Lionel Richie "Tuskegee" (Country Duets)

[Deleted]

Second week at #1. Incredible.

1 1 LIONEL RICHIE MERCURY NASHVILLE 110,785 -13%
TUSKEGEE

[KMJ1]

hot damn. Lionel ..comeback of 2012 hands down!! What a shocking but very pleasant surprise! Granted, if this was released almost any week before a month ago or so, Adele wouldve prevented all this lol- but it was meant to be this way and Lionel is def. the man right now. His declines are minimal and this is DEF going rock solid gold..possibly well above at this point lol. So well deserved due to old fashioned bustin ur a*s to get your music/product out there and validation for many many years of amazing, iconic music and talent (that shouldnt have taken 25+ yrs to regain)

[Deleted]

Well Adele is still getting small declines and is still top 3, so something tells me that album isn't done yet

[msstrictly]

I am proud of Lionel Ritchie.

[Musiq]

He's doing amazing.

[onebuffalo]

537,000 sold so far. I am expecting a platinum certification at summertime.

[stunnedout]

Im confused.....where did the interest in his album come from? And why did he a country album?

[HolidayGuy]

^Lionel re-recorded his old hits, with a country twist- and enlisted superstar duet partners. That, coupled with fantastic TV promotion, has given him his biggest albums success in decades. Tuskegee refers to the town where he was born (and he completed his undergrad degree at Tuskegee Institute).

The albums success thus far hasn't translated into much radio success, though (not that it was expected). "Endless Love" (with Shania Twain) is No. 16 at AC radio, but the audience is minimal (1.6 million). There currently are no tracks from the album on Billboard's country airplay chart.

[Deleted]

Richie slated to lead charts again

Wednesday, April 25, 2012 – Lionel Richie will stay on top of the Billboard Top 200 chart when it is officially released Thursday with "Tuskegee." The disc, which sold 114,000 units last week - down 11 percent - will be number 1 for a second straight week on the overall and country charts.

Luke Bryan's "tailgates & tanlines" was the only other country disc in the top 10 - at 10 - with 28,000 units sold, up 11 percent.

The CD is the first country album in more than a year to spend two consecutive weeks atop the Billboard 200. The album's total sales are 536,967.

"I am excited, overwhelmed, and most importantly, very grateful," Richie says. "Making this album has been one of the best times I've ever had in the studio, so that in and of itself was my wonderful reward. The fact that Tuskegee is being so well received is just icing on the cake. What makes this even sweeter is that I'm sharing this success with my 13 talented friends who gave so generously of themselves to make Tuskegee the album that it is.

"I continue to thank my duet partners, to whom I will remain eternally grateful. Of course, none of this would have been possible without the support of my fans, who continue to inspire me on a daily basis."


Country Standard Time

---

2012 CMT Music Awards
(Fan Voted)

The video for the Lionel Richie & Shania Twain "Endless Love" duet is nominated for Collaborative Video of the Year at the 2012 CMT Music Awards.

Fans can vote now through June 4 to determine the winners.

Here are the details:

CMT Music Award Nominees Announced

Posted: Apr 23, 2012



The nominees for the 2012 CMT Music Awards were announced Monday morning on NBC’s Today show…

Little Big Town revealed the star-studded line-up on the morning show.

Carrie Underwood leads the pack with five nominations, including Video of the Year for “Good Girl.” Miranda Lambert follows closely behind with four nods.

Voting begins today on CMT.com and on your mobile device at m.cmt.com. The 2012 CMT Music Awards will air live from Nashville on Wednesday, June 6, on CMT and CMT.com.


COLLABORATIVE VIDEO OF THE YEAR

Kenny Chesney featuring Grace Potter – “You And Tequila”
Brad Paisley with Carrie Underwood – “Remind Me”
Rascal Flatts featuring Natasha Bedingfield – “Easy”
Lionel Richie with Shania Twain – “Endless Love”
Taylor Swift featuring The Civil Wars – “Safe & Sound”
Zac Brown Band featuring Jimmy Buffett – “Knee Deep”


Source

CMT.com

[Deleted]

Apr 25, 2012 16:00:28 GMT -5 HolidayGuy said:

^Lionel re-recorded his old hits, with a country twist- and enlisted superstar duet partners. That, coupled with fantastic TV promotion, has given him his biggest albums success in decades. Tuskegee refers to the town where he was born (and he completed his undergrad degree at Tuskegee Institute).

