The Commodores are an American soul and funk group who were especially successful in the seventies and eighties. The group scored their biggest hits with Easy, Three Times A Lady, Sail On and Brick House. Worldwide, more than 75 million records were sold.
The Commodores were founded in 1968 by a group of students from Tuskegee, Alabama; the final line-up was Lionel Richie (saxophone, piano, vocals), Thomas McClary (lead guitar), Milan Williams (keyboards, trombone, guitar), William King (trumpet, rhythm guitar, synthesizer), Ronald La Pread (bass, trumpet) and Walter Orange (drums, vocals). Initially, they called themselves The Jays, but because that was too similar to The O'Jays, they chose the name Commodores after William King opened a dictionary. After a tour with The Jackson 5, the band signed a contract with the record company Motown in November 1972 and replaced the covers from their live repertoire with their own songs. Lead singers became Lionel Richie and Walter Orange.
In 1974, the debut album Machine Gun was released, of which Richie's instrumental title track reached 24th place in the American charts. In 1975 and 1976, the albums Caught in the Act, Movin' On and Hot on the Tracks appeared. Although the Commodores specialised in steamy funk, it was Richie's ballads Sweet Love and Just to Be Close to You that brought the greatest success. Afterwards, the band continued in the same vein with Easy and Three Times A Lady; but also the funky Brick House, sung by Walter Orange, and the country-tinged Sail On reached the top of the charts.
Afterwards, the Commodores wanted to explore new directions. There was little room left for Richie's ballads, so manager Benny Ashburn suggested he record a solo album, which was released in August 1982 and became a huge success; however, Ashburn would not live to see this as he died of a heart attack at the age of 54. Richie wanted to stay with the Commodores, but during a tour with the band he decided to leave.
At the beginning of the 21st century, the music channel VH1 made an unsuccessful attempt to reunite the original band. Williams died of cancer on 9 July 2006. In a press statement, Orange said: "He was once, twice, three times a brother."
In 2008, Richie indicated he was open to a reunion; this resulted a year later in some performances with King and Orange, during which they played three quarters of an hour of Commodores hits. At Michael Jackson's funeral, Richie sang Jesus is Love, the closing track of the 1980 album Heroes. The other members of the Commodores were on tour in England when they heard of Jackson's death; in 2010, they recorded a new version of Nightshift.
Top 2000
In the 23rd edition of the Top 2000, there is no longer a single song by The Commodores. Want to have them in the Top 2000? Then vote for them now in our Top 2000 Inspiration Playlist on Spotify: Top 2000 inspiration playlist.
Sunday Morning Classic
We had Lionel Richie solo once on our Sunday Morning Classic stage. On 9 July 2023, it was The Commodores' turn, a kind of reunion actually took place with their album "Midnight Magic".
“Midnight Magic” is their ninth studio album, released in 1979. The album is considered one of the highlights of their career and has produced some of their most recognisable hits. With the song “Still” as one of the biggest successes, the album reached the top of the American R&B charts and achieved commercial success. The song is a romantic ballad with a catchy melody and the distinctive vocals of Lionel Richie, who was an important member of the band at the time.
Besides “Still”, “Midnight Magic” also contains other great tracks, such as “Sail On” and “Sexy Lady”. These tracks have an energetic funk sound with infectious rhythms and tight arrangements. The Commodores thus show their musical versatility, effortlessly switching between sensitive ballads and upbeat funk numbers.
The album is praised for its smooth production and craftsmanship, with each track well produced and the instrumentation and vocals perfectly combined. The songs have timeless qualities and remain popular with both fans of soul and funk music and lovers of timeless pop songs.
“Midnight Magic” is considered one of the most essential albums by The Commodores and has confirmed their position as one of the most influential bands within the genre. It effortlessly combines catchy melodies, tight arrangements and the unmistakable voice of Lionel Richie, making it a classic in the history of soul and funk music.
source: Wikipedia photo: Carl Lender
