International icon Lionel Richie will release Tuskegee, his country duets album, in March on Mercury Nashville, after debuting songs on the national broadcast of the 45th Annual Country Music Association Awards.
During the broadcast Richie will perform select duets of his runaway hits with Little Big Town, Darius Rucker and Rascal Flatts.
Surpassing his creative and personal boundaries, Richie comes full circle with the innovative and personal Tuskegee, performing 13 of his most revered “anthems of our day” with some of the biggest names in country music, including Sugarland’s Jennifer Nettles, Tim McGraw, Blake Shelton, Darius Rucker, Rascal Flatts, Kenny Chesney, Billy Currington, Little Big Town and Jason Aldean.
On this worldwide, multi-genre album, Richie is also joined by Shania Twain, Kenny Rogers, Willie Nelson and Jimmy Buffett.
Richie’s career includes album sales of more than 100 million, 22 Top 10s, five Grammys, an Academy Award for Best Original Song, a Golden Globe, and a host of other awards from virtually every major entertainment organization.
It was when Conway Twitty sang Three Times a Lady along with songs such as Lady and Deep River Women that Richie knew country music was clearly omnipresent in the lyrics he wrote.
“As my songwriting progressed, I realized that my songs perfectly translated to the country genre,” says Richie. “I was born and raised in Tuskegee, Alabama. I am a country boy and proud of it. To do this project just felt natural.”
“Growing up with country, R&B, gospel, and classical music from my grandmother and pop, Tuskegee was the perfect melting pot for my influences as a writer,” Richie says, “and the title, Tuskegee, is a validation of my growing up there—the place I call home.”
The 45th Annual Country Music Association Awards airs live November 9 at 8 p.m. ET on the ABC Television Network.