The albums success thus far hasn't translated into much radio success, though (not that it was expected). "Endless Love" (with Shania Twain) is No. 16 at AC radio, but the audience is minimal (1.6 million). There currently are no tracks from the album on Billboard's country airplay chart.

He also charted on the Country chart twice in the 80s. "Stuck On You" peaked at #24 and "Deep River Woman" peaked at #10. So this is not his first dabble in the genre.

[stunnedout]

Apr 25, 2012 16:00:28 GMT -5 HolidayGuy said:

^Lionel re-recorded his old hits, with a country twist- and enlisted superstar duet partners. That, coupled with fantastic TV promotion, has given him his biggest albums success in decades. Tuskegee refers to the town where he was born (and he completed his undergrad degree at Tuskegee Institute).

The albums success thus far hasn't translated into much radio success, though (not that it was expected). "Endless Love" (with Shania Twain) is No. 16 at AC radio, but the audience is minimal (1.6 million). There currently are no tracks from the album on Billboard's country airplay chart.

Thanks for the info!

[Deleted]

Lionel Richie's "Tuskegee" cd remains consistent. "Tuskegee" is predicted to remain in the Top 3 on the Billboard 200 albums chart.

"Tuskegee" should easily pass 600,000 in sales this week.

The following is from HITS:


Sony Music returns to the top of the chart next week after being unseated by Universal Music for the past five weeks. The first third of 2012 has been dominated by both music groups during the 17-week span with Columbia Records, specifically, holding down the lead for 12 of those weeks. Columbia, which may have three in this week's Top 5, will score a 13th week at the top as Jack White debuts #1, the first ever for the guitar god, even as a member of White Stripes. For now at least, it looks as though Sony could remain in the pole position for a little longer as Carrie Underwood (19/RCA) is set to debut on top in two weeks and will likely hold there for a few charts. Here's how it looks headed into the weekend:

*Jack White (Third Man/Columbia) 120-130k
Adele (XL/Columbia) 85-90k
Lionel Richie (Mercury Nashville) 80-85k
One Direction (Syco/Columbia) 40-45k
Nicki Minaj (YM/CM/Universal Republic) 35-40k
*Lee Brice (Curb) 35-40k
Jason Mraz (Atlantic) 35-40k
*Kip Moore (MCA Nashville) 35-40k
Gotye (Fairfax/Universal Republic) 30-35k
*The Wanted (Mercury/IDJ) 30-35k
The Black Keys (Nonesuch) 27-30k
Train (Columbia) 27-30k
Luke Bryan (Capitol Nashville/EMI) 24-27k
*Josh Abbott Band (Pretty Damn Tough) 21-24k
Bonnie Raitt (Redwing) 18-21k
Think Like a Man (Epic) 17-20k

*Debuts (4/26p)


HITS

[onebuffalo]

Another 78,000 sold, making to #1 on the country chart, #3 on the top 200. Total sales are 615,000.

[Deleted]

Lionel Richie's "Tuskegee" album is expected to get close to 700,000 in total sales this week.

From HITS:

Carrie Underwood will debut at #1 as Sony Music is set to occupy one half of next week's Top 10, while nearly half of the Top 15 will be debuts. Here's how it looks headed into the weekend:

*Carrie Underwood (19/Arista Nashville) 270-295k
*Norah Jones (Blue Note/EMI) 95-105k
*Now 42 (Capitol/EMI) 95-105k
Adele (XL/Columbia) 75-80k
*B.o.B (Grand Hustle/Atlantic) 70-75k
Lionel Richie (Mercury Nashville) 70-75k
Jack White (Third Man/Columbia) 55-60k
One Direction (Syco/Columbia) 40-45k
*The Music of Smash (Columbia) 40-45k
*Marilyn Manson (Downtown) 35-40k
Lee Brice (Curb) 30-35k
Gotye (Fairfax/Universal Republic) 27-30k
*Avengers Assemble (Marvel Music/Hollywood) 25-28k
Luke Bryan (Capitol Nashville/EMI) 24-27k
Kip Moore (MCA Nashville) 21-24k
Jason Mraz (Atlantic) 21-24k

*Debuts (5/3p)


HITS

---

Lionel Richie Bows Out of 'Duets' TV Show

Posted May 1st 2012 10:15AM by Gayle Thompson / Comments



With only a few months until "Duets," the latest singing competition TV series is due to hit the airwaves, celebrity mentor Lionel Richie has announced he will no longer be part of the show, citing scheduling conflicts as the reason. Sugarland's Jennifer Nettles, Kelly Clarkson and Robin Thicke will now be joined by John Legend as one of the judges in Lionel's place.

