As off key as that idea may sound, the five-time Grammy Award winner and former Commodores ** frontman says some people tried to convince him to do that five years ago. Leaning back on the comfortable mint green sofa in the family room of his Beverly Hills home, Richie laughs at the memory. "I responded, 'Why doesn't Lionel just do Lionel?'"
That suggestion, however, did plant the seeds for the icon's new project. "Tuskegee" (Mercury Nashville, March 26) is a collection of 13 of Richie's international hits recorded as duets with some of country music's biggest established and rising stars. The roster includes Sugarland **'s Jennifer Nettles ("Hello"), Blake Shelton ** ("You Are"), Tim McGraw ** ("Sail On"), Kenny Chesney ** ("My Love"), Willie Nelson ** ("Easy"), Kenny Rogers ** ("Lady"), Darius Rucker ** ("Stuck on You"), Jason Aldean ** ("Say You, Say Me") and Rascal Flatts ** ("Dancing on the Ceiling"). The set's first single, "Endless Love" with Shania Twain ** -- who, owing to vocal paralysis, hadn't recorded or performed live in seven years before "Tuskegee" -- debuted at No. 24 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart, where it's No. 22 this week.
"The idea just came along. We didn't sell this," Richie says. "I always knew I was going to do a country album with maybe one or two duets but not starting here. Then I thought the best thing to do is, 'Let's take three steps back, connect country to what I've already done, and then we go forward.'"
On the surface, "Tuskegee's" country spin might read as simply a clever twist on the tried-and-true greatest-hits/standards album model. But Michael Richardson, Richie's new manager, views the project as the repositioning next chapter in the singer's storied career: one that will re-engage him with longtime fans as well as introduce him to a new generation.
Fortifying that reconnection is a multitiered domestic and international marketing campaign relying heavily on TV, including a March 16 live performance on HSN and an all-star CBS special, "ACM Presents: Lionel Richie and Friends -- In Concert" airing April 13.
"Lionel is a mainstream artist who falls into the category of an Elton John ** and Billy Joel **," Richardson says. "His audience is as far as it is wide. And that's what this marketing plan had to be to capture and get the attention of his audience . . . which is everybody."
A fixture on the pop and R&B charts in the '80s with such crossover hits as "Endless Love," "All Night Long (All Night)" and "Say You, Say Me," Richie is no stranger to country music. Born and raised in Tuskegee, Ala. -- where in college during the '70s he co-founded R&B group the Commodores -- the singer says radio for him growing up was mostly " Patsy Cline **, Willie Nelson and Johnny Cash." R&B exposure came by way of a nighttime-only R&B station, while relatives and friends introduced him to gospel and classical music.
Richie's Southern roots began showing in 1977 with the Commodores' crossover hit "Easy." ("Sunday morning in the South is about as easy as it's going to get," Richie says.) Another of the group's Richie-penned hits, 1978's "Three Times a Lady," was covered by Conway Twitty in 1983. Before that, however, Richie's reputation as a songwriter took off after Kenny Rogers' cover of Richie's "Lady" soared to No. 1 on the pop charts in 1980. Richie himself peaked at No. 24 on Billboard's country chart with "Stuck on You" in 1984. Three years later, Alabama ** teamed with Richie on the latter's composition "Deep River Woman," a top 10 country hit.
"When I did 'Lady' with Kenny, I should have pulled the trigger then," Richie says. "But I was firmly in Commodores mode. Then Conway told me to come and explore the country market because 'we love you up here.' I went there but just for one meeting. I didn't stay because I was in solo mode. And after I finished 'Deep River Woman,' I should have pulled the trigger. So it took a moment for me while country was already there."
Both sides landed on the same side of the fence last year when Richie -- a longtime member of the Country Music Assn. (CMA) -- began recording "Tuskegee." What began as a three-week project stretched into nine months as the country artists selected songs and juggled schedules, while Richie commuted on call between Los Angeles and Nashville for the sessions. "I found out with country music, nobody's sitting at home waiting for the phone to ring," Richie says. "These are the working-est folks."
Rather than emulate Richie's originals, the artists were encouraged to perform the songs as if they were their own, with Richie coming onboard after the fact. In addition to Aldean's rock accents on "Say You, Say Me" and Nettles' killer vocals on "Hello," listeners are treated to Little Big Town **'s tight, rich harmonies on "Deep River Woman" and Nelson's indelible touch on "Easy." Overall, the results are a testament to the universal nature of Richie's material.
Thanks to those enduring songs, Richie has sold more than 100 million albums between his Commodores stint and solo efforts, according to Mercury Nashville. That catalog dates back to 1974 (when the first Commodores album came out and peaked at No. 11 on the R&B albums chart) and includes his most recent projects on Island Def Jam, 2006's "Coming Home" (featuring the R&B hit "I Call It Love") and 2009's "Just Go."
"Coming Home" peaked at No. 3 on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and No. 6 on the Billboard 200, while "I Call It Love" hit No. 1 on Adult R&B and reached No. 19 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. "Just Go" peaked at No. 9 on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and No. 24 on the Billboard 200. In addition, Richie has racked up 22 top 10 singles, five Grammys and an Academy Award for best original song in 1985 ("Say You, Say Me," from the movie "White Nights").
