Although theCommodores maintained a democratic band structure through most of theirchart run, things began to change when the '70s became the '80s. While attending collegethere, Richie joined the Commodores, who went on to become the mostsuccessful 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' (thelatter two became the group's only number one pop hits). After 1987, Richie fellsilent, taking an extended break from recording and touring beforebeginning 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 hisfamily had worked for two generations prior. As his popularityskyrocketed, Richie moved farther away from his R&B origins andconcentrated more on adult contemporary balladry, which had been one ofhis strengths even as part of the Commodores.
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