"Duets," which will air on ABC, allows each coach to look for new singers any way they choose, and then narrow down the contestants to two performers, whom they will mentor and perform with each week. The grand prize is a recording contract on Hollywood Records.

Jennifer will have to juggle her summer tour dates for Sugarland's In the Hands of the Fans tour with the TV show, but the songstress says she is still eager to participate in the new venture. "The concept of 'Duets' is so fresh because its mentoring is active and participatory," she explains. "To be able to watch the arc of the beginning of a career is super thrilling. Really thrilling."

Lionel and Jennifer may not be sharing the TV stage, but the two can still be found together on Lionel's new album of duets, Tuskegee, which stayed at the top of the charts for two weeks. The two sang his self-penned 1984 hit, "Hello," for the project.

Watch Lionel Richie & Shania Twain's "Endless Love" Video

The Boot

[Deleted]

Lionel Richie's "Tuskegee" album sold another 64,000 copies this past week. That is a decline of 18%.

Mother's Day is coming up. "Tuskegee" might see an increase, or a leveling off, in sales.

The current sales total for "Tuskegee" is now at approximately 679,000.

---

Lionel Richie, 'Tuskegee' Album Certified Platinum

Posted May 8th 2012 1:00PM by Stephen L. Betts / Comments



Lionel Richie had already struck gold when he paired himself and 13 of his classic hits with a host of country acts for the duets album, Tuskegee. Now the singer has earned a platinum disc for that critically-acclaimed collection, signifying sales of one million copies. Most impressively, the collection has reached that sales level in only five weeks.

"This album continues to amaze me and I am so grateful for all that it has accomplished," says the singer, who titled the project after his Alabama hometown. "Just when I think it couldn't get any bigger, Tuskegee reaches a new level of success. When I came up with the idea for Tuskegee, I didn't want to be confined by boundaries of age, genre or demographics. I am thrilled with how well this album has been received by people from all walks of life. It is truly living up to the vision we had when we created it."

In addition to the four weeks Tuskegee has been No. 1 on Billboard's Top Country Albums chart, the disc, released March 26, spent two weeks atop the multi-genre Billboard 200. It's the singer's third solo album to reach No. 1 on that chart. Lionel joins the legendary Ray Charles in the record books as the only artists in history to score No. 1 albums on both the Billboard Country Albums and R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts.

Tuskegee is the best-selling country album of 2012 and is also the first country album in more than a year to spend two consecutive weeks atop the Billboard 200. In a career that began in the mid-1960s when his R&B group, the Commodores were first formed, Lionel has since amassed album sales of more than 100 million. He's earned 22 Top 10 hits, five Grammys, an Oscar, a Golden Globe award and countless other honors.

Tuskegee has also reached No. 1 in Canada and has hit the Top 10 albums charts in the U.K., Denmark, Holland, Australia, Hong Kong and Sweden, reaching the Top 20 in 10 countries. The album features duets with Jason Aldean, Jimmy Buffett, Kenny Chesney, Billy Currington, Little Big Town, Tim McGraw, Willie Nelson, Jennifer Nettles, Rascal Flatts, Kenny Rogers, Darius Rucker, Blake Shelton and Shania Twain.

Watch Lionel Richie & Shania Twain's 'Endless Love' Video

The Boot

Google

---

Lionel Richie to open for Jimmy Buffett at Comerica Park

5:12 PM, May 8, 2012 | Comments

By Brian McCollum

Detroit Free Press Pop Music Writer


Comeback king Lionel Richie has been tapped as opener for Jimmy Buffett’s July 28 show at Comerica Park, promoters announced today.

“Tuskegee” is Richie’s first No. 1 album in 26 years.

Tickets will go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday for the show, which will include a day of tailgating outside the ballpark. Seat prices have not yet been announced.


