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The Commodores are an American
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 funk
Funk

Funk is an United States Music genre that originated in the mid- to late-1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, soul jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music....
/soul
Soul music

Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the African American culture through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of funky, Secularity testifying." The genre occasion...
 band
Band (music)

In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform songs. The following articles concern types of musical bands:...
 of the 1970s and 1980s. The members of the group met as freshmen
Freshmen

Freshmen may refer to:* Freshmen, first year high school and college students*Freshmen , a comic book*Freshmen , a magazine geared toward gay and bisexual men...
 at Tuskegee Institute (now Tuskegee University
Tuskegee University

Tuskegee University is a private university, Historically black colleges and universities university located in Tuskegee, Alabama, Alabama, United States....
) in 1968, and signed with Motown in November 1972, having first caught the public eye opening for The Jackson 5
The Jackson 5

The Jackson 5 was a two-time Grammy Award-nominated American popular music Jackson family Musical ensemble from Gary, Indiana. Founding group members Jackie Jackson, Tito Jackson, Jermaine Jackson, Marlon Jackson and Michael Jackson formed the group after performing in an early incarnation called The Jackson Brothers, which originally co...
 while on tour.

group is best known for its ballad
Ballad

A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative story and set to music. Ballads were characteristic of particularly British and Irish popular poetry and song from the later medieval period until the nineteenth century and used extensively across Europe and later north America, Australia and north Africa....
s, such as "Easy" and "Three Times a Lady
Three Times a Lady

"Three Times a Lady" is a 1978 single from the funk/soul band the Commodores, from their 1978 album Natural High. It was produced by James Anthony Carmichael and the Commodores and it was the most popular track of the album....
", but, for the most part, the group mainly recorded funk
Funk

Funk is an United States Music genre that originated in the mid- to late-1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, soul jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music....
y, driven dance-floor hit
Hit record

A Hit record is a sound recording, usually in the form of a Single or album, that sells a large number of copies or otherwise becomes broadly popular or well-known, through airplay , Nightclub, inclusion in a film or stage play soundtrack, causing it to have "hit" one of the popular chart listings....
s which include "Brick House
Brick House (song)

"Brick House" is a funk/disco song from Commodores' 1977 in music album Commodores and is one of their most popular songs. It peaked at #5 in the U.S....
", "Say Yeah", "Fancy Dancer", and "Too Hot Ta Trot".

Lionel Richie's
Lionel Richie

Lionel Brockman Richie, Jr. is an Academy Award and Grammy award-winning United States singer, songwriter, record producer who has sold more than 100 million records....
 "Oh No" is highlighted in the movie
Film

Film encompasses individual motion pictures, the field of film as an art form, and the film industry. Films are produced by recording images from the world with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or special effects....
 The Last American Virgin
The Last American Virgin

The Last American Virgin remake. Teenager coming-of-age film in the same vein as Summer Break, Better Off Dead and Fast Times at Ridgemont High....
, and reached #4 on the U.S.






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Encyclopedia


The Commodores are an American
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 funk
Funk

Funk is an United States Music genre that originated in the mid- to late-1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, soul jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music....
/soul
Soul music

Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the African American culture through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of funky, Secularity testifying." The genre occasion...
 band
Band (music)

In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform songs. The following articles concern types of musical bands:...
 of the 1970s and 1980s. The members of the group met as freshmen
Freshmen

Freshmen may refer to:* Freshmen, first year high school and college students*Freshmen , a comic book*Freshmen , a magazine geared toward gay and bisexual men...
 at Tuskegee Institute (now Tuskegee University
Tuskegee University

Tuskegee University is a private university, Historically black colleges and universities university located in Tuskegee, Alabama, Alabama, United States....
) in 1968, and signed with Motown in November 1972, having first caught the public eye opening for The Jackson 5
The Jackson 5

The Jackson 5 was a two-time Grammy Award-nominated American popular music Jackson family Musical ensemble from Gary, Indiana. Founding group members Jackie Jackson, Tito Jackson, Jermaine Jackson, Marlon Jackson and Michael Jackson formed the group after performing in an early incarnation called The Jackson Brothers, which originally co...
 while on tour.