Turning up the volume on "Tuskegee" as well as Richie's still-active career is the primary focus of the marketing campaign being mounted by manager Richardson and Mercury Nashville. Anchoring the promotional push: a major concentration on TV.
"It's about putting him back into people's homes," Richardson says. "People are going to see Lionel in their living rooms more than they've seen him in quite a number of years."
Next: Lionel Uses HSN As 'Tuskegee' Launching Pad
Richie's TV stint kicks off March 16 with the singer launching HSN's live concert series, "HSN Live." The hour-long broadcast starts at 8 p.m. EST and will feature duet partner Kenny Rogers. Bracketing the concert: a 60-minute live, behind-the-scenes preshow at 7 p.m. on Facebook and a post-concert Facebook segment featuring a final chat with Richie before he sings "Hello."
HSN purchasers -- able to place website preorders for "Tuskegee" beginning in mid-February -- will receive an exclusive second CD featuring five songs. The disc includes a never-heard-before track from a live concert at Wembley Arena in London. Rod Stewart, Tony Bennett, Randy Travis and Natalie Cole have also performed live and promoted new albums on HSN. The network's top music seller thus far is Stewart, with 25,000 albums sold in less than an hour.
"And that's the point," HSN executive VP of TV/executive creative director Andy Sheldon says. "Labels are seeing we're a great launching pad for new releases." According to Sheldon, the network reaches 96 million homes, counts more than 300,000 Facebook followers, appeals primarily to females 35-55 with an average income of $65,000 and boasts a customer base of 5 million within the past 12 months.
3m360 Recap: Lionel Richie Rocks Billboard Showcase
On the commercial TV front, Richie will tape CBS' "ACM Presents: Lionel Richie and Friends -- In Concert" on April 2 (the day after the Academy of Country Music Awards) at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Airing April 13, the concert will feature performances by several "Tuskegee" collaborators as well as other acts covering more Richie hits, including the Band Perry ** ("Penny Lover") and Lady Antebellum ** ("Truly").
Those tentpole events will be complemented by a series of additional TV appearances, from "Weekend Today" (March 24-25), "Today," "Late Show With David Letterman" and "Piers Morgan Tonight" (all three on March 27) to "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" (April 4) and "The Talk" (April 5). And on street date, Richie will wrap a four-episode stint as a mentor on "The Voice."
During a promotional swing through Europe that began in late February, Richie touched down with radio PDs and members of the press during a special dinner. Subsequent interviews with various U.K. publications and radio appearances were followed by the March 3 taping of a prime-time TV special for ITV. It's slated to run April 1. In addition to recent appearances on "The X Factor" in Denmark and France's "Champs-Elysées," Richie will appear on Canada's "Star Academie" on March 18.
The "Tuskegee" campaign officially kicked off last year with Richie's surprise appearance at the annual Country Radio Seminar. Accompanying him for a performance of "Stuck on You" was Darius Rucker. That was followed by a medley of three "Tuskegee" tracks by Richie and the songs' duet partners at the CMA Awards in November. After hosting an album listening party at his home in January, Richie returned to Nashville in February for CRS 2012.
"It was important to start the narrative early, to fully tell the story of what this project is all about," Universal Music Group Nashville VP of marketing Tom Lord says. Rounding out the push: targeted national TV and radio advertising on such cable outlets as Lifetime and Oxygen and syndicated programs like Premiere Radio Network's "Delilah." Richie encountered a new audience on March 14 when he made his South by Southwest debut as headliner of Billboard's annual showcase at Austin's ACL Live (Billboard.com, March 7). Joining Richie on the bill: indie act Polica, party band Wallpaper, retro-soul rock group Vintage Trouble and R&B hitmaker the-Dream, who worked with Richie on Just Go.
A deluxe version of "Tuskegee" will also be available for purchase. It's packaged with a bonus DVD featuring behind-the-scenes studio footage of Richie's duet partners along with their personal reflections about his influence. To tie in with iTunes' countdown to release campaign, Mercury Nashville has been offering a new album track each week. The promotion began Feb. 28 with Nelson's "Easy," followed by Billy Currington ** ("Just for You," March 6), Rucker (March 13) and Nettles (March 20).
Richardson acknowledges that touring with a duets album is "always going to be difficult," owing to the guest artists' own recording, promotion and touring commitments. But he says the intent is for Richie-last on the road in 2006-to tour the United States, although a time period hasn't been confirmed.
"Schedules permitting, there's definitely the opportunity for artists to make a guest appearance," Richardson says. "Much in the same vein as Taylor Swift, who welcomed special guests during her tour -- that's the goal here." In terms of an overseas concert run, Richardson says he and Richie are looking at September through the end of the year.
Meanwhile, Richie -- who will be inducted into the Apollo Theater's Apollo Legends Hall of Fame with the late Etta James on June 4 -- has already lined up a duets offshoot. The singer will join Sugarland's Nettles, Kelly Clarkson ** and Robin Thicke ** on "Duets," a new talent series on ABC slated to premiere this summer. Each will choose two singers as their duet partners. The duos will then perform each week in front of a live studio audience. The amateur half of the winning duet will receive a recording contact with Hollywood Records.
"If I had to add a subtitle to 'Tuskegee,' it would be, 'You will now hear all the songs I was told would ruin my career,'" Richie says with a laugh. "But it shows you just how far these songs have come. Once a song is embraced, people don't care who the hell did it. They love the song."
