[歌手简介]

　　After leaving the Commodores, Lionel Richie became one of the most successful male solo artists of the '80s, arguably eclipsed during his 1981-1987 heyday only by Michael Jackson and Prince.

　　Richie dominated the pop charts during that period with an incredible run of 13 consecutive Top Ten hits, five of them number ones. As his popularity skyrocketed, Richie moved farther away from his R&B origins and concentrated more on adult contemporary balladry, which had been one of his strengths even as part of the Commodores. After 1987, Richie fell silent, taking an extended break from recording and touring before beginning a comeback toward the tail end of the '90s.

　　Lionel Brockman Richie, Jr. was born on June 20, 1949 in Tuskegee, AL, and grew up on the campus of the Tuskegee Institute, where most of his family had worked for two generations prior. While attending college there, Richie joined the Commodores, who went on to become the most successful act on the Motown label during the latter half of the '70s. Richie served as a saxophonist, sometime vocalist, and songwriter, penning ballads like "Easy," "Three Times a Lady," and "Still" (the latter two became the group's only number one pop hits). Although the Commodores maintained a democratic band structure through most of their chart run, things began to change when the '70s became the '80s. In 1980, Richie wrote and produced country-pop singer Kenny Rogers' across-the-board number one smash "Lady," and the following year, Richie's duet with Diana Ross, "Endless Love" (recorded for the Brooke Shields film of the same title), became the most successful single in Motown history, topping the charts for a stunning nine weeks.　

　　Richie immediately set about recording his solo debut for Motown. Titled simply Lionel Richie, the album was released in late 1982 and was an immediate smash, reaching number three on the pop charts on its way to sales of over four million copies. It spun off three Top Five pop hits, including the first single "Truly," which became Richie's first solo number one. If Lionel Richie made its creator a star, the follow-up Can't Slow Down made him a superstar. Boasting live Top Ten singles, including the number ones "All Night Long (All Night)" and "Hello," Can't Slow Down hit number one, eventually sold over ten million copies, and won the 1984 Grammy for Album of the Year. Such was Richie's stature that he was invited to perform at the closing ceremonies of the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, a spectacular stage event that was broadcast worldwide.

　　In 1985, Richie put his superstar status to work for a greater good, joining Michael Jackson in co-writing the USA for Africa charity single "We Are the World"; the all-star recording helped raise millions of dollars for famine relief. By the end of the year, he was on top of the charts again with "Say You, Say Me." 　

　　Lionel Richie被认为是当今流行乐坛的顶级歌手。他连续9年共有9首歌曲名列排行榜榜首，创造了流行音乐史上的一个奇迹。作为舰队司令乐队的主唱，Lionel Richie早在70年代初期就已被歌迷所关注。1982年，Lionel Richie开始了他的独唱事业，并且从那时起夺得了多项大奖，包括三项格莱美奖，七项美国音乐奖。1986年，他为电影《白夜》(White Night)创作并演唱的插曲《说你说我》(Say You Say Me)荣获了奥斯卡最佳原创歌曲奖。他的首张个人专辑《真》(Truly)使他赢得了1983年度的格莱美奖。他的一系列热门曲目，包括1983年推出的《一整夜》(All Night Long)及1987年的《在天花板上跳舞》(Dancing on the Ceiling)、《无尽的爱》(Endless Love)等创造了商业音乐的不少纪录。其中最负盛名的就是与迈克尔·杰克逊合作创作的、为救援埃塞俄比亚难民而录制的《四海一家》(We are the World)。

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