Lionel Richie "Tuskegee" (Country Duets)

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The Voice says hello to Lionel Richie

Cameron Adams / Herald Sun / June 14, 2012 11:02AM


LIONEL RICHIE IS NO STRANGER TO EVENT TV IN AUSTRALIA. PICTURE: ELLEN SMITH / HERALD SUN


AMERICAN superstar Lionel Richie will perform during The Voice on Sunday.

Richie was originally scheduled to sing at the Dancing With the Stars grand final on the same night.

However, he has been lured across to the rival network by his son-in-law, The Voice coach Joel Madden.

Madden is married to the US superstar's daughter, Nicole Richie.

The All Night Long singer will plug his album Tuskegee, which contains his hits performed as duets with country stars including Shania Twain, Willie Nelson and Kenny Rogers.

The album hit No.2 in Australia and No.1 in the US earlier this year. It is his most successful album in several years.

There is no word on what song from the album Richie will perform on The Voice - or with whom - but Madden’s finalist Sarah de Bono would be a safe bet.


THE VOICE GRAND FINALISTS KARISE EDEN, SARAH DE BONO, RACHAEL LEAHCAR AND DARREN PERCIVAL. PIC: TOBY ZERNA


Dancing With the Stars has been left with a performance from dance troupe Burn the Floor to fill their Lionel-shaped hole.

The Voice has added an extra show on Sunday to go head-to-head with the Dancing With the Stars grand final.

On Sunday night’s episode of The Voice, the final four will perform two songs each - one cover version, and one original song.

Out of the four original songs, one will eventually be released as the winner’s single on Monday night.

On Monday night’s The Voice grand final, the four coaches - Madden, Delta Goodrem, Keith Urban and Seal - will perform one of their hits with their contestants before the winner is announced.

Lionel Richie is no stranger to event TV in Australia. He performed at the Australian Idol grand final in 2007 and the AFL Grand Final two years ago.

Richie toured Australia in March last year.


Source

[Musiq]

This is great for Lionel. He's a great artist.

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Lionel Richie - Lionel Richie Duets With Son-In-Law Joel Madden

17 June 2012 23:11

Click HERE for a Lionel Richie photo.
Picture: Lionel Richie. siging autographs outside 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!'. Los Angeles, California - 04.04.12.[/color][/url]

Lionel Richie teamed up with his son-in-law Joel Madden on Australia's TV talent show The Voice on Sunday night (17Jun12) for a rendition of the veteran singer's hit song Easy.

Good Charlotte star Madden, who is married to Richie's daughter Nicole, serves as a judge on the competition and during the first part of the final on Sunday, he duetted with his father-in-law on one of his best-loved tracks.

The collaboration clearly impressed Madden's fellow judge Keith Urban, who declared on his Twitter.com page, "Lionel Richie and Joel Madden. How Cool!!!!!!", while panel member Delta Goodrem gushed, "thank you both for sharing that wonderful performance with us all so special."

The second part of the final will air in Australia on Monday night (18Jun12).

Contact Music

CBS

[Deleted]

According to HITS, Lionel Richie's "Tuskegee" cd sold 24,655 this week.

That is reported to be an increase in sales of 36% over last week.

The sales total for "Tuskegee" is now around 886,000.

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Wednesday was Lionel Richie's birthday.

Lionel Richie turned 63 years old on Wednesday, June 20, 2012.

Source

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Lionel Richie's performance with son-in-law Joel Madden on The Voice was his first before his grandchildren

Kathy McCabe, Music Editor From: The Daily Telegraph June 18, 2012 10:00PM


First time Lionel Richie had performed in front of his grandchildren ... Richie with his son-in-law Joel Madden on Channel 9's The Voice on Sunday with Harlow and Sparrow in the audience. Picture: Channel 9 Source: Supplied


LIONEL Richie has some explaining to do to his grandchildren.

Until the great songwriter performed for the first time with his son-in-law Joel Madden on The Voice on Sunday, Harlow and Sparrow had no idea "Pop-pops" was also in showbusiness - let alone being a legend.

Pictures: Latest from The Voice

Pictures: The Voice's final four

Video: The Voice's finalists before they were famous

"While we were singing, I could see Nicole with Harlow and Sparrow out of the corner of my eye and it dawned on me they have never seen me on stage before," Richie said yesterday.

"You just know they were thinking, 'What's Pop-pops doing with Dada'?"