Biography

This group is best known for its ballad
Ballad

A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative story and set to music. Ballads were characteristic of particularly British and Irish popular poetry and song from the later medieval period until the nineteenth century and used extensively across Europe and later north America, Australia and north Africa....
s, such as "Easy" and "Three Times a Lady
Three Times a Lady

"Three Times a Lady" is a 1978 single from the funk/soul band the Commodores, from their 1978 album Natural High. It was produced by James Anthony Carmichael and the Commodores and it was the most popular track of the album....
", but, for the most part, the group mainly recorded funk
Funk

Funk is an United States Music genre that originated in the mid- to late-1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, soul jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music....
y, driven dance-floor hit
Hit record

A Hit record is a sound recording, usually in the form of a Single or album, that sells a large number of copies or otherwise becomes broadly popular or well-known, through airplay , Nightclub, inclusion in a film or stage play soundtrack, causing it to have "hit" one of the popular chart listings....
s which include "Brick House
Brick House (song)

"Brick House" is a funk/disco song from Commodores' 1977 in music album Commodores and is one of their most popular songs. It peaked at #5 in the U.S....
", "Say Yeah", "Fancy Dancer", and "Too Hot Ta Trot".

Lionel Richie's
Lionel Richie

Lionel Brockman Richie, Jr. is an Academy Award and Grammy award-winning United States singer, songwriter, record producer who has sold more than 100 million records....
 "Oh No" is highlighted in the movie
Film

Film encompasses individual motion pictures, the field of film as an art form, and the film industry. Films are produced by recording images from the world with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or special effects....
 The Last American Virgin
The Last American Virgin

The Last American Virgin remake. Teenager coming-of-age film in the same vein as Summer Break, Better Off Dead and Fast Times at Ridgemont High....
, and reached #4 on the U.S. charts. "Machine Gun", the instrumental
Instrumental

An instrumental is a musical composition or recording without lyrics or any other sort of vocal music; all of the music is produced by musical instruments....
 title track from the band's debut album, became a staple at American
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 sporting events, and is similarly featured in many films, including Boogie Nights
Boogie Nights

Boogie Nights is a United States drama film written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. Set in Southern California in the late 1970s and early 1980s, the screenplay focuses on a young nightclub Dishwashing who becomes the popular star of pornographic films and finds himself slowly descending into a nightmare of drug abuse when his fame...
 and Looking for Mr. Goodbar
Looking for Mr. Goodbar

Looking for Mr. Goodbar is a 1975 novel by Judith Rossner. Rossner based the novel on the events surrounding the brutal murder of Roseann Quinn, a 28-year-old New York City schoolteacher in 1973....
. Another instrumental, "Cebu" (named after an island in the Philippines
Philippines

The Philippines, officially known as the Republic of the Philippines, is a country in Southeast Asia with Manila as its capital city. It comprises 7,107 islands in the western Pacific Ocean....
), later became a staple in the Quiet Storm
Quiet storm

Quiet storm is a late-night radio format, featuring soulful slow jams, pioneered in the mid-1970s by then-station-intern Melvin Lindsey at WHUR, in Washington, D.C....
 format. Three albums released in years 1975 and 1976 (Caught in the Act
Caught in the Act (Commodores album)

Caught in the Act is the second album by Commodores, released in 1975 . Stylistically, this is a funk / R&B album and differs from the softer pop sound the group became known for on later releases....
, Movin' On
Movin' On (Commodores album)

Movin' On is a Commodores album issued on Motown Records in 1975.The only single released, "Sweet Love", reached #5 in the Billboard charts in 1976....
, Hot On The Tracks
Hot on the Tracks

Hot on the Tracks is a Commodores album issued on Motown Records in 1976.Track listing Side One 1. Let's Get Started2....
) are considered the peak of their harder funk period. After those recordings the group started to move towards softer sound.

The Commodores originally called themselves the Jays, but had to change their name because of the similarly named O'Jays. To choose a new name William King opened a dictionary and randomly picked a word. "We lucked out," he remarked with a laugh when telling this story to People Weekly Magazine. "We almost became The Commodes!"

Many of their hit tunes were written or co-written by Walter "Clyde" Orange, the original lead singer before Lionel Richie came on board. Lionel and Clyde alternated as lead singers. Clyde was also the lead singer on "Nightshift
Nightshift

"Nightshift" is a 1985 hit song by The Commodores, featured on the Nightshift with the same name. The song was a tribute to Jackie Wilson and Marvin Gaye, two famous R&B musicians who had died in 1984....
" and "Brick House
Brick House (song)

"Brick House" is a funk/disco song from Commodores' 1977 in music album Commodores and is one of their most popular songs. It peaked at #5 in the U.S....
" among others. Clyde now lives with his family in Coral Springs
Coral Springs, Florida

Coral Springs, officially chartered July 10, 1963, is a city in Broward County, Florida, Florida, United States, approximately northwest of Fort Lauderdale, Florida....
, Florida
Florida

Florida is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States of the United States, bordering Alabama to the northwest and Georgia to the northeast....
 and has three children named Paula, Colin and Cody.

