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the Commodores
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Lionel Richie performing on stage with the Commodores, wearing a sequined jacket and pants, holding a microphone and singing energetically.
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the Commodores

American music group
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Lionel Richie performing on stage with the Commodores, wearing a sequined jacket and pants, holding a microphone and singing energetically.
Lead Commodore Lionel Richie performing with the Commodores, c. 1970s.

The Commodores were an American funk and R&B band formed in 1968. Initially known as the Mystics, they became the Commodores with Lionel Richie as a lead vocalist. The band signed with the Motown label in 1974. They achieved their first number one hit in 1978 with Richie's ballad "Three Times a Lady". Other hits include "Still," "Brick House," "Nightshift," and "Easy".12

Lionel Richie's collaborations with Kenny Rogers and Diana Ross, and the release of his solo album in 1982, marked the beginning of his solo career and his departure from the group. The band's name, "Commodores," was chosen after choreographer William King found it in a dictionary.32

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3 Britannica Sources
  1. Your Favorite Band is in the Dictionary | Commodores
  2. Lionel Richie: Top Questions
  3. Lionel Richie

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