His daughter was probably wondering what took her father and husband so long to sing together. Richie said even he was nervous for Madden as the pair walked out to sing his enduring hit Easy on The Voice on Sunday.

"Singing with your father-in-law is enough to make your nervous. Singing with your father-in-law in front of your family and a couple of million people at the finale of a show ... I would have passed out. It could go all wrong. But it was great," Richie said.

Richie is working on a follow-up to his chart-topping Tuskegee album and plans to be back here for a tour in February.

"We've got things to do. And I don't like fishing," he said.


Shock for everyone ... Lionel Richie at The Darling hotel at The Star. Picture: Brad Hunter Source: The Daily Telegraph


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Lionel Richie: Joel and Nicole's kids didn't know I was famous until they saw me on The Voice

Click HERE to See a Video of the new Lionel Richie interview.

Lionel Richie sat down for a chat with TheFIX's Kylie Speer after his appearance on The Voice Australia on Sunday night.

The soul legend performed his first ever duet with son-in-law Joel Madden, an experience which he says brought a tear to his eye and even prompted some kind words from the family's toughest critic, daughter Nicole Richie.

"I would love for Nicole to be just slightly gentle," says Lionel, although he was pleased to report that Nicole, who was watching backstage with her kids, gave her dad and hubby "great marks" for their performance.

Lionel tells us that Joel and Nicole's kids Harlow, four, and Sparrow, two, had no idea he was famous and had never seen him perform before Sunday night. "What's Pap Pap doing on stage with Dad Dad?" they asked.

Watch the full interview above, and hear Lionel's response to rumours that the Richies and Maddens are moving Down Under.


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The following SoundScan sales information is courtesy of Hotlantan in the Billboard 200: 7/7/12 thread.

13 16 18 22 richie*lionel tuskegee 16,010 -32 23,514 901,277

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Lionel Richie to perform at Newbury Racecourse

added: 25 Jun 2012 // by: Music-News.com Newsdesk



What better way to end the summer than with a stylish day at the races and a spectacular performance by legendary artist Lionel Richie?

On Saturday 22nd September Newbury Racecourse's Party in the Paddock series continues, bringing the globally acclaimed singer-songwriter back to our shores to wow crowds at his first UK concert in three years.

The concert will follow a day of world class racing with Lionel Richie performing some of his greatest hits including 'Dancing on the Ceiling', 'All Night Long', 'Easy' and 'Hello'.

Tickets go on sale on Wednesday 20th June via Ticketmaster, www.ticketmaster.co.uk or 0844 826 2826, with prices starting from just £35, which includes both the racing and concert. Tickets and a range of hospitality, dining and The White Room after party packages will be available on Newbury-racecourse.co.uk from 9am on Friday 22nd June.

This performance will be Lionel Richie's first in the UK since 2009, so it is advised that visitors buy their tickets early to avoid disappointment via www.newbury-racecourse.co.uk/lionel

The concert completes the Dubai Duty Free International Weekend; two days of racing with three Group races including the Dubai Duty Free Mill Reef stakes and the Dubai Duty Free Arc Trial. The first of seven races commences at 1.25pm with Lionel Richie taking to the stage following the final race.

For further information and to book tickets visit www.newbury-racecourse.co.uk or www.ticketmaster.co.uk


Source

[Deleted]

U.S. Chart News:

According to HITS, "Tuskegee" sold another 10,253 copies this week.

The total for "Tuskegee" is now around 911,530.

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Brazil Chart News:

After 10 weeks, Lionel Richie's "Tuskegee" album is at # 11 on the Brazil Albums Chart.

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Australian Chart News:

Australian Albums Chart: "Tuskegee" is at # 29 after 11 weeks on the chart. Certified Gold.

Australian Country Albums Chart: "Tuskegee" is at # 3 after 14 weeks on the chart. Certified Gold.

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Lionel Richie Adds Nottingham Show To Tuskegee U.K. Arena Tour



7/2/2012 5:05 PM ET

(RTTNews) - Lionel Richie has added a show (October 3) at Nottingham's Capital FM Arena to his upcoming Tuskegee U.K. tour. Tickets for the new date go on sale on Wednesday, July 4.

The tour begins on September 22 at the Newbury Racecourse in Newbury, Berkshire, and ends on November 17 at Motorpoint Arena in Sheffield.

Tuskegee, the album which gives the tour its name, was certified platinum in early May.

