Academy of Country Music Presents Lionel Richie and Friends in Concert 2012

When did Lionel Richie become country music?

In 2012, Lionel went back to his Tuskegee roots by re-working some of his biggest R&B hits as duets with country superstars such as Shania Twain, Kenny Rogers, Willie Nelson, Tim McGraw, Blake Shelton, Jason Aldean, Darius Rucker, and Little Big Town. The album was one the biggest of his career reaching #1 on the Billboard Top 200 list and garnering huge critical acclaim. Tuskegee also received a national two-hour CBS television special with performances by Richie and the album’s country duet partners that was the top-rated show of the night with more than 8 million viewers. “I realized that my songs perfectly translated to the country genre,” said Richie about the album. “I was born and raised in Tuskegee, Alabama. I am a country boy and proud of it. To do this project just felt natural.”