Source

Google

[Deleted]

U.S. Charts

In the U.S., Lionel Richie's "Tuskegee" album moved back up to # 3 on the Billboard 200 album chart.

"Tuskegee" sold 71,000 copies this week. The sales total for "Tuskegee" is now 751,000.

---

Australian Charts & Certification

After 7 weeks on the charts, Lionel Richie's "Tuskegee" album remains in the Top 2 on the ARIA Country Albums chart.

"Tuskegee" has been certified Gold in Australia. Gold = 35,000 units sold.

Source

---

Legendary Lionel Richie Accepts Chairman’s Award at Music Biz 2012



NARM Chairman Rachelle Friedman presented superstar Lionel Richie with the prestigious Chairman’s Award for Sustained Creative Achievement during the Music Biz 2012 Awards Dinner Party. Richie, an international icon, has scored countless smash hits, both solo and as a member of the Commodores, and recently released his tenth studio album, Tuskegee, on which he collaborated with top Country artists such as Willie Nelson, Rascal Flatts and Blake Shelton to re-imagine many of his biggest hits.

“Lionel Richie has been a force in the music business for more than four decades and is still going strong today, a remarkable feat that grows increasingly rare each year,” said Jim Donio, President of NARM.


NARM.com

Billboard - NARM Award Photos

[Deleted]

Eight weeks in the Top 10 of the Billboard 200 and counting, selling over 37k this week. Total sales are just below 800k.

[Deleted]

Lionel Richie's 'Tuskegee' becomes year's second-biggest album

May 25, 2012, 3:07 PM EST


© AP / Lionel Richie


Billboard -- This week, Lionel Richie's smash "Tuskegee" album becomes the second-biggest-selling album of the year, with a total of 789,000 sold, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The Mercury Nashville set surpasses Whitney Houston's "Greatest Hits," which falls to No. 3 (784,000). The year's top seller is Adele's "21" with 3.3 million.

Bing music: Lionel Richie

Even better news for Richie: "Tuskegee" has now outsold his last three studio albums combined. His three previous sets have moved a cumulative 751,000. "Just Go" was the album that preceded "Tuskegee" and has sold 95,000 since its bow in 2009. "Coming Home" (2006) and "Just For You" (2004) have shifted 449,000 and 207,000, respectively.

"Tuskegee" debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 chart eight weeks ago with 199,000. It his best sales week since SoundScan began tracking sales in 1991. It rose to No. 1 two weeks later, becoming the R&B and pop icon's third No. 1 album, and his first since 1986's "Dancing on the Ceiling" spent two weeks in the penthouse.

Also: Lionel Richie's Nashville Splash

The new album's single, "Endless Love" (featuring Shania Twain), rises from No. 16 to No. 15 on the Adult Contemporary airplay chart this week. The tune's video is nominated for Collaborative Video of the Year at the upcoming CMT Music Awards, due to be broadcast on June 6.

MSN

Tennessean

Google

[Deleted]

Who would have ever thought we'd be halfway through the 2012 chart year, and Lionel Richie would have the second best-selling album of the year? :o

[Deleted]

According to HITS, "Tuskegee" sold another 32,000 copies this week.

The official Billboard sales and position information will be out tomorrow, but it appears "Tuskegee" will remain in the Top 10 on the Billboard 200 chart.

The sales total for "Tuskegee" is around 821,000.

---

Lionel Richie On Risk-Taking, Passion And Topping The Charts At Age 62

Posted: 05/29/2012 6:47 am

Lionel Richie has another hit on his hands. Renowned for his storied career in soul and R&B, Richie recently released an ode to his southern roots "Tuskegee" -- named for his hometown in Alabama. The album features 13 of Richie's timeless hits, performed this time as duets with today's country stars.

Richie asked each of his collaborators to create new arrangements without making the song unrecognizable. The result: a new twist on old favorites that has rocketed to the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Top 200. Richie joins Ray Charles as the only other artist in history to have a No. 1 album on both the Billboard Country Albums and R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts.

Richie's career began over 40 years ago as the front man for the Commodores, the popular 1970s Motown band. With hits like "Brick House," "Three Times a Lady," "Sail On" and "Still," Richie catapulted to stardom, with three platinum albums, five Grammy awards and an Academy Award in 1984 for Best Original Song. The Huffington Post caught up with Richie to find out what it's like to be back at the top of the charts at age 62.