"This album continues to amaze me and I am so grateful for all that it has accomplished," Richie told Billboard. "Just when I think it couldn't get any bigger, Tuskegee reaches a new level of success."

Tuskegee U.K. tour dates:

Sept 27th - S.E.C.C., Glasgow

Sept 29th - Aberdeen Exhibition Centre

Oct 3rd - Nottingham, Capital FM Arena - NEW DATE

Oct 26th - LG Arena, The NEC, Birmingham

Oct 28th - The O2 arena, London

Nov 10th - Liverpool Echo Arena

Nov 11th - Manchester Arena

Nov 14th - Motorpoint Arena Cardiff

Nov 16th - Newcastle Metro Radio Arena

Nov 17th - Motorpoint Arena, Sheffield

by RTT Staff Writer

For comments and feedback: [e-mail]


Source

[Nick]

Amazon has a sale today on MP3's. Lionel's album is featured for $0.99.

www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/ref=bt_atcg_mine_cta?ie=UTF8&docId=1000811501&ie=UTF8&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=012Q68QGVXPWYCEAVXHJ&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1375551942&pf_rd_i=163856011

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WEDNESDAY, JULY 04, 2012

At Mid Year, Lionel Richie and Whitney Houston Have Top Ten Sellers; Madonna and Springsteen Fall Short



As we pass the midway point of 2012, Soundscan has released their lists of the top selling albums and singles of the year-to-date.

The big surprise for the year, so far, has been the amazing success of Lionel Richie's duets album, Tuskegee. While it is nowhere near Adele's 21 which could be the top selling album two years in a row, it is an amazing number 2 with sales of 912,000 copies (Adele is at 3,668,000).

Two spots lower, at number 4, is Whitney Houston's Greatest Hits, driven by her untimely death. Total sales so far are at 818,000.

Surprising on the other end of the scale is the low sales for both Madonna's MDNA and Bruce Springsteen's Wrecking Ball. So far, Madonna is number 13 on the year with 484,000 while Springsteen is 15, moving 425,000 copies. It is a strange year when Lionel Richie can go platinum while Madonna and Springsteen aren't even to gold status.

What isn't a surprise is that no veteran artist made the top 20 singles of the year so far as it is a rarity that those artists have big sales on single tracks.

Topping the singles list is Gotye Featuring Kimbra with Somebody That I Used to Know with sales of 5,501,000. We Are Young by fun. featuring Janelle Monae is second with 5,087,000.

Here are the top five on each list with additional listings for veteran artists farther down the chart:

Albums

01. 21 - Adele (3,688,000)
02. Tuskegee - Lionel Richie (912,000)
03. Up All Night - One Direction (899,000)
04. Whitney: The Greatest Hits - Whitney Houston (818,000)
05. Now 41 - Various Artists (714,000)
13. MDNA - Madonna (484,000)
15. Wrecking Ball - Bruce Springsteen (425,000)

Singles

01. Somebody That I Used to Know - Gotye Featuring Kimbra (5,501,000)
02. We Are Young - .fun Featuring Janelle Monae (5,087,000)
03. Call Me Maybe - Carly Rae Jepsen (4,064,000)
04. Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You) - Kelly Clarkson (3,324,000)
05. Starships - Nicki Minaj - (3,158,000)


Source

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Lionel Richie 'Tuskegee' Is Country's Top Seller for First Half of 2012

Posted Jul 5th 2012 2:00PM by Stephen L. Betts / Comments



This week's Billboard country album chart features a repeat showing of Kenny Chesney's Welcome to the Fishbowl at the No. 1 spot. With 255,000 copies of the superstar's album sold thus far (in just two weeks), according to Nielsen Soundscan, the album is already among the 10 best-selling country discs of the first six months of 2012. Kenny is also featured on the year's top-selling disc, too, having contributed guest vocals to pop superstar Lionel Richie's star-packed duets collection, Tuskegee.

Already platinum-certified, signifying sales of one million copies, Tuskegee also features Lionel collaborating with Shania Twain, Jason Aldean, Little Big Town, Billy Currington, Darius Rucker, Rascal Flatts, Jennifer Nettles and others on some of his most popular hit songs. It's the iconic singer-songwriter's first album to reach platinum status in the U.S. since 2003, and the first million-selling collection of newly-recorded material since 1986's Dancing on the Ceiling.

