to his new album ‘Renaissance’. By collaborating with renowned producers like Britain's Brian Rawling (who produced Cher's world-wide smash hit ‘Believe‘ as well as artists such as Enrique Iglesias), Rodney Jerkins (whose credits include Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, Destiny's Child and Michael Jackson) and this year’s Grammy Award winning producer of the year, Walter Afanasieff (whose credits include Barbra Streisand, Mariah Carey and Quincy Jones) Lionel has opened himself up to new sounds and inspirations.
He's never been one to play it safe. "Making a new record is always a mystery. It's a journey into the unknown. I'll never forget when I was with The Commodores," recalls the singer, we were straight-ahead R&B, and the producers and record company expected that from us, and that was that. In the middle of the disco craze I sat down and wrote a song called ‘Three Times a Lady’ and they said I was out of my mind."

But just because his present life is so vibrant and exciting, one must not forget Lionel Richie's past. During his career he has sold 70 million albums - which puts him in very select company. He has won five Grammies, an Oscar, a Golden Globe and too many American Music Awards to count. In 1984 he performed All Night Long during the closing ceremony for the Los Angeles Olympics to a world-wide audience of over 2.3 billion people. Not bad for a boy from Tuskegee, Alabama.

Lionel's original plans to be an Episcopal priest ended when he was spotted touting a saxophone at his college freshman show. "They didn't know I wasn't a sax player, I was a sax holder," jokes Lionel, "It took two years for them to realise I wasn't very good. I was terrified of being the lead singer! I only became the singer, because as I became a writer, I had to sing the songs that I wrote." Originally called the Mystics the band were renamed the Commodores in 1969 and after three years playing the “chitlin” circuit of the Deep South signed with Motown. Lionel recalls, "During my first day at Motown there was Marvin Gaye at one end of the hall, Stevie Wonder at the other and Smokey Robinson wandering out of the reception, all of them walking with pen and paper in hand - it was incredible. I call it the University of Motown because, surrounded by all those people, it was a great place to polish your craft."

Originally a funk/dance band their first hit was the instrumental ‘Machine Gun’ but as Lionel developed as a songwriter the band evolved a sweeter sound. "The reason I wrote ballads," he says, "was that it was the easiest way to get my songs on Commodores’ albums." By the late seventies with Lionel penning huge hits such as 'Easy', 'Sail On', and 'Still' and sell-out live shows world-wide, the Commodores had become Motown's most successful act.

'Three Times A Lady' was his first American Number One in 1978, the start of a record that no other songwriter is likely to ever emulate. He wrote another Number One every year until 1986. ‘Lady’ was a massive hit for Kenny Rogers, on ‘Endless Love’ - the title track from the film starring Brook Shields - he duetted with Diana Ross.

In 1982, after splitting from the Commodores Lionel released his debut solo album, Lionel Richie. Its first single, 'Truly', topped the charts, and the album spawned two further hits. His second solo album, Can't Slow Down in 1983 saw an uptempo shift with the first single 'All Night Long'. Another US number one it stayed in the charts for five months, outselling 'Endless Love' and becoming Motown's biggest selling single ever. The album stayed in the charts for three years, featuring three more major hits, 'Hello' (which reached number one in the UK), 'Stuck on You' and 'Penny Lover', eventually selling over 20 million copies.

In 1985 Lionel got together with Michael Jackson and Quincy Jones to write and record the star studded ‘We Are The World’, the US theme tune for Live Aid, which earned millions for famine relief in Africa. The following year Lionel wrote and performed the theme song for the movie White Nights, starring Gregory Hines and Mikhail Baryshnikov. 'Say You, Say Me', was another number one and won him the Oscar for Best Original Song at the 1986 Academy Awards. Lionel's third solo album, Dancing on the Ceiling sold over 6 million copies worldwide and combined with a sell-out World tour, it confirmed him as one of the biggest recording stars in the world.

However, during the nineties he took a deliberate break from the treadmill of touring and recording. A recurrent throat problem, compounded by divorce and the death of his father caused him to re-examine his priorities. "There was a lot of growth, a lot of introspection during that time,'' he recalls. " Although I may have been out of the public eye, I never stopped going into the studio, putting down ideas and listening to what else was out there. I've always found that there are two stages to writing, the first involves actually living your life a in order to gain the experiences, digest them and write about them and the second phase is actually recording them. I was on the road or in a recording studio for over 17 years non-stop and I needed to step back and actually digest some of life before I could go back to writing about it again. People have asked me my whole career 'where do the songs originate?' he says. "There is no formula, but I readily admit there is nothing quite as humbling as a microphone hanging in the middle of a room, while you are sitting there in front of a blank piece of paper trying to get the next song done."

In 1996 after signing a new recording deal with Mercury/Universal, he released the critically acclaimed Louder than Words, followed two years later by Time. In the meantime he had remarried and had become a father twice again. "Louder than Words cleared the air a lot," he says. "It got rid of a lot of baggage. Time was a healing record."

By the time he had started to record Renaissance Lionel was ready for fresh challenges. “Every album is a rebirth, a new beginning, but certainly this album was even more so. Every now and then you feel like you’ve been through a tunnel and come out the other side and Renaissance was definitely that feeling”.

Making it was a joy as songs like ‘Tonight’ attest. “Working with Rodney [Jerkins] was a wonderful experience," says Lionel. "It reminded me of the early days with The Commodores, the way they are having fun, knowing that whatever they are involved with can do no wrong. There was a spirit and attitude there that I could relate with. It was also fantastic working with Walter (Afanasieff) again as he has so much experience and we were really able to bounce ideas off each other.” On the song ‘Cinderella’ he also recorded a special version with the Backstreet Boys, who have been Richie admirers for years.

Lionel also flew to London to work on the tracks with Brian Rawling, Paul Barry and Mark Taylor. "I really enjoyed it. We were in this little studio away from all the glitter and nonsense of a Hollywood recording studio. It had this little recording board downstairs. Before, if I needed a European feel or a dance mix I'd add it later here I wanted to do things differently. Sometimes you have to go where the vibe is strongest. I also love to collaborate as it’s a chance to really test your skills both as a writer and a performer.” The result is a mixture of classic and contemporary. From the uptempo pop songs ‘Angel’ and ‘Cinderella’, the dance orientated ‘Don’t Stop The Music’ to the classic Richie ballad, ‘Tender Heart’, Renaissance looks set to bring him centre stage once again.

Having just completed a sell out summer tour in the US with Tina Turner, which earned him rave reviews, he has also won over a legion of new fans with his ecstatically received recent performances to over 100,000 people in London’s Hyde Park and 70,000 fans at Wembley Stadium. “ Being back on the road is a bit like riding a bike when you’ve been away a while. The first time you step on stage may feel a bit clumsy, but after the third song it feels as if you’ve never been away. I was completely amazed that after time out, so many people knew every word to the songs and I’m hoping with the new album that I’ll be able to add a few more classic tracks for the years to come.”

Discography-Videos-Photos

http://www.lionelrichie.co.uk/



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