With so many accolades, I imagine some artists would kick back at this point in their careers. Why try again with "Tuskegee"?

A lot of people ask me that and my answer is "this is all I know how to do." If you ask me what my hobby was when growing up, I would tell you "writing songs." And probably the best part of what I do is taking it one step further, reinventing every day. For example, when I wrote "Three Times A Lady," they said, "Oh my god, you can never write anything better than that." So I wrote "All Night Long" -- something totally different. And they said the same thing. So that's what I do, even after all these years. I try to find another avenue. I'm from Alabama and it was time for me to go back and discover my country roots.

Of your many duet partners on "Tuskegee" -- from Willie Nelson and Jimmy Buffett to Kenny Chesney and Shania Twain -- who surprised you the most and why?

Normally, when one does an album and brings in other artists, most of the arrangements are still geared to the original artist. For instance, in a Sinatra album, all of the arrangements are geared to Sinatra so that the songs still feel very Frank. I decided instead to customize each song to the style of my partner so that the songs, while never entirely losing their original feel to the listener, could really jive with my collaborator. I let them record it the way they wanted and put myself into their tracks, their arrangements. I don't know if I'll ever have the courage to do that again, but it sure was exciting.

So, given that, I would say Jennifer Nettles really blew me away with her version of "Hello." When she said, "I'm going to sing 'Hello' the way I would sing 'Hello'," I said, "Give it your best shot." And when I heard it, I said "oh my god -- what the heck are you doing?" Because she has a voice that is just unbelievable. When she came out, all I could think of was, "how do I get back on my own record?" So she surprised me the most with her vocal power. (See the slideshow below for a performance by Richie and Nettles.)

What ignites your creativity?

Passion first. Whether it's falling in love, falling out of love, being lonely for love, or searching for love, there's a passion to all of it. So what I seek out in my life is real true emotions. Authenticity. And when I sit down to write, I tap into that. You know how it feels when you're listening to a great sermon and you feel "ahhhh, that hits a chord, he's speaking to me"? That's where I go to write. I look at touching others. And then try to say it in the very simplest way, distill it down to the basics.

Your songs are to you, I imagine, your babies. What is one of your very favorites and why?

Interestingly, I actually had to live life for my own songs to come full circle and touch me in the deepest ways. In the past, sometimes, when I would sing All Night Long at a concert, I might see someone crying. And that didn't make sense because that's supposed to be a happy song. Or when I would sing "Still," I might see someone laughing. And that didn't make sense because that's supposed to be a sad song.

But now, having been through the experiences of my lifetime, I hear these songs, and even the words I wrote myself, very differently. I wrote "Still," for instance, about another person's breakup, not my own. I now feel it differently, having experienced two divorces. But if I had to choose, it would be "Easy Like Sunday Morning," because it was from a part of my life when I worked so hard and everyone tried to make me into something and someone I didn't want to be. I just wanted to be myself. And so that song will always resonate for me.

And "Hello" will also probably be one of my favorites forever. I wasn't the jock in school growing up -- too slow for track, too small for football, too short for basketball -- so I wasn't the most popular kid on the block. "Hello" will always remind me of those times when I saw a guy walking into a party with a beautiful girl and I dreamed that she was looking for me. And what I learned was that there was an entire world of people who felt invisible as I did and dreamed like me.

Looking back, what was it, or who was it, that first led you to believe that you could be a successful artist and musician? What gave you the courage to go for a dream?

I give a great deal of credit to the Commodores. I grew up in a small community, a place where everyone seemed to know me. They knew that I couldn't play football; that I played tennis, which, in Alabama during the civil rights movement, didn't earn me Mr. Popularity. That I was a smart kid. And that community impression became my impression of myself.

But when I went to college, I met a guy from Florida, Thomas McClary, who didn't grow up with me. He said, "I heard you brought your horn with you. You want to join a band?" And he introduced me to the drummer, who was from Florida. And then to the keyboard player, who was from Mississippi. They didn't seem to care that I wasn't the basketball player, the football player, the lover. It was so freeing to see myself through their eyes and not buy into the limitations I knew from my own small town.