The year's second-best-selling country album so far is Carrie Underwood's Blown Away, now in its ninth week of release and registering sales of just over 600,000 copies since its debut. It's the sixth best-selling album overall, and the only one by a female country artist to place within the Top 10 on the Billboard 200 at mid-year. On the country chart, Lady Antebellum (Own the Night, No. 4) and the Band Perry (No. 8) are also among the year's best-sellers so far.

Two of 2011's biggest albums are hanging tough in 2012. Luke Bryan's Tailgates and Tanlines is the year's third-best-selling country disc, with Jason Aldean's My Kinda Party at No. 5. Luke has been around for 47 weeks (and holds at No. 2 on the country chart this week), while Jason, who is expected to release a brand-new album later this year, has logged an impressive 87 weeks on the charts with his Party, the top-seller of 2011 and the reigning CMA Album of the Year.

Tim McGraw's Emotional Traffic is the No. 10 best-seller in country for the year thus far, while Rascal Flatts' Changed is No. 7 and Eric Church's Chief is No. 6.

Among the highly-anticipated albums due in the second half of 2012: Zac Brown Band's Uncaged, new discs from Keith Urban, Gary Allan, LeAnn Rimes, Lee Ann Womack and Little Big Town's latest, featuring the smash summer hit, "Pontoon."

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

Source

[Deleted]

According to HITS, Lionel Richie's "Tuskegee" album sold 22,420 copies in the U.S. last week.

"Tuskegee" was reported to have a +119% increase in sales last week. That's likely due to the Amazon sale that was mentioned above.

"Tuskegee" moved up to # 2 on the Billboard Country Albums chart. It's listed as the "Greatest Gainer" of the week after moving up 9 positions.

The total sales for "Tuskegee" are now around 934,000.

[Au$tin]

Album Sales This Week:

Tuskegee
TW: 22.4k
LW: 10.4k
Total: 934.1k

Best Of (20th Century)
TW: 2.9k
LW: 3.2k
Total: 684.7k

[Deleted]

I've had some computer issues and I haven't been online in a week, but the following is the last "Tuskegee" sales information I have found.

Back in July, the week after the Amazon discount sales effect wore off, according to HITS "Tuskegee" sold 9,120 copies. (Source)

The week after that, HITS reported "Tuskegee" sold 8,707 copies. (Source)

That is the last information I've found. The HITS thread that came after those two weeks was somehow deleted on purpose or in error.

That would put the total sales for "Tuskegee" at around 951,927 at the end of July 2012.

I haven't found any other additional U.S. sales information for "Tuskegee."

I have, however, found Worldwide chart information for "Tuskegee."

See the information below...

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Worldwide Chart Information for "Tuskegee"

United States Top 100 Albums Chart
First Week on the Chart: April 14, 2012
Entry Position: # 2
Peak Position: # 1
Weeks at Peak Position: 2
Weeks on Chart: 18
Last Week on the Chart: August 11, 2012


Australia Top 50 Albums Chart
First Week on the Chart: April 2, 2012
Entry Position: # 36
Peak Position: # 2
Weeks at Peak Position: 1
Weeks on Chart: 12
Last Week on the Chart: July 9, 2012


Denmark Top 40 Albums Chart
First Week on the Chart: March 16, 2012
Entry Position: # 2
Peak Position: # 2
Weeks at Peak Position: 1
Weeks on Chart: 11
Last Week on the Chart: May 25, 2012


World Top 40 Albums Chart
First Week on the Chart: April 7, 2012
Entry Position: # 25
Peak Position: # 2
Weeks at Peak Position: 1
Weeks on Chart: 15
Last Week on the Chart: July 21, 2012


New Zealand Top 40 Albums Chart
First Week on the Chart: April 2, 2012
Entry Position: # 22
Peak Position: # 6
Weeks at Peak Position: 1
Weeks on Chart: 12
Last Week on the Chart: June 18, 2012


Dutch Top 100 Albums Chart
First Week on the Chart: March 17, 2012
Entry Position: # 10
Peak Position: # 7
Weeks at Peak Position: 2
Weeks on Chart: 14
Last Week on the Chart: June 23, 2012


Germany Top 50 Albums Chart
First Week on the Chart: 2012/19
Entry Position: # 7
Peak Position: # 7
Weeks at Peak Position: 1
Weeks on Chart: 3
Last Week on the Chart: 2012/21


UK Top 75 Albums Chart
First Week on the Chart: March 11, 2012
Entry Position: # 7
Peak Position: # 7
Weeks at Peak Position: 1
Weeks on Chart: 9
Last Week on the Chart: May 6, 2012


