Lionel Richie Biography

Quick Facts

NAME: Lionel Richie
OCCUPATION: Songwriter, Singer
BIRTH DATE: June 20, 1949 (Age: 63)
PLACE OF BIRTH: Tuskegee, Alabama
ZODIAC SIGN: Gemini

Best Known For

Lionel Richie is a singer/songwriter known for creating numerous hits while with his band the Commodores and while on his own.

Quiz

Think you know about Biography?

Answer questions and see how you rank against other players.

Play Now

Print Cite This

Lionel Richie

APA Style

Lionel Richie. (2013). The Biography Channel website. Retrieved 08:00, May 18, 2013, from http://www.biography.com/people/lionel-richie-9457816.

Harvard Style

Lionel Richie. [Internet]. 2013. The Biography Channel website. Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/lionel-richie-9457816 [Accessed 18 May 2013].

MLA Style

"Lionel Richie." 2013. The Biography Channel website. May 18 2013, 08:00 http://www.biography.com/people/lionel-richie-9457816.

MHRA Style

"Lionel Richie," The Biography Channel website, 2013, http://www.biography.com/people/lionel-richie-9457816 [accessed May 18, 2013].

Chicago Style

"Lionel Richie," The Biography Channel website, http://www.biography.com/people/lionel-richie-9457816 (accessed May 18, 2013).

CBE/CSE Style

Lionel Richie [Internet]. The Biography Channel website; 2013 [cited 2013 May 18] Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/lionel-richie-9457816.

Bluebook Style

Lionel Richie, http://www.biography.com/people/lionel-richie-9457816 (last visited May 18, 2013).

AMA Style

Lionel Richie. The Biography Channel website. 2013. Available at: http://www.biography.com/people/lionel-richie-9457816. Accessed May 18, 2013.

Synopsis

A founder member of the Commodores, Lionel Richie’s debut solo album was a U.S. #3 hit in 1982, and “Truly,” a ballad from that album, reached #1, winning him a Grammy. He performed one of his most popular hits, “All Night Long” (1983), at the closing ceremony of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games and co-wrote the famine relief song “We Are the World” with Michael Jackson in 1993.

Profile

Singer and songwriter Lionel Richie born on June 20, 1949 in Tuskegee, Alabama, USA. His grandfather worked at the Tuskegee Institute with Booker T. Washington.

A founder member of the Commodores, his debut solo album Lionel Richie (1982) was a US number 3 hit, and ‘Truly’, a ballad from that album, reached US number 1, winning him a Grammy award. He performed one of his most popular hits, ‘All Night Long’ (1983), at the closing ceremony of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games. Richie co-wrote the famine relief song ‘We Are The World’ with Michael Jackson in 1993. Later albums include Louder Than Words (1996), Renaissance (2000), and Coming Home (2006).

Lionel Richie was married to Brenda Harvey for 17 years. The couple adopted daughter Nicole Richie, but they divorced in 1993. He married Diane Alexander in December 1995 and together they have son, Miles Brockman and daughter, Sofia.