Commodores, often billed as The Commodores, are an American

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African-American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African-Americans in the ...

and

soul The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, immaterial aspect or essence of a Outline of life forms, living being. It is typically believed to be Immortality, immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that ...

group. The group's most successful period was in the late 1970s and early 1980s when

Lionel Richie Lionel Brockman Richie Jr. (born June 20, 1949) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and television personality. He rose to fame in the 1970s as a songwriter and the co-lead singer of the Motown group Commodores; writing and recor ...

was the co-lead singer. The members of the group met as mostly

freshmen A freshman, fresher, first year, or colloquially frosh, is a person in the first year at an educational institution, usually a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of post-secondary school, post-se ...

at Tuskegee Institute (now

Tuskegee University Tuskegee University (Tuskegee or TU; formerly known as the Tuskegee Institute) is a private, historically black land-grant university in Tuskegee, Alabama, United States. It was founded as a normal school for teachers on July 4, 1881, by the ...

) in 1968, and signed with

Motown Motown is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. Founded by Berry Gordy, Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on January 12, 1959, it was incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau ...

in November 1972, having first caught the public eye opening for

the Jackson 5 The Jackson 5, later known as the Jacksons, are an American pop band composed of members of the Jackson family. The group was formed in Gary, Indiana in 1964, and originally consisted of brothers Jackie, Ti ...

while on tour. The band's biggest

hit singles A hit song, also known as a hit record, hit single, or simply hit, is a recorded song or instrumental that becomes broadly popular or well-known. Although ''hit song'' means any widely played or big-selling song, the specific term ''hit record'' ...

are

ballads A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and song of Great Britain and Ireland from the Late Middle Ages until the 19th century. They were widely used across Eur ...

such as " Easy", "

Three Times a Lady "Three Times a Lady" is a 1978 song by American soul group Commodores for their album '' Natural High'', written by lead singer Lionel Richie. It was produced by James Anthony Carmichael and Commodores. It was Commodores' first number-one hit on ...

", and " Nightshift"; and

-influenced dance songs, including " Brick House", "Fancy Dancer", "

Lady (You Bring Me Up) "Lady (You Bring Me Up)" is a 1981 hit single by the Commodores. In the United States, it peaked at No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 5 on the ''Billboard'' R&B singles chart. It reached No. 56 on the UK Singles Chart. It was written by Commo ...

", and "

Too Hot ta Trot "Too Hot ta Trot" is a song by R&B/funk band, the Commodores. The song is written in E major. The track on their 1977 live album '' Commodores Live!'', and it spent a week at number one on the R&B singles chart and peaked at number twenty-four on ...

". Commodores were inducted into the

Alabama Music Hall of Fame The Alabama Music Hall of Fame, first conceived by the Muscle Shoals Music Association in the early 1980s, was created by the Alabama Music Hall of Fame Board, which then oversaw construction of a facility after a statewide referendum in 1987 ...

and

Vocal Group Hall of Fame The Vocal Group Hall of Fame & Museum Company Inc. was an American-based hall of fame that honored vocal groups throughout the United States. James E. Winner Jr. was the financial and managing partner of the For-profit corporation. Winner and ...

. The band has also won one

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

out of nine nominations. The Commodores have sold over 70 million albums worldwide.

History

Commodores were formed from two former student groups: the Mystics and the Jays. Richie described some members of the Mystics as "jazz buffs". The new six-man band featured

, Thomas McClary, and William King from the Mystics, and Andre Callahan, Michael Gilbert, and

Milan Williams Milan B. Williams (March 28, 1948 – July 9, 2006) was an American keyboardist and a founding member of The Commodores. He was born in Okolona, Mississippi, and began playing the piano after being inspired by his older brother Earl, who was a ...

from the Jays. They chose their present name when King flipped open a dictionary and ran his finger down the page. "We lucked out," he remarked with a laugh when telling this story to ''

People The term "the people" refers to the public or Common people, common mass of people of a polity. As such it is a concept of human rights law, international law as well as constitutional law, particularly used for claims of popular sovereignty. I ...

'' magazine. "We almost became 'The Commodes.'" The bandmembers attended

Tuskegee Institute Tuskegee University (Tuskegee or TU; formerly known as the Tuskegee Institute) is a Private university, private, Historically black colleges and universities, historically black land-grant university in Tuskegee, Alabama, United States. It was f ...

Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...