Austria Top 75 Albums Chart
First Week on the Chart: May 9, 2012
Entry Position: # 9
Peak Position: # 9
Weeks at Peak Position: 1
Weeks on Chart: 6
Last Week on the Chart: June 13, 2012


Sweden Top 60 Albums Chart
First Week on the Chart: March 15, 2012
Entry Position: # 35
Peak Position: # 10
Weeks at Peak Position: 1
Weeks on Chart: 8
Last Week on the Chart: May 10, 2012


Norway Top 40 Albums Chart
First Week on the Chart: March 13, 2012
Entry Position: # 26
Peak Position: # 26
Weeks at Peak Position: 1
Weeks on Chart: 2
Last Week on the Chart: March 20, 2012


Ireland Top 75 Albums Chart
First Week on the Chart: March 8, 2012
Entry Position: # 42
Peak Position: # 42
Weeks at Peak Position: 2
Weeks on Chart: 3
Last Week on the Chart: March 22, 2012


Italy Top 100 Albums Chart
First Week on the Chart: March 13, 2012
Entry Position: # 52
Peak Position: # 52
Weeks at Peak Position: 1
Weeks on Chart: 1
Last Week on the Chart: March 13, 2012


Spain Top 100 Albums Chart
First Week on the Chart: March 18, 2012
Entry Position: # 71
Peak Position: # 71
Weeks at Peak Position: 1
Weeks on Chart: 1
Last Week on the Chart: March 18, 2012


France Top 100 Albums Chart
First Week on the Chart: March 24, 2012
Entry Position: # 134
Peak Position: # 134
Weeks at Peak Position: 1
Weeks on Chart: 1
Last Week on the Chart: March 24, 2012

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OFFSTAGE: Lionel Richie: Will His Duets Go Live?

August 17, 2012; Written by Alison Bonaguro


Lionel Richie


(CMT Offstage keeps a 24/7 watch on everything that's happening with country music artists behind the scenes and out of the spotlight.)

On Thursday's (Aug. 16) Today show, Lionel Richie talked a little bit about his 2013 tour that begins in February. He said once his European tour is over at the end of this year, he wants to take the show across America and admitted, "Life on the road is probably where I live best." And I think it will be so cool to see Richie bring his Tuskegee album to life. But Richie didn't say who may be performing with him on tour. You know how Brad Paisley brings a hologram of Carrie Underwood with him to perform their "Remind Me" duet at their concerts? And how Jason Aldean will occasionally have Kelly Clarkson with him when it comes time to do "Don't You Wanna Stay"? I'd love to see Richie surprise us with a few cameos like that. Maybe Kenny Chesney could join Richie onstage for their "My Love" duet. Or Darius Rucker for "Stuck on You." Or, if he's not too busy with his Vegas shows, Tim McGraw would be able to sing "Sail On" at a couple of shows. Who would you like to see join Richie on tour?


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Photo Flash: Lionel Richie Performs on NBC's TODAY

Friday, August 17, 2012; 10:08 AM - by BWW News Desk[/url][/i]

Read more: tv.broadwayworld.com/article/Photo-Flash-Lionel-Richie-Performs-on-NBCs-TODAY-20120817##ixzz23piQcQZE

Lionel Richie performed at Rockefeller Center studios for a live outdoor concert for his fans on yesterday's TODAY show on NBC. Check out the appearance below!

Richie's 1982 self-titled debut contained the hit singles "Truly", which launched his career as one of the most successful balladeers of the 1980s, and the Top Five hits "You Are" and "My Love." The album hit #3 on the music charts and sold over 4 million copies. His 1983 follow-up album, Can't Slow Down, sold over twice as many copies and won two Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year, propelling him into the first rank of international superstars. The album contained the #1 hit "All Night Long" a Caribbean-flavored dance number that was promoted by a colorful music video produced by former Monkee Michael Nesmith. In 1984, Richie performed “All Night Long” at the closing ceremony of the XXIII Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

Several more Top 10 hits followed, the most successful of which was the ballad "Hello" (1984), a sentimental love song that showed how far Richie had moved from his R&B roots. Richie had three more Top Ten hits in 1984, "Stuck on You" (#3), "Running with the Night" (#7) and "Penny Lover" (#8). Now described by one critic as "the black Barry Manilow," in 1985 Richie wrote and performed a suitably soothing theme song, "Say You, Say Me," for the film White Nights, winning an Oscar for his efforts as well as reaching #1 on the U.S. charts and staying there for four weeks, making it the #1 song of 1985 according to Billboard's year-end Hot 100 chart. He also collaborated with Michael Jackson on the charity single "We Are the World" by USA for Africa, another #1 hit.

