In the late 1960s, Lionel Brockman Richie Jr. was majoring in economics on a tennis scholarship in Tuskegee Institute in Alabama, his hometown, when he joined a band called The Mystics, later renamed The Commodores.
As a member of The Commodores, Richie, who initially handled the keyboards and saxophone, typified the African-American musician who took pride
in wearing funky clothes that matched the soulful character of black music.
The Commodores started gaining attention as an opening act for The Jackson 5, whose precocious lead singer, Michael Jackson, would collaborate with Richie in 1985 to write the charity single “We Are the World.”
We were in grade school in 1974 when The Commodores released its debut album, “Machine Gun,” whose title track, along with “The Bump” and “I Feel Sanctified,” taught us how to dance with style.
In succeeding years, Richie would assume a more prominent role as songwriter and lead singer of the band’s biggest hits, “Easy,” “Three Times a Lady,” “Sail On” and “Still”—all ballads which would become a trademark for Richie when he went solo.
As a solo artist in the ’80s, Richie ditched the elaborate attire in favor of a relaxed preppy look as he achieved massive success that led one critic to call him the black Barry Manilow.
In 2012 Richie released “Tuskegee” featuring 13 of his hits recorded as duets with an all-star lineup of country music artists. That was when we noticed Richie sporting smart streetwear that blended well with his youthful-looking face. That was one finely executed enhancement, if ever he did undergo some facelift procedure.
In any case, his one-night Manila concert on Saturday, which is part of an ongoing world tour, marks a return of the big live gigs to Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Mounted by one of the country’s more dependable concert promoters, Glenn Llamas of Wilbros Live, Richie’s gig should attract a wide expanse of his Pinoy fans—from The Commodores days to the ballad years to the experimental phase of “All Night Long.” They’d be glad to find out that the set list would live up to the show’s title: “All the Hits.”