. After winning the college's annual freshman talent contest, they played at fraternity parties as well as a weekend gig at the Black Forest Inn, one of a few clubs in Tuskegee that catered to college students. They performed cover tunes and some original songs with their first singer, James Ingram (not the famous solo artist). Ingram, older than the rest of the band, left to serve in

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

, and was later replaced by drummer Walter "Clyde" Orange, who wrote or co-wrote many of their hits.

and Orange alternated as lead singers. Orange was the lead singer on the Top 10 hits " Brick House" (1977) and " Nightshift" (1985). The early band was managed by Benny Ashburn, who brought them to his family's vacation lodge on Martha's Vineyard in 1971 and 1972. There, Ashburn test-marketed the group by having them play in parking lots and summer festivals. " Machine Gun" (1974), the instrumental title track from the band's debut album, became a staple at American sporting events, and is also heard in many films, including ''

Boogie Nights ''Boogie Nights'' is a 1997 American drama film written, directed, and co-produced by Paul Thomas Anderson. It is set in Los Angeles's San Fernando Valley and focuses on a young nightclub dishwasher who becomes a popular star of pornographic ...

'' and '' Looking for Mr. Goodbar''. It reached No. 22 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in 1974. Another 1974 song "I Feel Sanctified" has been called a "prototype" of Wild Cherry's 1976 big hit "Play That Funky Music". Of the three albums released in 1975 and 1976, '' Caught in the Act'' was funk album, but '' Movin' On'' and '' Hot on the Tracks'' were pop albums. After those recordings the group developed the mellower sound hinted at in their 1976 top-ten hits, "Sweet Love" and "

Just to Be Close to You "Just to Be Close to You" is a song by American Rhythm and blues, R&B/funk music, funk band, Commodores, in 1976. Released from their album, ''Hot on the Tracks'', it would become one of their biggest hits, spending two weeks at the top of the Ho ...

". In 1977, the Commodores released " Easy", which became the group's biggest hit yet, reaching No. 4 in the US, followed by funky single "Brick House", also top 5, both from their album ''Commodores'', as was "Zoom". The group reached No. 1 in 1978 with "

". In 1979, the Commodores scored another top-five ballad, "Sail On", before reaching the top of the charts once again with another ballad, "

Still A still is an apparatus used to distillation, distill liquid mixtures by heating to selectively Boiling, boil and then cooling to Condensation, condense the vapor. A still uses the same concepts as a basic Distillation#Laboratory_procedures, ...

". In 1981 they released two top-ten hits with "Oh No" (No. 4) and their first upbeat single in almost five years, "

" (No. 8). Commodores made a brief appearance in the 1978 film '' Thank God It's Friday''. They performed the song "Too Hot ta Trot" during the dance contest; the songs "Brick House" and "Easy" were also played in the movie In 1982, the group decided to take a hiatus from touring and recording, during which time Lionel Richie recorded a solo album at the suggestion of Motown and the other group members. Its success encouraged Richie to pursue a solo career, and Skyler Jett replaced him as co-lead singer. Also in 1982, Ashburn died of a heart attack at the age of 54. CommodoresPerforming

Founding member McClary left in 1984 (shortly after Richie) to pursue a solo career, and to develop a

gospel music Gospel music is a traditional genre of Christian music and a cornerstone of Christian media. The creation, performance, significance, and even the definition of gospel music vary according to culture and social context. Gospel music is compo ...

company. McClary was replaced by guitarist-vocalist Sheldon Reynolds. Then LaPread left in 1986 and moved to

Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

. Reynolds departed for

Earth, Wind & Fire Earth, Wind & Fire (abbreviated as EW&F or EWF) is an American band formed in Chicago, Illinois in 1969. Their music spans multiple genres, including jazz, R&B, soul, funk, disco, pop, Latin and Afro-pop. They are among the best-selling ba ...

in 1987, which prompted trumpeter William "WAK" King to take over primary guitar duties for live performances. Keyboardist Milan Williams exited the band in 1989 after allegedly refusing to tour South Africa. The group gradually abandoned its funk roots and moved into the more commercial pop arena. In 1984, former Heatwave singer James Dean "J.D." Nicholas assumed co-lead vocal duties with drummer Walter Orange. That line-up was hitless until 1985 when their final

album ''Nightshift'', produced by Dennis Lambert (prior albums were produced by James Anthony Carmichael, who would continue to work with Richie on his albums), delivered the title track " Nightshift", a loving tribute to

Marvin Gaye Marvin Pentz Gaye Jr. (; April 2, 1939 – April 1, 1984) was an American Rhythm and blues, R&B and soul singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. He helped shape the sound of Motown in the 1960s, first as an in-house session player an ...

and

Jackie Wilson Jack Leroy "Jackie" Wilson Jr. (June 9, 1934 – January 21, 1984) was an American singer who was a prominent figure in the transition of rhythm and blues into soul. Nicknamed "Mr. Excitement", he was considered a master showman and one of th ...