In 1986, Richie released Dancing on the Ceiling, his last widely popular album, which produced a run of US and UK hits including "Say You, Say Me" (U.S. #1), "Dancing on the Ceiling" (U.S. #2), "Ballerina Girl" (U.S. #7), and "Se La" (U.S. #20), Richie's most recent U.S. Pop Top 20 hit.

Photo by: Peter Kramer/NBC

Lionel Richie


Lionel Richie


Lionel Richie


Lionel Richie

Source

[Deleted]

Target is currently selling Lionel Richie's "Tuskegee" CD for $ 6.99 in stores and online.

The Deluxe edition of "Tuskegee" is $ 16.99 at Target.


In addition, Amazon U.S. is currently running a big sale that includes a wide variety of CDs.

On Amazon.com Lionel Richie's "Tuskegee" CD is among those that have been discounted.

Here is a list of the Lionel Richie CDs that are currently discounted:

Lionel Richie - "Tuskegee" - $ 5.99

Lionel Richie - "The Definitive Collection" - $ 6.99

Lionel Richie - "The Best of Lionel Richie: 20th Century Masters" - $ 4.73

I don't go to Amazon.com very much so I don't know when the sale will end or how long it has been going on.

[Deleted]

According to HITS, Lionel Richie's "Tuskegee" album sold 13,819 copies last week and 15,707 copies this week.

The sales increases were likely the result of his appearance (and performance) on the "Today" show and the Amazon and Target sales.

[Deleted]

Photograph by Charlie Sykes/Invision/AP Photo
Lionel Richie performing on the "Today" show in New York City.


Lionel Richie on Surviving the Cut-Throat Music Business

By Andy Fixmer on August 30, 2012

Veteran singer-songwriter Lionel Richie, who has sold 23 million albums in the U.S. during a four-decade career, is again at the top of the charts with Tuskegee, an album of duets with such country stars of today as Tim McGraw, Kenny Chesney, and Shania Twain. In an e-mail exchange, Bloomberg Businessweek asked him about his genre-crossing experience and today’s music business.

BW: Leading up to making Tuskegee, how much influence has country had on your song writing?

Richie: I grew up in Tuskegee, Alabama. So this album is me coming home. I discovered being a songwriter in Tuskegee. My titles Sail On and Easy, they’re all from growing up. It’s not a complicated life down there. It’s really quite basic. You’re happy, you’re sad, you’re glad, you party. That’s basic living.

When I was growing up, music was music and there were no genres. We didn’t look at it as country music. Popular music in Tuskegee was country music. So I didn’t know it in categories. It was the radio.

My earliest memories of country music are the Grand Ole Opry. We didn’t have 475 channels back then; we only had three. You either watched country, national news, or local. That’s it. We watched the Opry every weekend. Did we know about Buck Owens and Charley Pride? Yep, sure did. Then the next generation came along, which was Mac Davis and Glen Campbell, and of course Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson were the kings. There were so many great songwriters that influenced me.

Why a duets album? What was the rationale for the project?

I always like to challenge myself. I never want to be put into a box. One day we were sitting around talking about where to go next and talking especially about where the songs have been. We discovered that, believe it or not, the songs stuck in country for some good reason, and it’s been there all the time. So we put a feel out to see if we did a country album, who would come to the table, and all of country came to the table! I discovered that every country star basically knew one or more of my songs.

Did you ever consider the business attractiveness of crossing genres, especially toward country?

Believe me, I love commerce as much as the rest of the readers of Businessweek. But in art, you have to be true to yourself and your musical vision. People have known me well for a long time, so if I was chasing a trend and doing something that wasn’t authentic to who I am, they would know it in just a few seconds. That said, I have always tried to stay ahead of the curve while always keeping in mind what music lovers want. Throughout my career, I’ve been told that I wasn’t making the music the audience wanted to hear. In other words, I would go to an R&B convention with a song called Easy Like Sunday Morning, and they’d say, “The brother’s got to be crazy.”

