I know you’re not alone on the night.
All the things I right.
Wow, did they call you and say: hey, you know what we changed our mind?
No, that never happened.
That never happened.
That that never happened.
Is it too late now?
No, it’s a little late.
Did you ever wonder what really happened with Lionel Richie and the commodor at 75?
Lion?
Richie is finally addressing some shocking rumors about his time with the legendary band.
Right, it was very painful.
I’ I’ve been through this with the guys when one guy gets a hit record and no one else gets the hit record.
Were things behind the scenes as perfect as they seemed?
What caused tensions within the group, and how does Lionel feel about it?
Now?
The Life and Career of Lionel Richie
Let’s uncover the truth about the drama surrounding the commodor mint tea, where we grew mint in the backyard.
So my mother would always say: go down in the backyard and pick me a couple of those little uh loaves of, uh leaves of mint.
Bring them up.
M put it in Ic tea.
Born on June 20th 1949 in Tuskegee, Alabama.
His parents were Lionel Brockman Richie, who worked as a Us Army systems analyst, and Alberta R Foster, a teacher and School principal.
Lionel’s grandmother, Adelaide Mary Brown, was a skilled pianist Who Loved classical music.
This musical Talent seems to run in the family.
He went to high school in Joliet, Illinois, where he shown as a tennis player.
He earned a scholarship to attend Tuskegee Institute, where he joined the marching band and graduated with a degree in economics and accounting.
I was born and raised on a University campus, on Tusky University campus, so it was black history.
Every day I’m living amongst some of those people that we were we were celebrating, and at one point Liono considered becoming a priest in the Episcopal church, but he eventually decided to focus on music instead.
Even though he couldn’t read or write music, his talent was undeniable.
Lio also became a member of the Kappa, Kappa Sai and Alpha fi Alpha fraternities, both of which he actively supports.
Lionel’s Start with the Commodores
While at Tuskegee, Liono formed several R and B groups.
In 1968 he joined the commodor as a singer and Saxophonist.
They signed their first record deal with Atlantic Records and later moved to mtown records where they opened for the Jackson 5.
The commodor quickly became a hit, blending funky dance tracks like machine gun and brick house with slower ballads like easy and sale on Lio, songwriter writing Talent shown through early in his career.
In 1974 he co-wrote the song Happy People, which became a hit for The Temptations by the late 1970s.
Lionel started writing songs for other artists.
One of his biggest hits, Lady, was written for Kenny Rogers and became a chart topping success in 1980- so many years.
He also produced Kenny album.
Share your love.
The two became lifelong friends.
What Changed The Commodores
The commodor were a popular band in the 1970s.
Their songs made people dance and sing along, but things got tricky when lion Richie started getting more attention than the rest of the group.
It all began when the band released hits that fans loved, but people focused more on liel.
This made some band members feel left out.
In 1977 they released a funky hit called Brick House.
It became a huge success, but Lionel started writing softer, romantic songs.
After that, one of his songs became the group’s first number one hit in 1978.
Fans loved Lionel’s sweet and emotional style and soon he became the star everyone talked about.
At the same time Lionel began writing songs for other artists.
He wrote the hit Lady for Kenny Rogers and the Beautiful duet Endless Love for Diana Ross-
My Endless.
These songs were massive hits and made liono even more famous.
People started seeing him as a solo artist instead of just a member of the Commodor.
This focus on Lionel caused problems in the band.
Reporters praised Lono more than the rest of the group.
Some even said he didn’t belong in a funk band, which hurt Lionel and the other members.
The group’s Bond began to break.
The Commodor eventually suggested liel make a solo album.
He agreed, but one album turned into many.
As lion’s solo career took off, he moved further away from the band.
This left the other members frustrated.
It was very painful.
I’ I’ve been through this with the guys.
When one guy gets a hit record and no one else gets the hit record, I know what that feels like.
And the Press kept saying terrible things like what’s a guy like Liono Richard doing in a band like the Comm?
William King, an original member, spoke about the split in 1985.
He wasn’t just upset about lion leaving.
What hurt most was how Lionel kept promising to come back, but never did.
Each time Lionel worked on a new project, the group was left waiting.
Promoters didn’t want to book the commodor without Liono, making it hard for the band to tour or create new music.
