Breckenridge long biography of lionel richie
Lionel Richie Announces Joint Tour With Earth, Wind And Fire, With MSG Date
Lionel Richie has announced his 2023 “Sing A Song All Night Long” Tour with very special guests Earth, Wind & Fire. The 20-city arena tour kicks off Friday, August 4 at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, MN, and includes a stop at Madison Square Garden (MSG) in New York City on Saturday, August 12.
Lionel Richie is known for his mega hits such as “Endless Love,” “Lady,” “Truly,” “All Night Long,” “Penny Lover,” “Stuck on You,” “Hello,” “Say You, Say Me,” “Dancing on the Ceiling,” and co- wrote one of the most important pop songs in history, “We Are the World,” for U.S.A for Africa. His song catalog also includes his early work with The Commodores, where he developed a groundbreaking style that defied genre categories, penning smashes such as “Three Times a Lady,” “Still” and “Easy.” Richie is one of two sole songwriters who has written eight No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 charts.
2022 was a pivotal year for Lionel Richie, who has now sold over 125 million albums, as he was inducted into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, won the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song by the Library Congress and was honored with the Icon Award at the American Music Awards. With over 100 million albums sold worldwide and an impressive nine GRAMMY® Awards, Earth, Wind & Fire has cemented their lasting impact on popular music as they continue to inspire new audiences and thrill those who have been with them from the beginning. These two iconic artists have now sold a combined quarter billion albums worldwide.
Earth, Wind & Fire, formed In 1969 by music legend Maurice White birthed the music force named after the elements from his very own astrological charts. With soul as deep as the plant, Earth, Wind & Fire charted a history that will live on forever. They’ve scored eight number one hits and have sold more than 100 million albums worldwide. They’ve released 23 albums; De Ann Letourneau is the Concertmaster of the Las Vegas Philharmonic, one of the few female Concertmasters in the US. In Las Vegas she is also Concertmaster for several other groups including the Nevada Ballet Theater and Opera Las Vegas. Her unique style and approach to music has appealed to many in the field. She has been active in her guest artist capacity as guest Concertmaster, soloist, master classes at various Universities and performance coaching across the US and Abroad. This past summer she had fun working with the wonderful friends and colleagues at the New Hampshire Music Festival. As a performer, she has a unique ability to relate her love of music to all audience members. The Las Vegas Review Journal said, “…She performed not only impeccably but with an exuberant sense of joy.” The Duluth News Tribune said “…her performance was sensationally vibrant from beginning to end.” Native of Superior Wisconsin, she began studying at age 14, and very quickly became noted as one of the up and coming Young Artists through several National Young Artists Competitions. She has appeared as guest artist with many orchestras including the Milwaukee Symphony, Las Vegas Philharmonic, National Arts Chamber Orchestra (Chicago), Duluth-Superior Symphony, Green Bay Symphony, Contemporary Arts Ensemble of Ohio, St. Martin Chamber Orchestra, Orchestra, the Lake Superior Chamber Symphony and the Henderson Symphony. She has also been heard on several TV and Radio interviews and concerts including: KNPR FM, National Public Radio (Las Vegas and Minneapolis), WQXR FM New York, Wisconsin Public Radio, Fox 5, channel 14 “Morning Blend” and PBS stations. Her career officially began at age 16 with the win of a full-time position with the Duluth-Superior Symphony Orchestra. To date, she is still the youngest full-time member ever to win a position in the organization. She also made her solo debut with the DSSO that same year and from there went on to win many major C People/ Portraits (published by VOGUE Polska on August 20, 2024) Julia Właszczuk (Photo: own collections) A pianist, musician, composer, academic teacher and writer – these are just a few jobs in the extensive list of Stan Breckenridge’s professions. This American musician, with a long history of presence in Poland, tells us about the beginnings of his career, his own definition of creativity and plans for future. Where does your love for music come from? How old were you when you decided to become an artist? To answer this question, I would like to quote my autobiographical novel, Piano Player From Compton, which will soon be published: “One December evening in 1959, I was heading for the town, together with my parents, admiring Christmas decorations. I was only seven then. At that moment the radio speaker announced “Theme From a Summer Place” by Percy Faith. It was a song which set my heart aflame, starting my journey to the world of sounds”. Which artists shaped your style? And who do you listen to nowadays? My musical inspirations go back to my school years. At that time, I was especially interested in Motown music played by The Temptations, The Supremes, The Four Tops, trio Martha and The Vandellas, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Tammi Terrell or Gladys Knight and The Pips. I was also strongly influenced by soul musicians from the 1960s such as Sam Cooke, Aretha Franklin, James Brown and Otis Redding. Later on, as a young adult, I would listen to the music of Nat King Cole, George Benson, Tina Turner, Lionel Richie, Ella Fitzgerald and such groups as Earth, Wind and Fire, also to Duke Ellington, Frank Sinatra, Carole King, the Beatles, B.B. King, Bee Gees, Tower of Power and many others. Today I try not to close myself off to any specific music genres or creators. My soundscape draws on the music that surrounds me. When I am on a concert tour, I always listen carefully to the local culture. The same goes for my academic activit During Sunday evening's ACM Presents: Our Country special on CBS, some of the biggest names in country music took a moment to honor legendary icon Kenny Rogers, who died on March 20 at age 81. The tribute began with Darius Rucker and Brad Paisley singing two of Kenny's biggest hits: "Lucille" and "The Gambler." From there, Luke Bryan sang "Coward of the Country," and ended his performance by thanking Kenny for all of his contributions to music. However, the most emotional part was when Lionel Richie took a moment to remember his good friend. "What started out to be a great collab between two guys — Kenny and myself —ended up giving me a surprise. Not only did we have a hit record, but I found one of the greatest friends I ever had in my whole life. We lived so much life together," Lionel said. "Let us celebrate his life, legacy, and more importantly, his music." The show then cut to a performance of their hit song "Lady." Needless to say, viewers at home were extremely emotional over the tribute. Since Kenny's death, countless musicians have been saluting the late performer in their own ways. Kenny's longtime singing partner Dolly Parton posted a heartbreaking video to her social media accounts on March 21. "God bless you, Kenny. Fly high, straight to the arms of God," Dolly said in the clip. "And to the rest of you, keep the faith." Apart from Our Country, Kenny's life will be honored next Wednesday evening on CMT Giants: Kenny Rogers: A Benefit For MusiCares. The event will air on CMT and feature performances filmed from musicians' homes and archival footage of Kenny. Dolly, Jennifer Nettles, Lionel Richie, Gavin DeGraw, Jason Isbell, Amanda Shires, Lady Antebellum, Michael McDonald, Randy Houser, Rascal Flatts, and Vince Gi Violin
Lionel Richie Calls Kenny Rogers One of His "Greatest Friends" in Heartfelt Tribute on 'Our Country'