Then I would go back to the disk jockeys and say, “O.K., let me explain something to you. If Mozart were black, would he be Mozart? No. Because you wouldn’t have played him. So I’m not writing R&B music; I’m writing a gift that came through me that obviously makes sense because it’s working.” By the time I got to All Night Long, it was just, “That’s Lionel.” It was expected that I would go left or right and certainly not down the center. I guess that’s because I didn’t understand the categories and refused to fall in one.

How do you think about genre these days, and how does that compare with when you first broke into the music industry?

Years ago, you had many different program directors who worked various radio stations and they were specific in their fields or genre or types of music. You had the R&B programs, Country PD’s [programming directors at radio stations], etc. And you built relationships within those genres of music and those people. Today, everything has turned into a conglomerate and there are one or two PDs programming all the stations in specific territories. Playlists seem smaller these days, so fewer songs are given the chance to be heard and it’s become more difficult for older artists to be played on radio. That said, it still boils down to one-on-one relationships in the industry and the quality of the song. You still have to win over listeners one at a time.

What lessons can other artists—or even the broader music industry—learn from your success?

I always tell young artists, remember one day you will be 40, 50, and 60 years old. As you get older in this industry, put Mr. in front of your name. If it doesn’t flow, then you’re in trouble. You never want to just be a fad, because one day you will mature and get older and so will your original fan base. You hope that your name and your good music will grow older with them. Yes, you want to evolve, but you always evolve with maturity, class, and integrity.

The most important concept you have to understand is simplicity. You can write a hard song any day of the week: Just throw in a bunch of notes and say as many words as you can think of. But Stuck On You, Easy, Still,—I mean, simplicity. What year does that song sound like it might have been written? Pick a year. What wedding did it work for? Every wedding. What religion did it work for? Every religion. The reason people know these songs so well is because they are very basic, one-on-one feelings and emotions.

Would you like to record another album of country duets, or would you ever consider writing new material for a country album? Is there another genre that interests you?

Absolutely, doing this duets album with country artists brought me full circle. I am home at country, so I certainly could see me doing another country album, maybe this time with new country originals. But I am open to working with artists from all genres from around the world. Even when we go home, we often branch out in life to still adventure on what’s out there. I would love to do something with Coldplay, Train, and believe or not, people like Swedish House Mafia. The possibilities are endless.

Fixmer is a reporter for Bloomberg News in Los Angeles.


Businessweek

[Deleted]

Lionel Richie Receives First CMA Nomination



Music icon Lionel Richie received his first-ever Country Music Association nomination on Wednesday for his duet with Darius Rucker on Richie’s “Stuck On You” in the Music Event of the Year category.

“I am thrilled to receive my first nomination from the CMA. I am so grateful to the country music community for embracing this project and making me feel so at home,” Richie exclaims. “To share this nomination with my friend Darius Rucker makes it even more special. I have a CMA nomination and a friend for life. It doesn’t get much better than that.”

Darius Rucker, who sang with Richie on “Stuck On You,” says, “I was so honored to have sung with Lionel and am overjoyed with this nomination.”

“Stuck On You” appears on Richie’s platinum-certified Tuskegee. Tuskegee is the best-selling country album of 2012 and the first country album in more than a year to spend two consecutive weeks atop the Billboard 200. Richie has garnered album sales of more than 100 million, 22 Top 10 hits, five Grammys, an Academy Award, a Golden Globe and a host of other awards.

Tuskegee has become a worldwide hit, debuting at No. 1 on Canada’s Top Albums chart and reaching the Top 20 albums charts in 10 countries. It hit the Top 10 albums charts in the United Kingdom, Denmark, Holland, Australia, Hong Kong and Sweden. This is his first No. 1 album in Canada in the SoundScan era and his first No. 1 album in Canada since his sophomore solo album, Can’t Slow Down, in 1983.

The album features duets of 13 of his timeless hits 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.

The 46th Annual CMA Awards will broadcast live from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Thursday, Nov. 1 (8:00-11:00 PM/ET) on the ABC Television Network.

Contact: [e-mail]


Source

[Deleted]

Has the album broken a milli yet?

[Deleted]

Sept 6, 2012 13:03:28 GMT -5 @jazzysoul47 said:

Has the album broken a milli yet?

Yes.

On August 30, areyoureadytojump reported in the 9/8/2012 Billboard album sales thread in the General Music News section that "Tuskegee" had passed 1 Million in actual sales.