Band members typically alternated lead vocal duties. After Richie left to pursue a solo
Solo (music)

In music, a solo is a piece or a section of a piece played or sung by a single performer. In practice this means a number of different things, depending on the type of music and the context....
 career, former Heatwave
Heatwave (band)

Heatwave was an international funk/disco band featuring United States Johnnie Wilder, Jr. and Keith Wilder of Dayton, Ohio, England Rod Temperton , Spain Mario Mantese , Czechoslovakian Ernest "Bilbo" Berger , Jamaican Eric Johns and British people Roy Carter, ....
 singer J.D. Nicholas assumed co-lead vocal duties with drummer
Drummer

A drummer is a musician who plays a drum or drums, particularly a drum kit , marching percussion or hand drums. The term percussionist applies to a musician performing on any percussion instrument, but usually refers to one who plays Classical music or Latin percussion....
 Walter "Clyde" Orange. However, with the exception of the Grammy-winning "Nightshift
Nightshift

"Nightshift" is a 1985 hit song by The Commodores, featured on the Nightshift with the same name. The song was a tribute to Jackie Wilson and Marvin Gaye, two famous R&B musicians who had died in 1984....
" (a tribute to Marvin Gaye
Marvin Gaye

Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr., better known by his stage name Marvin Gaye was an United States singer-songwriter and instrumentalist with a three-octave vocal range....
 and Jackie Wilson
Jackie Wilson

Jack Leroy "Jackie" Wilson, Jr. was an United States singer. Wilson was important in the transition of rhythm and blues into soul music. Gaining fame in his early years as a member of the R&B vocal group, The Dominoes, after going solo in 1957 he went on to record over fifty hit singles over a repertoire that included R&B, pop music, soul mu...
) the band never achieved the same level of success it had enjoyed with Richie. Ironically, "Nightshift" won The Commodores their only Grammy Award
Grammy Award

The Grammy Awards ?or Grammys?are presented annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States for outstanding achievements in the music industry....
 for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals
Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals

The Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal has been awarded since 1970. From 1967 to 1969 and in 1971 the award included instrumental performances....
.

On Sunday 19 August 1990 the group made an appearance at Seagulls Rugby League Football Club, on Gollan Drive, West Tweed Heads, in New South Wales
New South Wales

New South Wales is Australia's oldest and most populous States and territories of Australia, located in the south-east of the country, north of Victoria and south of Queensland....
, Australia
Australia

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the Australia of the world's smallest continent, the major island of Tasmania, and numerous list of islands of Australia in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Oceans....
.

Over time, the group's founding members began leaving. McClary left in 1982 (shortly after Richie left) to pursue a solo career and to develop a gospel music
Gospel music

Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
 company. McClary was replaced by guitarist/vocalist Sheldon Reynolds. LaPread left in 1986 and moved to New Zealand
New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses , and numerous Islands of New Zealand, most notably Stewart Island/Rakiura and the Chatham Islands....
, and Reynolds departed for Earth, Wind and Fire in 1987. Williams exited the band in 1989. The group also gradually abandoned its funk roots and moved into the more commercial pop
Pop music

Pop music is a music genre that features a noticeable rhythmic element, melodies and hook , a mainstream style and a conventional structure.The term "pop music" was first used in 1926 in the sense of "having popular appeal" , but since the 1950s it has been used in the sense of a musical genre, originally characterized as a lighter alternat...
 arena. In 1983, Skyler Jett
Skyler Jett

Skyler Jett is a singer who has worked with many top musicians, such as Stevie Wonder, Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin. He also was briefly the lead singer in The Commodores, touring with them around the world....
, replaced Lionel Richie as the lead singer for The Commodores, and toured the world and performed in over 32 countries in a two year span.