Hard, and it’s.
It’s very difficult.
So we didn’t really think of it as being this long.
It’s.
It’s going to be a break for a minute to kind of get everybody’s attitude down a little bit.
It’s just that right.
After that, all night long happened.
King used a strong example.
To explain just how big a deal it was, he asked: would they book The Beatles without Paul Mccartney to the commodor Richie?
Was there Mccartney a crucial part of their sound and appeal?
But instead of making a clean break or telling the band directly that he wasn’t coming back, Richie kept them in limbo.
Lionel Richie recently shared his feelings about leaving.
The commod was in a video called the stab in the heart.
His story is full of emotion and honesty.
He explained that leaving the group wasn’t something he really wanted to do.
In fact, he thought he would eventually go back to the commodor.
He didn’t mean to hurt the group or his fans.
The end of the Commodores’
Milan Williams had a terrifying experience before leaving the group.
One day, when, while flying a small single engine plane, something went terribly wrong.
The plane began to have mechanical problems and Milan had to think quickly, he chose to make an emergency landing on a busy freeway in Phoenix, Arizona.
It was an extremely dangerous situation.
Thankfully, Milan and the band’s press agent got out safely.
The plane caught fire and was completely destroyed, but both men walked away unharmed.
It could have been much worse, but their quick thinking saved their lives.
After this life-changing event, Milan made another big decision: he left the commodor.
This wasn’t just about the band.
It was about his principles.
Milan refused to perform in South Africa during Aptide, a time when black and white people were unfairly separated and treated differently.
He believed Aar tide was wrong and stood firm in his decision.
However, this caused tension in the band.
His departure marked the end of the commodore’s original lineup, the group that had brought them so much success and fame.
Without Milan, the commodor music began to change.
They moved away from the funky, Soulful sound that had made them famous.
This period was challenging, as the band tried to find a new Direction while dealing with the loss of an important member.
Sadly, Milan faced more struggles.
After leaving the band, he was diagnosed with leukemia, a type of cancer, and fought bravely against it for 2 years.
Unfortunately, he passed away in 2006.
His death was a great loss for the music world, the commodor and their fans.
Milan was more than a gifted musician.
He was a man of Courage, values and heart.
The Commodor also faced other changes.
Ronald Lepre, the basis, left the band and moved to New Zealand, losing key members like Milan and Ronald made it harder for the group to keep their original magic.
Lionel Richie’s Troubled First Marriage
Still, the commodor kept going and Milan’s Legacy remains an unforgettable part of their story.
Let’s talk about Lionel Richie’s personal life, especially his first marriage to Brenda Harvey.
Brenda met Lionel when they were both in college.
They started dating while Lionel was touring with his band, The Commodore.
They got married a year after Brenda graduated, on October 18th 1975.
Even though they didn’t always agree on everything, they both agreed on one thing: their daughter.
Sadly, their love story didn’t last forever.
After 18 years together, Lionel filed for divorce in 1988.
The reason: a huge fight between Liono, Brenda and his mistress.
Things got really messy.
Brenda found L with Diane Alexander, a family friend, in the early morning hours of June 29th 1988.
She didn’t take it well.
Brenda kicked Lionel and even hit Diane.
Neighbors reported hearing a lot of shouting and the sound of breaking glass.
Police had to come because it got so loud.
Brenda was arrested and charged with several things, including battery and vandalism.
One neighbor said Brenda had to be pushed to the ground to be handcuffed while she screamed for Diane to help her.
It was a crazy scene and Brenda was not happy about it.
Lio later admitted that his first marriage ended because of his own mistakes.
He said the best thing was I fell in love.
The worst thing was I was still married.
That love was for Diane, who would later become his second wife.
You-
It I call it- between Brenda and Diane- didn’t calm down easily.
Liono remembered a lot of shouting and arguing between the two women.
It was a time that embarrassed him deeply.
In the end, Lionel admitted that it was his fault.
He said when you’re young and foolish, you make decisions you think are right at the moment, but they end up hurting people.
Lionel and Alexander are rumored to have met at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, where they both performed.
She appeared in the video of his Smash Hit Dancing On The Ceiling.
The couple welcomed their son miles on May 27th 1994 and married the following year.
