Alabama native Lionel Richie named to NYT’s Greatest Living American Songwriters

Lionel Richie continues to rack up recognition + honors more than five decades into his music career.

This week, the New York Times put Richie on its list of the 30 Greatest Living American Songwriters alongside other big names like Bob Dylan, Kendrick Lamar, Taylor Swift and others.

The Alabama native has four Grammy awards including one for co-writing the famous song “We Are The World” with Michael Jackson.

Keep reading to learn more about the New York Times’ list + why Richie made the cut.

Lionel Richie

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Richie was born and raised in Tuskegee before attending high school in Illinois. But he returned to the state for college, graduating from Tuskegee Institute.

He joined The Commodores in 1968 but his songs were used by a variety of groups. In 1974, Richie wrote a song called “Happy People” for The Temptations, which reached No. 1 on the R&B charts.

Some of the most notable songs Richie has written in his career include:

• Hello
• All Night Long
• Three Times a Lady
• Lady (by Kenny Rogers)
• Endless Love (with Diana Ross)

While Richie’s last solo album “Tuskegee” came out in 2012, he continues to tour. Richie also currently serves as a judge on American Idol.

New York Times Greatest Living American Songwriters

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