[Deleted]

ACM Lifting Lives Charity Receives $750,000 Following Lionel Richie TV Special

September 12, 2012


Lionel Richie

The Academy of Country Music has announced a $750,000 contribution to its ACM Lifting Lives charity on behalf of the artists who participated in the taping of ACM Presents: Lionel Richie and Friends -- In Concert. The special, which aired in April on CBS, paid tribute to Richie during performances by Jason Aldean, Marc Anthony, Luke Bryan, Kenny Chesney, Sara Evans, Martina McBride, Tim McGraw, Jennifer Nettles, Kenny Rogers, Darius Rucker, Blake Shelton, The Band Perry, Big & Rich, Lady Antebellum and Rascal Flatts. ACM Lifting Lives, the philanthropic arm of the ACM, is dedicated to improving lives through the power of music. Each year, ACM Lifting Lives provides grants to music therapy and music education programs. Other initiatives include serving members of the country music community who face unexpected medical or financial hardship.


Source

[Deleted]

Dec. 27

2012 Rewind: Bonus Moment – Lionel Richie Goes Country

By Sarah Wyland | Leave a Comment

Lionel Richie’s 2012 CD, Tuskegee. Photo courtesy of UMG Nashville.

Lionel Richie went a little bit country in 2012 with the release of Tuskegee, a collection of 13 of his hit songs recorded as duets with some of the biggest names in country music including Jason Aldean, Tim McGraw, Blake Shelton, Darius Rucker, Rascal Flatts, Kenny Chesney, Shania Twain, Kenny Rogers, Willie Nelson and more. Lionel returned to his roots on the album, paying tribute to his hometown of Tuskegee, Alabama.

Read our review of Lionel Richie’s Tuskegee >>

“Tuskegee is where it all began, the place where I felt that everything was available and possible,” he said. “It’s where I learned about life and love and the power of music, and the place I built a musical foundation that knows no genres or boundaries.”

The album debuted at No 1 on the Billboard Country Albums chart, Lionel’s highest-charting album since 1986. “I am ecstatic!” Lionel said of the debut. “These songs are like my children, so I am overwhelmed that they are being embraced by several generations of music lovers. I am so grateful to all of my duet partners for bringing their own distinctive styles and personalities to this album and interpreting these songs in fresh new ways.”

In just five weeks, the album went platinum, selling more than a million copies. Tuskegee was one of the best-selling country albums 2012. Lionel joins Ray Charles as the only artists in history to have No. 1 albums on both the Billboard Country Albums and R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts.

Read our complete list of the Top Stories of 2012 >>

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE:

- Lionel Richie’s Tuskegee Is the Year’s Best-Selling Album So Far
- Lionel Richie’s Tuskegee Debuts at No. 1
- Lionel Richie’s Tuskegee Goes Platinum
- Rascal Flatts Thrilled to Work with Lionel Richie
- Watch Lionel Richie & Shania Twain’s “Endless Love” Video


Source

[Deleted]

Apr 13, 2012 21:56:12 GMT -5 carrieidol1 said:

Anyone know if the TV special will re-air?

GAC will be re-airing the "Lionel Richie & Friends" special several times in June 2013 - starting Saturday, June 8.

Here is some information from GAC:

Lionel Richie & Friends

ACM Presents: Lionel Richie and Friends - is a special concert event of country music collaborations with the legendary Lionel Richie, featuring duets from his album Tuskegee, along with solo performances. Some of Richie's greatest hits were performed by today's hottest country artists including Jason Aldean ("Say You Say Me"), The Band Perry ("Penny Lover"),Sara Evans, Lady Antebellum ("Truly"), Martina McBride ("Still"), Jennifer Nettles ("Hello") and Rascal Flatts ("Dancing on the Ceiling"). Duets with Richie include: "My Love" with Kenny Chesney, "Sail On" with Tim McGraw, "Lady" with Kenny Rogers, and more.

Air Dates and Times:

• Saturday, June 08, 2013 at 9:00 PM ET
• Sunday, June 09, 2013 at 1:00 AM ET
• Sunday, June 09, 2013 at 5:00 PM ET
• Saturday June 29, 2013 at 9:00 PM ET
• Sunday, June 30, 2013 at 1:00 AM ET

Source

[onebuffalo]

^Do you have sales figures on Tuskegee? Thanks.

[HolidayGuy]

Tuskegee stands at roughly 1.095 million to date.

[onebuffalo]

^Damn, that was fast and thank you!

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