These guys gave me a chance because they said, "Hey Rich, can you sing?" And even though I was just a shower singer, it was a little secret of mine, I had the chance to go for it. Then I met Suzanne De Passe, who discovered the Commodores for the Jackson 5 Tour. She said she liked the lead singer and I thought, "who, me?" And then we joined Motown. Finally, there was Dick Clark. He told me I was going to host the American Music Awards. When I said, "I have no experience," he said, "I know. You school boys are all the same -- you think you need a diploma before you think you know what you can do. You can host the show because I say you can host the show." Sometimes you find that there are people who can see your potential before you can see it. Or believe in you before you do.

Did you deem it risky to sing? Would you call yourself a risk-taker?

Joining the Commodores didn't seem risky to me at the time. I believed in the dream. Of course, I was young and naive. It sure was risky to my mom and dad! "Hey, I'm quitting school to join a group called the Commodores, we're the black Beatles and we're going to take over the world." They didn't love it. And when they told me it was risky, I said that if it all goes wrong, I can still be a lawyer or a doctor by age 27. That this was my time to go for it. That's when they said, "OK, take your shot." Becoming a songwriter, that was risky. Because they were my words, my voice. I wasn't just singing someone else's story. I went for it because I knew if I made it, it would be on my own songs.

You now have a daughter, Nicole, in the public eye. Having lived in it for so long, what advice do you find yourself giving her?

Well, her generation is experiencing something that my generation never had to worry about. In mine, we had privacy. I could go to London, Rome, Amsterdam -- do something completely crazy, out of my mind -- and return home as little Richie. No one would know about it. Even in celebrity we had privacy. Now, everything one does is captured for eternity. I want to see Nicole's generation run for president. I don't know how it will be possible when every high school tweet, every frat picture, every move is captured on someone's phone.

So I tell her, always remember one thing -- whatever you do now is forever. Our parents could tell us stories and we believed what they told us. It won't be so for this generation. Their kids will be able to see and know things that they never would have wanted to share. We really don't even know what the consequences of all this exposure will be to future generations.

At this stage of life, what's one rule you feel you can break with impunity?

To a certain degree, I can be brutally honest. My grandmother used to always say, "if you are afraid of the truth, don't ask children or old people." Children don't know better and old people don't care. Tact is good but at a certain point, a person knows what he likes and doesn't like, what he is willing to do and not do, and honesty becomes the way to go. I can now change my mind without feeling guilty. I love that I can simply say no and not have to explain why.

What's one thing you wish you knew when you you were growing up?

I wish I would have understood what marriage was all about. We fall into love so easily because it is so innocent and so magical but the reality of it is so different. Marriage comes with a great deal of responsibility. A lot of compromise and work. If I knew then what I know now, as the expressions goes, I would've figured out a lot of things and that would have changed my whole life's course. But even though I wish I knew better, I wouldn't really change anything.

What do you want people to know about you that they might not already know?

I'm a jokester. I really love humor. My father used to always say to me, "You can lose your job, your house, your money. But if you lose your mind, then your life is over. And the only way to keep your mind, is to have sense of humor -- about yourself and about life." He had a very serious life and yet he had a great sense of humor. So I live my life by those words. I try to find the adults who still have the children in them -- and hang around with them. It's much more fun.

Is there any stage, literally or metaphorically, on which you still yearn to play?

Yes. The one role I want to play is Dad. I have great stories, great lessons and I want to share them with my kids, and with my grandkids. Of course, it's their lives and they will all do what they want to do anyway. But I want to pay attention to their growing up. Because the best thing that happened to me when I was growing up was that somebody was paying attention to me. If I could win on the fatherhood stage and as a great friend to those in my life, then I will be really happy.

Will you ever retire?

I don't know how! That's the good news for me. I keep waking up every morning with another idea. This is the love affair i'm having. Someone asked me when i'm going to retire and I said "from what?" You only retire from a job. And this has never been a job. It's my life.


Click HERE for a Slideshow of 10 Photos.


Source

[Deleted]

The 2012 ACM awards will be re-aired on GAC multiple times starting this Monday - June 4, 2012 - at 9 pm (Eastern).

Lionel Richie was a presenter and performer on the ACM awards. Richie's performance of "You Are" with Blake Shelton is on at the end of the ACM Awards. (Click HERE to see a Video of the performance.)