, both of whom had died the previous year. "Nightshift" hit no. 3 in the US and won the Commodores their first

Grammy The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...

for

Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals The Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as th ...

in 1985. In 2010 a new version was recorded, dedicated to

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...

. The Commodores were on a European tour performing at

Wembley Arena Wembley Arena () (originally the Empire Pool, currently known as OVO Energy, OVO Arena Wembley for sponsorship reasons) is an indoor arena next to Wembley Stadium in Wembley, Greater London, England. The 12,500-seat facility is Greater Lond ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, on June 25, 2009, when they walked off the stage after they were told that Michael Jackson had died. Initially the band thought it was a hoax. However, back in their dressing rooms they received confirmation and broke down in tears. The next night at

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...

's NIA Arena, J.D. Nicholas added Jackson's name to the lyrics of the song, and henceforth the Commodores have mentioned Jackson and other deceased R&B singers. Thus came the inspiration upon the first anniversary of Jackson's death to re-record, with new lyrics, the hit song "Nightshift" as a tribute. In 1990, they formed Commodores Records and re-recorded their 20 greatest hits as ''Commodores Hits Vol. I & II''. They have recorded a live album, '' Commodores Live'', along with a DVD of the same name, and a Christmas album titled ''Commodores Christmas''. In 2012, the band was working on new material, with some contributions written by current and former members. Commodores as of 2020 consist of Walter "Clyde" Orange, James Dean "J.D." Nicholas, and William "WAK" King, along with their five-piece band The Mean Machine.They continue to perform, playing at arenas, theaters, and festivals around the world.

Personnel

Current members

* William "WAK" King – trumpet, guitar, keyboards, vocals (1968–present) * Walter Orange – vocals, drums (1972–present) * James Dean "J.D." Nicholas – vocals (1984–2024)

Former members

– vocals, keyboards, saxophone (1968–82) *

– keyboards, rhythm guitar (1968–89, died 2006) * Thomas McClary – lead guitar, vocals (1968–83) * Andre Callahan – drums, vocals, keyboards (1968–70) * Michael Gilbert – bass guitar, trumpet (1968–70) * Eugene Ward – keyboards (1968–70) * Ronald LaPread – bass guitar (1970–86) * James Ingram – vocals, drums (1970–72) * Skyler Jett – vocals (1982–84) * Sheldon Reynolds – lead guitar (1983–87, died 2023) * Mikael Manley – lead guitar (1995–2005) * Don Williams Sr - keyboards (1999–2001)

Timeline

Discography

;Studio albums * '' Machine Gun'' (1974) * '' Caught in the Act'' (1975) * '' Movin' On'' (1975) * '' Hot on the Tracks'' (1976) * ''

Commodores Commodores, often billed as The Commodores, are an American funk and Soul music, soul group. The group's most successful period was in the late 1970s and early 1980s when Lionel Richie was the co-lead singer. The members of the group met as m ...

'' (1977) * '' Natural High'' (1978) * '' Midnight Magic'' (1979) * '' Heroes'' (1980) * '' In the Pocket'' (1981) * '' Commodores 13'' (1983) * '' Nightshift'' (1985) * '' United'' (1986) * '' Rock Solid'' (1988) * '' No Tricks'' (1993)

Accolades

Grammy awards

The Commodores have won one

out of ten nominations.

Alabama Music Hall of Fame

During 1995 the Commodores were inducted into the

Vocal Group Hall of Fame

During 2003 the Commodores were also inducted into the

References

External links

*
Lionel Richie interview by Pete Lewis, 'Blues & Soul' 03/2009

{{DEFAULTSORT:Commodores American rhythm and blues musical groups American pop music groups American funk musical groups American musical sextets American soul musical groups Motown artists Musical groups from Alabama Grammy Award winners Musical groups established in 1968 Tuskegee University alumni Lionel Richie African-American musical groups Universal Motown Records artists 1968 establishments in Alabama