After joining The Commodores against his parents' wishes in 1968, Lionel Richie wrote several hits for the group, including "Three Times a Lady," which was the only Motown song to reach No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart at the time. 

Showcasing Richie's versatility, "Easy" meshed a traditional R&B ballad style with a country backdrop. In 1977, the track reached No. 1 on the Billboard R&B chart and No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

The Commodores were not known to do gospel, but this track had a greater influence than what showed from it's peak at No. 37 on the Billboard charts. Yet again, Lionel Richie stretched his writing chops and penned a prayerful song that had crossover appeal.

As the 1980s approached, Richie began solidifying his name as a great songwriter. This duet with the legendary Diana Ross further proved his hit-making/songwriting abilities, penning words like, "Two hearts that beat as one, our lives have been as one." 

Released as Richie's first solo single, "Truly" (from his self-titled debut album), topped the Billboard charts for almost two weeks. Richie also won a Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance in 1982 for this track as well. 

1983's "All Night Long (All Night)" brought soul and Caribbean influences to the music scene. Taken from his second album, Can't Slow Down, Richie also performed the dance anthem at the 1984 Summer Olympics closing ceremony.

From Richie's album Can't Slow Down, "Hello" was one of his many hits that went to No. 1 on the Billboard charts, landing a spot on three charts at one time (the Pop, R&B and Contemporary Adult charts). The album itself had the distinction of having every single released hit reach No. 1 on the charts in 1984.

Produced by Quincy Jones and co-penned with the late Michael Jackson, Richie used his hit writing skills to scribe a song for a great cause, the United Support of Artists for Africa foundation, where proceeds went to help alleviate the 1983-1985 famine in Africa. The song went on to sell a reported 8,000,000 copies in the U.S.

This track became Richie's ninth hit to reach No. 1. The song also appeared in the 1985 film White Nights, winning him an Academy Award for Best Original Song.

Making a comeback in 2006 with the album Coming Home, Richie released "I Call It Love," which reached No. 1 on the Adult Contemporary chart.