The 2012 ACM awards will be re-aired on the following dates and times:

Monday, June 4, 2012 - at 9 pm (Eastern)

Tuesday, June 5, 2012 - at 1:00 am (Eastern)

Tuesday, June 5, 2012 - at 4:30 pm (Eastern)

Wednesday, June 20, 2012 - at 9 pm (Eastern)

Thursday, June 21, 2012 - at 1 am (Eastern)


GAC

[Deleted]

The 2012 ACM awards begin re-airing tonight at 9 pm (Eastern) on GAC.

In other Lionel Richie news...

---

Etta James, Lionel Ritchie inducted into Apollo Theater Hall of Fame

Monday, June 04, 2012


LEFT: This April 29, 2006 file photo shows the late vocalist Etta James during her performance at the 2006 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival in New Orleans. RIGHT: This Jan. 11, 2012 file photo shows singer-songwriter Lionel Richie in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo / Jeff Christensen/Mark Humphrey)


NEW YORK (KABC) -- Singer-songwriter Lionel Richie and the late Etta James were set to be inducted into the Apollo Theater Legends Hall of Fame Monday.

The ceremony will be held at the historic Harlem theater. Richie and James join past Apollo Legends Hall of Fame inductees Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Aretha Franklin, Patti LaBelle and James Brown.

Richie is a multi-award winning artist who performed at the Apollo in the 1970s with The Commodores.

James' versatile style included blues, soul, jazz, R&B and rock. She's known for her ballad, "At Last." Her last album was released just three months before her death on January 20. She was 73.

(Copyright ©2012 KABC-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)


ABC

---

Google’s Latest Easter Egg: Search For Lionel Richie

May 31, 2012 at 8:04pm ET by Matt McGee

Oh, Google, you slay me. And it might slay you, too. Go do a search for “lionel richie” (or just click here) and — if you’ve been alive long enough — you’ll get a kick out of the joke that shows up in the Knowledge Graph box.



That, for you youngins, is a reference to the lyrics of Richie’s “Hello,” one of the sappiest songs ever, and one of Richie’s biggest hits, too. The video just oozes cheese, in ways that few 1980s songs could ever hope to match.



We’re pretty certain that Google must have more jokes built-in to its Knowledge Graph (just like Apple’s Siri has numerous funny responses to various voice commands), so if you happen to find or know of any others, let us know in the comments.

(As far as we know, The Next Web was first to report this … so tip via TNW.)


Source

[Deleted]

Lionel Richie's "Tuskegee" album sold another 22,000 copies this week.

"Tuskegee" hung on to remain in the Top 10 at # 10 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. It has remained in the Top 10 for all of the 10 weeks since it was released.

The sales total for "Tuskegee" is now at about 843,000.

---

Wednesday, June 06, 2012

Lionel Richie Inducted Into the Apollo Legends Hall of Fame



Lionel Richie was inducted into the Apollo Theater's Legends Hall of Fame on Monday, recalling the day he bought back his stolen musical equipment for $20.

One time, the band landed a show in New York and shortly before they were due to go on stage, they realised all their kits were missing.

"I went to a policeman and said, 'We've been robbed. How do we get our stuff back?''' Lionel laughed, before revealing the officer had suggested he approach the thief and offer him money.

The star followed the advice and tracked down the man, who demanded $1,000.

"I said, 'I only have $20.'" He said, "That's fine," he smiled.

The group managed to retrieve all their belongings, apart for a jacket with Richie written on the back.

However, Lionel insists he was willing to let that item go.

"I realised I didn't want that jacket back anymore because that jacket was not getting the proper cleaning," he added to the amusement of the audience.

Lionel saw a fan wearing the jacket to a The Commodores show some years later.

The 62-year-old star closed the ceremony on Monday with his hits Easy and Three Times a Lady.

During the event, Chaka Khan paid tribute to Whitney Houston by performing I'm Every Woman.

The late-Etta James was also inducted.


Source

Google

[onebuffalo]

^Thanks for the sales figures. I was going to ask you for those. I kind of lost track.

[HolidayGuy]

Finally lands an entry on Billboard's Country Songs chart:

www.billboard.com/column/chartbeat#/column/chartbeat/weekly-chart-notes-rihanna-kelly-clarkson-1007269752.story

'DEEP' THOUGHTS: Lionel Richie logs a notable debut at the opposite end of Country Songs.

