The famous singer, composer and producer from the United States of America, Lionel Richie, was second in popularity only to Michael Jackson and Prince in the mid-80s.
His main role was associated with the performance of beautiful, romantic, sensual ballads. He repeatedly conquered the top of the TOP-10 "hot" hits not only in America, but also in many other countries.
His career is inextricably linked with such musical styles as rhythm and blues and soft rock. Lionel Richie is the owner of many American and international awards. His name is of interest to many connoisseurs of music, so it is worth telling as much as possible about the biography, career path and personal life of this singer and composer.
Information about the biography of Lionel Richie
Lionel Richie was born on June 20, 1949 in Tuskegee, Alabama. Richie Jr.'s parents taught at a local institute.
Since they were African Americans, they had to live on a student campus, thanks to which the childhood and youth of the future blues and soft rock star were cloudless and safe.
At school, he was actively involved in tennis and was successful in this sport, which in his teens allowed him to receive a scholarship and successfully pass the exams for admission to a local university.
Initially, Lionel wanted to enroll in the Theology course, but later changed his mind.
The period of passion for music
During the heyday of the hippie movement (mid-60s of the XX century), Richie Jr. became interested in music and learned to play the saxophone.
He was accepted into the university group The Commondores, which performed music in the style of rhythm and blues, and he became the main vocalist in it. At the same time, he composed songs and music for his own performance.
Two of his compositions (Easy, Three Times a Lady) are the most famous hits of the student group. In 1968, she signed a lucrative contract with the Motown Records music studio, and the band's business began to "go uphill."
By the beginning of the 80s of the last century, Lionel Richie understood that he was ready for solo performances and was leaving the group, which was created at the university.
The solo album of Richie Jr., released in 1981, was sold out by more than 4 million people. After writing and releasing his second solo album (Can't Slow Down), Lionel is recognized as the best performer of romantic ballads and is awarded two Grammy awards.
Richie's most successful record was Dancing on the Ceiling. True, after its release and the overwhelming success, the singer began processing the accumulated materials and the studio in which he recorded songs began to release collections of Lionel Richie's greatest hits.
Further career of Lionel Richie
Lionel returned to composing new compositions and songs only in 1996. He released an album in the style of rhythm and blues Louder Than Words, but he did not cause the previous euphoria among the fans.
Then the singer returned to romantic songs and his next creation entered the top 40 best songs in the United States of America and England.
At the start of the new century, Richie was back in the studio and touring. He visited many festivals, organized a concert at the Philadelphia Museum of Fine Arts, then took a break from his career for a short period of time.
After that, Lionel Richie toured the United States, released the release of Tuskegee, took part in the famous festival, which was held in the UK "Glanstonbury".
In the future, his career began to decline, and the recording studio mainly earned on the release of collections with the most famous and popular songs of the singer and composer.
About private life
Lionel Richie's first wife was Brenda Harvey, who was his longtime college girlfriend. After eight years of a happy married life together, the couple decided to take custody of an imperfect child - a girl, Camilla Escovedo.
Richie made this decision after he saw her at one of his performances. Officially, the couple received the adoption documents in 1989.
With his first wife, Lionel Richie divorced in 1993, when she found her husband with his mistress in one of the rooms of the Beverly Hills Hotel. Since that time, Diana Alexander, a famous designer, has become his new passion. Their wedding was two years later.
The remarriage lasted eight years. In a new family, children were born, whom their parents named Sophia and Miles. True, after the singer resumed his creative career, the couple quarreled and broke up.
However, later the ex-husband and wife reconciled and still maintain friendly relations. On the Instagram social network Diana Alexander, you can regularly see photos of their common children who spend time with their father.
At the end of 2018, Lionel Richie went to the Hawaiian Islands and earned money by performing in local clubs. Then he was invited to the television show American Idol. Undoubtedly, Lionel Richie is a talented singer who has made a huge contribution to the art of music.