Lionel’s second marriage to Diane also ended in divorce.
He explained that he had promised to stay away from work after his first divorce.
He wanted a simpler life with Diane, but one day he wandered back into the recording studio and everything changed.
I knew I was in trouble when I started making music again.
Lionel admitted his passion for music is a part of who he is, but it came at a cost in his personal life.
When asked if he would have stayed with Brenda and avoided the pain of divorce, Lionel said: if I could control it.
Yes, but when you’re young, foolish and a hopeless romantic, it’s hard to make the right choices.
You really care.
Lion O Richie has always been known for his charm and talent, especially when it comes to women.
When asked about how he handled all the attention he joked about his younger days, he said: when you’re 19, the answer is: see me after the show.
But now, at 60, he laughs and says: you just smile and say: how are you?
It’s clear that Lionel’s charm hasn’t faded with age, but when asked how many women admired him over the years, he cleverly avoided giving a number.
Instead he joked saying: I’m a choir boy who just tries to help as many women as I can.
He always uses humor to deal with the pressure of Fame, but we can tell that it hasn’t always been easy for him.
Unlike many other famous people, Lionel Richie never got caught up in drugs.
He even shared a funny story about about spending an evening with Reggae Legend.
Bob Marley Bob invited him to a room filled with smoke.
At First Lio thought it was just normal smoke, but soon realized it was very different from the cigarettes he was used to.
He quickly understood that drugs weren’t for him.
He said I need to be in control at all times and I couldn’t perform if I wasn’t staying away from.
Drugs helped liono stay focused on his music and career, and I I give my dad the credit.
You know my biggest hero is my father.
In 1990, Lionel Richie experienced a deep personal loss when his father, Lionel Richie senior, passed away at the age of 75.
His father had always been his hero, so losing him hit Lionel very hard.
He described this time as a massive depression that lasted for 4 years.
In an interview with Lorraine Kelly in 2018, Lionel open opened up about the pain of losing his father.
He said my father was ill and I went through a very, I won’t say a depression- a massive depression, because you know my dad was my hero.
It was clear that his father’s passing had a huge effect on him.
During this tough time, Liono felt lost and unsure of himself.
He struggled to deal with the grief and it wasn’t until the birth of his second child, miles, that things started to get better for him.
Having his son along with his daughter, Nicole Richie, made him realize that he had a family who looked up to him.
Lionel explained it was something about the birth of my kid.
I realized I had a group of people that were kind of looking up to me to be the head of the house.
I didn’t realize what he was going through and he didn’t make any effort to tell us what they were going through as black men and women in America.
This was also the time when Lionel realized it was time to get back to his music career.
He had taken a break since 1986, but his children didn’t really understand what he did for a living, so he decided to go back to making music to show his kids what he was passionate about.
He thought: let’s go back and prove to the kids what I do.
Even though Liel’s father had lived a full life and passed away peacefully, the pain of losing him stayed with liel for years, but in the end his family helped him heal and he got back to doing what he loved.
The Legal Battle Over The Commodores’ Name
Lion O Richie’s Story shows us how life’s challenges can shape Us and how family and passion can help us get back on track.
Like many famous bands, the commodor, Fa big financial and legal problems over the years, years.
These problems mainly involved their band’s name and how money from their music was shared.
As time pass, the original members of the band went in different directions and it became harder for them to get back together without tension stuck on you.
I’ve been a fo too long.
I guess it’s time for me to come on.
The trouble started in 2013 when Thomas Mclarry, a former member of the commodor, began using the name the commodor for his own band.
Meanwhile, William King and Walter orange, two other original members, continued to perform under the name the commodor, with new musicians.
This caused confusion among fans, leading to a need for legal action.
Things got even more complicated when Mcclary’s use of the name led to a long legal battle.
In 2018, a Florida Court made a ruling that sided with the members still performing as the commodor.
The court said that only they could use the band’s name through a company they had created.
There were two key reasons behind this decision.
First, the court found that the members who were still performing as the commodor had common law trademark rights to the name.
This meant they were the ones legally allowed to use it because they were the active group.
Second, the court looked at agreements the bmade.
Over the years, these agreements showed that the name was shared, but no single member could use it on their own if they left the band.
