Commodores

The Commodores built their reputation on R&B successes including “Just to Be Close to You,” “Easy,” and “Brickhouse.” During an extended stay with Motown they earned seven Billboard number-one singles along with numerous additional Top Ten entries, while their recorded output eventually surpassed fifty albums. All six original members had attended Tuskegee Institute in Alabama and came together after the Mystics and the Jays dissolved. They initially united simply to perform for enjoyment and to meet women; the lineup featured William King on trumpet, Thomas McClary on guitar, Ronald LaPread on bass, Walter “Clyde” Orange on drums, Lionel Richie on saxophone, and Milan Williams on keyboards. Selecting a name proved unexpectedly difficult until Orange handed King a dictionary as a final measure, at which point the word “Commodores” was chosen. With Orange the sole formally trained musician, the ensemble began performing across their immediate region encompassing Tuskegee, Montgomery, and Birmingham, Alabama.

After securing local engagements, the band traveled to New York City for a booking at Smalls Paradise. Although the club owner initially dismissed their style, a last-minute cancellation prompted an emergency return appearance. Performing that evening before a packed house largely composed of friends and relatives, the Tuskegee graduates impressed the owner enough to receive a two-week extension. Their association with Motown originated from a 1971 audition in New York City for an unspecified yet prominent supporting slot on a tour with the Jackson 5. Two weeks afterward they stepped into that role, which they retained for more than two years. Strong performances led directly to a Motown contract, and they debuted with the instrumental dance track “Machine Gun,” written by Milan Williams. Its Top Ten placement brought prompt recognition, followed by the Top 20 single “I Feel Sanctified” and then their first number-one hit, “Slippery When Wet.” Within seventeen weeks the seven-piece group was broadcasting its Southern-funk sound, highlighted by animated vocals from Lionel Richie and Clyde Orange.

September 1976 brought the release of “Just to Be Close to You,” their second chart-topper and a number-seven pop single. The Top Ten entry “Fancy Dancer” came next, succeeded by “Easy,” a notably tranquil ballad that diverged from the band’s funkier material yet still reached number one and helped establish their later reputation for such songs. “Brickhouse” provided a contrasting exception; Clyde Orange’s forthright lead vocal, paired with dense percussive rhythms, propelled the track to number four. Two further number-one singles arrived in quick succession: the dance number “Too Hot ta Trot” and the gentle “Three Times a Lady.” “Still” marked the final number-one achieved while Richie remained a member. In 1981 he recorded “Endless Love” with Diana Ross, a duet that held the top spot for seven weeks on the R&B chart and nine weeks on the pop chart, foreshadowing his successful solo career after departing the group in 1982.

Without Richie, the Commodores recruited tenor J.D. Nicholas, formerly of Heatwave, and soon produced their biggest hit. Written by Clyde Orange, “Nightshift” honored the late singers Marvin Gaye and Jackie Wilson; it led the charts for four straight weeks and earned the group its sole Grammy Award. The band exited Motown in 1985 and promptly signed with Polydor, returning to the Top Ten that year with “Goin’ to the Bank.” By the 1990s the ensemble had stabilized around a trio of Orange, King, and Nicholas. The three continued extensive international touring while operating their own Commodore Records imprint.