In 1985, the group performed two commercial
Advertising

Advertising is a form of communication that typically attempts to persuade potential customers to Purchasing or to consume more of a particular brand of Product or Service ....
s for NBC affiliate WXIA in Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia

Atlanta is the Capital and most populous city in Georgia , as well as the 33rd largest city in the United States of America with a population of 519,145....
. The group left Motown in 1986 for Polydor, and released several additional album
Album

An album or record album is a collection of related Sound recording and reproduction or music tracks distributed to the public. The most common way is through commercial distribution, although smaller artists will often distribute directly to the public by selling their albums at live concerts or on their websites....
s, which are primarily compilations
Compilation album

A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from multiple recording artists, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, source or subject matter....
 of previous material. They have re-recorded Commodores hits and have recorded
Sound recording and reproduction

Sound recording and reproduction is the electrical or mechanics inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects....
 a live album
Live album

A live album – commonly contrasted with a studio album – is a recording consisting of material recorded during stage performances. Live albums may be recorded at a single concert, or combine recordings made at multiple concerts....
 and a Christmas album.

Today, the Commodores consist of Walter "Clyde" Orange, James Dean "J.D." Nicholas and William "WAK" King, along with a backing band. King married songwriter Shirley Hanna-King ("Brick House
Brick House (song)

"Brick House" is a funk/disco song from Commodores' 1977 in music album Commodores and is one of their most popular songs. It peaked at #5 in the U.S....
" co-writer) in 1976. Together they have four children, Adam, Ryan Hanna, Leah Hanna and Noah.

Since the late 1990s, Orange has also been working in conjunction with singer/songwriter Craig Deanto, and they have released an album titled "Who Hears The Cries". The group continues to perform, selling out concerts around the world, annually. They have the opening act for Trump casino
Casino

A casino is, in the modern sense of the word, a facility that houses and accommodates certain types of gambling activities. Casinos are most commonly built near or combined with hotels, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships and other tourist attractions....
s and Hard Rock
Hard Rock Cafe

Hard Rock Cafe is a chain of bar-restaurants founded in 1971 by Isaac Tigrett and Peter Morton. The first Hard Rock Cafe opened near Hyde Park Corner in London....
 casinos.

Original band personnel

  • Lionel B. Richie Jr.
    Lionel Richie

    Lionel Brockman Richie, Jr. is an Academy Award and Grammy award-winning United States singer, songwriter, record producer who has sold more than 100 million records....
     (vocals, saxophone
    Saxophone

    The saxophone is a conical-Bore transposing instrument musical instrument considered a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and are played with a Single-reed instrument mouthpiece similar to the clarinet....
     and piano
    Piano

    The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard instrument. Widely used in Western music for solo performance, ensemble use, chamber music, and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to musical composition and rehearsal....
    ) - born 20 June 1949, Tuskegee
    Tuskegee, Alabama

    Tuskegee is a city in Macon County, Alabama, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 11,846 and is designated a Micropolitan Statistical Area....
    , Alabama
    Alabama

    Alabama is a state located in the Southern United States of the United States of America. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west....
    .
  • Thomas McClary (lead guitar
    Lead guitar

    Lead guitar refers to the use of a guitar to perform melody lines, fill , and guitar solos within a song structure.In rock music, heavy metal music, blues, jazz and fusion bands and some pop music contexts as well as others, the lead guitar lines are usually supported by a second guitarist who plays rhythm guitar, which consists of accompan...
    ) - born 6 October 1949, Eustis
    Eustis, Florida

    Eustis is a city in Lake County, Florida, Florida, United States. The population was 15,106 at the 2000 census. As of 2005, the population recorded by the U.S....
    , Florida
    Florida

    Florida is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States of the United States, bordering Alabama to the northwest and Georgia to the northeast....
    .
  • Milan Williams
    Milan Williams

    Milan B. Williams was an United States keyboardist and a founding member of the Commodores band .Williams was born in Okolona, Mississippi and began playing the piano after being inspired by his older brother Earl, who was a multi-instrumentalist....
     (keyboards
    Keyboard instrument

    A keyboard instrument is any musical instrument played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include various types of organ s as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic musical instrument....
    , guitar
    Guitar

    The guitar is a musical instrument with ancient roots that is used in a wide variety of musical styles. It typically has six Strings , but Tenor guitar, Seven-string guitar, Eight-string guitar, Ten-string guitar, Eleven-string guitar, Twelve-string guitar, Thirteen-string guitar and doubleneck guitar string guitars also exist....
    ) - born 28 March 1948 Okolona
    Okolona, Mississippi

    Okolona is a city in and one of the county seats of Chickasaw County, Mississippi, Mississippi, United States. The population was 3,056 at the 2000 census....
    , Mississippi
    Mississippi

    Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Deep South of the United States. Jackson, Mississippi is the state capital and largest city. The state's name comes from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, and takes its name from the Anishinaabe language word misi-ziibi ....
    , died of cancer
    Cancer

    Cancer is a class of diseases in which a group of cell display uncontrolled growth , invasion , and sometimes metastasis . These three malignant properties of cancers differentiate them from benign tumors, which are self-limited, do not invade or metastasize....
    , July 9, 2006 Houston
    Houston, Texas

    Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States of America and the largest city within the state of Texas. As of the 2007 U.S. Census estimate, the city has a population of 2.2 million within an area of 600 square miles ....
    , Texas
    Texas

    Texas is a U.S. state located in the South Central United States, nicknamed the Lone Star State. Texas is the second largest U.S. state in both area and population, spanning , and with a growing population of 24.3 million residents....
    .
  • William "WAK" King (trumpet
    Trumpet

    The trumpet is a musical instrument with the highest Register in the brass instrument family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BC....
    , guitar
    Guitar

    The guitar is a musical instrument with ancient roots that is used in a wide variety of musical styles. It typically has six Strings , but Tenor guitar, Seven-string guitar, Eight-string guitar, Ten-string guitar, Eleven-string guitar, Twelve-string guitar, Thirteen-string guitar and doubleneck guitar string guitars also exist....
    , synthesizer
    Synthesizer

    A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing a variety of sounds by generating and combining signals of different frequency....
    ) - born 30 January 1949, Alabama
    Alabama

    Alabama is a state located in the Southern United States of the United States of America. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west....
    .
  • Ronald La Pread (bass guitar
    Bass guitar

    The electric bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a plectrum.The bass guitar is similar in appearance and construction to an electric guitar, but with a larger body, a longer neck and Scale length, and usually four strings tuned to the same pitches as those of the double bass, whic...
    , trumpet
    Trumpet

    The trumpet is a musical instrument with the highest Register in the brass instrument family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BC....
    ) - born 4 September 1946, Alabama.
  • Walter Orange (vocals, drums
    Drummer

    A drummer is a musician who plays a drum or drums, particularly a drum kit , marching percussion or hand drums. The term percussionist applies to a musician performing on any percussion instrument, but usually refers to one who plays Classical music or Latin percussion....
    ) - born 10 December 1946, Florida.


Discography


Albums

  • Machine Gun
    Machine Gun (Commodores album)

    Machine Gun is the first album from Commodores, released on July 22, 1974 on the Motown label. This was also the last album recorded and produced at Motowns' Hitsville USA, being recorded in 1972, then released in 1974....
     (1974) #138 U.S.
  • Caught in the Act
    Caught in the Act (Commodores album)

    Caught in the Act is the second album by Commodores, released in 1975 . Stylistically, this is a funk / R&B album and differs from the softer pop sound the group became known for on later releases....
     (1975) #26 U.S.
  • Movin' On
    Movin' On (Commodores album)

    Movin' On is a Commodores album issued on Motown Records in 1975.The only single released, "Sweet Love", reached #5 in the Billboard charts in 1976....
     (1975) #29 U.S.
  • Hot on the Tracks
    Hot on the Tracks

    Hot on the Tracks is a Commodores album issued on Motown Records in 1976.Track listing Side One 1. Let's Get Started2....
     (1976) #12 U.S.
  • Commodores
    Commodores (album)

    Commodores is a self-titled album released in 1977 by the Commodores. The band employed a variety of musical stylings for the album, highlighted by the popular sex anthem "Brick House "....
     (1977) #3 U.S.
  • Commodores Live! (1977) #3 U.S., #60 UK
  • Natural High
    Natural High

    Natural High is a 1978 album by the soul music band the Commodores. The resultant single issue - "Three Times a Lady" became their first Billboard Hot 100 chart-topper....
     (1978) #3 U.S., #8 UK
  • Greatest Hits
    Greatest Hits (Commodores)

    Greatest Hits is an album by the Commodores, released on Motown Records in 1978....
  • Midnight Magic
    Midnight Magic (album)

    Midnight Magic is a 1979 album by the soul band the Commodores. It contained their second U.S. #1 single, ""Still" ", and the #4 hit "Sail On"....
     (1979) #3 U.S., #15 UK
  • Heroes
    Heroes (Commodores album)

    Heroes is a 1980 album by the Commodores issued on Motown Records....
     (1980) #7 U.S., #50 UK
  • In the Pocket
    In the Pocket (Commodores album)