Changing Sound and Facing Challenges in the 80s
The Commodore style later on began to change.
In the 1980s, the band moved towards a more pop and Commercial Sound.
In 1984, they added James Dean J D Nicholas as a co-lead singer, alongside Walter Clyde Orange, the drummer.
Despite these changes, the band didn’t have big hits for a while.
However, in 1985 things started to turn around.
They released their final album with Mtown records, night shift.
The album included the song Night Shift, which was a tribute to two famous singers, Marvin Gay and Jackie Wilson, who had passed away the year before.
The song became a huge hit, reaching number one three in the Us charts and even won them a Grammy for Best R&b performance by a duo or group with vocals.
Despite their success, the shift in style made some fans unhappy.
Many people missed the old funky sound and didn’t know if they like the new pop style.
The change wasn’t just about the band wanting to try something new.
The music industry was changing too.
In the ‘ 80s and ’90s.
New technology changed how people listen to music, especially with dig digal music.
Record labels wanted bands like the commodor, to reach more people and sell more records.
This meant the band had to change their music to fit what was popular at the time.
This change wasn’t easy for the Commodor.
They had to figure out how to keep their old fans while also attracting new ones.
It was tough to stay relevant in a fast changing industry.
Some old fans felt left out, while new listeners were curious about the new sound.
How Losing Richie Changed Everything
Interesting so you would like to get the commodor together again?
Oh gosh, yes, so, so, so.
For 30 years I’ve been trying to do this.
The Commodor lost one of their key members.
He made a huge difference in their success.
At first the band thought they would be okay without him.
After all, they had been making music together for years.
Many people believed that their sound came from all the members working together, and Richie was just one part of that.
But soon the group realized something important.
Richie was seen as the main star.
The public thought he was the one who wrote, produced and arranged all of their biggest hits, even though Richie had written many of the band’s songs.
The other members also played a huge role in making the music what it was, but when Richie left, they discovered that a lot of their fans were only interested in the commodor if Richie was part of the group.
This change affected the band badly, both in terms of popularity and money.
They were no longer the big deal they once were.
Thomas Mcclary, another member of the band, shared his thoughts on the problems inside the group.
He talked about how jealousy can be a dangerous feeling.
He praised Lionel Richie’s Talent, saying: Lionel is very talented, he has a great voice and is a wonderful WR wrer.
Mlar also said that even if some of the band members didn’t want to admit Richie’s Talent, it didn’t change the fact that he was very good at what he did.
Mlar also spoke about William King, a member of the band who people often think caused some of the problems.
Mlar said William is probably the least talented one of us all and he has been the main stumbling block.
He also believed that Walter Orange, another band member, listen too much to King, which made things worse.
When Mlar was asked if he would like to see a reunion of the commodor, he didn’t hesitate to say yes, I would love it.
He explained that he had been trying to bring the band back together for nearly 30 years.
He even recalled a special moment from 2008, when Lionel Richie invited him and Ronald Leed to perform together in New Zealand.
The fans L seeing them on stage, age again.
Yes, in fact, Lana Richie and Ronald Pr and I actually performed in New Zealand recently And we performed in New Orleans and 65,000 people showed up.
So there’s an appetite for the reunion.
Obviously, Mlar also mentioned that in 2009, lion O Richie wanted them to perform at the Essence Music Festival in New Orleans.
They tried to get the other members of the band to join them, but the bad feelings were too strong.
Some band members hadn’t spoken to Lionel in over 40 years.
Mclarry felt frustrated, saying: come on, you’ve forgotten what you’re mad about.
He clearly hopes that one day the group will come together again.
The Commodor also faed challenges with their management.
They didn’t always agree with how their managers handle things.
The managers made big decisions about their music, tours and money, but the band wanted more control over these things because they felt it was their creativity that made their music special.
This caused tension between the band and their managers.
Another big problem was racial discrimination.
The Commodor were an African-American band.
During a time when racism was still very common.
They faced unfair treatment, especially when they were on tour.
Sometimes they didn’t get the same chances as white bands, even though they were just as talented Ed.
This made it harder for them to promote their music and reach new audiences.
Losing Richie, dealing with ban conflicts and facing discrimination were tough challenges for the commodor, but despite all of this, they still made their mark on music history.