"Tuskegee," Richie's duets album of covers of his classics, has spent its first 10 weeks in the top 10 of the Country Albums chart. This week, the set yields its first entry on Country Songs, as "Deep River Woman," with Little Big Town, bows at No. 60.

The entrance marks Richie's first on Country Songs in 25 years. And, he returns with the same song.

Richie sent the original version of "Woman," featuring vocals from Alabama, to No. 10 in 1987.

[onebuffalo]

Jun 8, 2012 11:34:25 GMT -5 HolidayGuy said:

Finally lands an entry on Billboard's Country Songs chart:

www.billboard.com/column/chartbeat#/column/chartbeat/weekly-chart-notes-rihanna-kelly-clarkson-1007269752.story

'DEEP' THOUGHTS: Lionel Richie logs a notable debut at the opposite end of Country Songs.

"Tuskegee," Richie's duets album of covers of his classics, has spent its first 10 weeks in the top 10 of the Country Albums chart. This week, the set yields its first entry on Country Songs, as "Deep River Woman," with Little Big Town, bows at No. 60.

The entrance marks Richie's first on Country Songs in 25 years. And, he returns with the same song.

Richie sent the original version of "Woman," featuring vocals from Alabama, to No. 10 in 1987.

I covered the same thing in my CountryChartbeat on Tuesday:
4. ABOUT TIME: Since its release in March, Lionel Richie's duets CD, Tuskegee has not produced a country chart entry. That changes this week as his remake of his only top ten, Deep River Woman (with Little Big Town) debuts at #60. The original (with Alabama) peaked at #10 in early 1987. This is Richie's third time on the chart as his first country appearance was back in 1984 with Stuck On You (#24). This single, on Mercury is the fourth label Little Big Town has charted and their second time charting on Mercury. They have charted on Monument (Don't Waste My Time-#33 in 2002), Equity (Boondocks-#9 in 2005), Mercury (Life In A Northern Town with Sugarland and Jake Owen-#28 in 2008), and Capitol (Little White Church-#6 in 2010).

[Deleted]

HITS says "Tuskegee" sold another 18,000 copies this week.

"Tuskegee" dropped down to around # 15 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. In the 11 weeks since it was released, this will be the first week "Tuskegee" has been outside of the Top 10 on the Billboard 200 albums chart.

The sales total now stands at around 861,000.

---

Kenny Rogers: Lionel’s Country Album Is “Smartest” in Years

Lionel’s Tuskegee is now the second-best selling album of 2012, behind only Adele’s 21.

Brad Schmitt | Published: Jun 09, 2012

OK, sure, Kenny Rogers has been friends with Lionel Richie for years, and they both had huge hits with Lionel-written "Lady."

So Kenny might be a little biased.

Still, Kenny had the highest praise for Lionel's latest, Tuskegee, a collection of Lionel's hits performed as duets with country stars.

"I think that's the smartest album done in years," Kenny told reporters Saturday night (June 9) before his performance at the CMA Music Festival in Nashville.

Simply put, "He took songs everyone knew and did them with artists everyone loves."

The prove is in the numbers: Lionel has sold more than 800,000 copies of the album this year, making it the second-best-selling album of 2012 so far, behind only Adele's 21.


Country Weekly

Google

---

Lionel Richie Makes Surprise Appearance at Bonnaroo Music Festival

12 June 2012



The Bonnaroo Festival in Tennessee usually attracts artists from a wide variety of musical genres each year, so that’s why Lionel Richie fit right in when he made a surprise appearance on Sunday night, the closing night of the festival.

Lionel joined his old pal Kenny Rogers onstage for a duet on “Lady,” the country star’s hit that Richie wrote and produced. The two recorded the song as a duet for Lionel’s current hit album, Tuskegee. Then, the former Commodores frontman rocked the crowd solo with his smash “All Night Long.”

Lionel has a lengthy European tour scheduled for the fall, but he has yet to announce a North American trek.

Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio


Source

[onebuffalo]

^Look at that picture. Lionel Richie looks better without plastic surgery than Kenny Rogers does with plastic surgery. Rogers, take notes!

[ListenToItTwice]

^ Sales were actually closer to 844,000 last week, so assuming that HDD is correct, then the new total is more like 862,000.

[George]

Is there any news on a DVD release of his concert special?