    In the Pocket is a Commodores album issued on Motown Records in 1981.This album contained two hit singles, "Oh No" and "Lady " ....
     (1981) #13 U.S., #70 UK
  • Commodores 13
    Commodores 13

    Commodores 13 is a 1983 in music album by the Commodores. It was also the first such album without lead singer, Lionel Richie, in the group....
     (1983) #103 U.S.
  • Nightshift
    Nightshift (album)

    Nightshift is a nine-track album by the Commodores, released January 15, 1985, on Motown Records, their last album on that label before switching to Polydor....
     (1985) #12 U.S., #13 UK
  • United
    United (Commodores album)

    The Commodores scored one last chart hit with this album, and it serves as their goodbye, even though they issued another album after it. "Goin' to the Bank" climbed to number two on Billboard's R&B singles chart....
     (1986) #101 U.S.
  • Rock Solid
    Rock Solid (Commodores album)

    Tracklist ...
     (1988) #101 U.S.
  • Commodores Christmas
    Commodores Christmas

    Tracklist ##...
     (1992)
  • No Tricks
    No Tricks

    Tracklist ##...
     (1993)


Singles

Year Song U.S. Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100

The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard Single popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on airplay and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday; while the airplay tracking-week runs from Wednesday to Tuesday....
 U.S. R&B chart UK singles
UK Singles Chart

The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official UK Charts Company on behalf of the British record industry. The chart week runs from Sunday to Saturday, with the chart being printed in Music Week magazine , ChartsPlus , and published online on various sites ....
 Album
1974 "Machine Gun"22720 Machine Gun
"The Zoo (The Human Zoo)"--44
"I Feel Sanctified"7512-
1975 "Slippery When Wet"191- Caught In The Act
1976 "Sweet Love"5232 Movin' On
"Just to Be Close to You
Just to Be Close to You

Just to Be Close to You was a hit song for the R&B/funk music band The Commodores in 1976. Released from their hit album, Hot On The Tracks, it would become one of their biggest hits, spending two weeks at the top of the Hot Soul Singles chart and becoming their second Billboard Hot 100 top ten, peaking at number 7....
"		7162 Hot On The Tracks
1977 "Fancy Dancer"399-
"Easy"419 The Commodores
"Brick House
Brick House (song)

"Brick House" is a funk/disco song from Commodores' 1977 in music album Commodores and is one of their most popular songs. It peaked at #5 in the U.S....
"		5432
1978 "Too Hot ta Trot
Too Hot ta Trot

"Too Hot ta Trot" is a hit song by R&B/funk band The Commodores. Featured on the soundtrack to the movie, Thank God It's Friday, it spent a week at number one on the R&B singles chart and peaked at number 24 on the Billboard Hot 100 in early 1978....
"		24138 The Commodores Live!
"Three Times a Lady
Three Times a Lady

"Three Times a Lady" is a 1978 single from the funk/soul band the Commodores, from their 1978 album Natural High. It was produced by James Anthony Carmichael and the Commodores and it was the most popular track of the album....
"		111 Natural High
"Flying High"382137
1979 "Sail On"488 Midnight Magic
"Still
Still (Commodores song)

"Still" is a song by the soul music group the Commodores. It reached #1 in the US in 1979. The song appears on their hit album Midnight Magic ....
 "		114
1980 "Wonderland"252140
"Old-Fashion Love"208- Heroes
"Heroes"5427-
1981 "Lady (You Bring Me Up)"8556 In The Pocket
"Oh No"4544
1982 "Why You Wanna Try Me"6642-
"Painted Picture"7019- All The Greatest Hits
1983 "Only You"5420- Commodores 13
1985 "Nightshift
Nightshift

"Nightshift" is a 1985 hit song by The Commodores, featured on the Nightshift with the same name. The song was a tribute to Jackie Wilson and Marvin Gaye, two famous R&B musicians who had died in 1984....
"		313 Nightshift
"Animal Instinct"432274
"Janet"8765-
1986 "Goin' To The Bank"65243 United
1987 "Take It from Me"-38 
"United in Love" (hit on AC charts)-? 
1988 "Solitaire"-51  Rock Solid


Awards and recognition

The Commodores were inducted into The Vocal Group Hall of Fame
Vocal Group Hall of Fame

The Vocal Group Hall of Fame was organized to honor what they term "the Greatest Vocal Groups in the World". The Hall of Fame is headquartered in Sharon, Pennsylvania, United States....
 in 2003.

External links