Legendary singer, songwriter and producer Lionel Richie will receive the Icon Award at the 2022 American Music Awards (AMAs). It’ll mark his 18th American Music Award.
The Icon Award “honors an artist whose body of work has marked a global influence over the music industry.”
The global star, 73, makes history as the only artist to grace the stage at the AMAs in every decade since the show launched in 1973.
“I’m immensely grateful for a career that has taken me to places I never imagined that I’d go, from arenas worldwide to studio sets to the AMA stage,” says Richie. “I can recall one of the first times I got to perform at the AMAs. It was to sing ‘We Are the World’ among the most iconic musicians of my generation, so it is surreal to be receiving this recognition 36 years later.”
Jesse Collins, AMAs’ executive producer and showrunner, adds, “Lionel Richie has had a profound impact on countless people around the world and on the music industry as a whole. From the millions of dollars raised due to ‘We Are the World’ to the global influence his unique sound still has today, Richie is the definition of a living legend and honoring him with the AMAs Icon Award is a no-brainer.”
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Richie first won an AMA in 1979 with the Commordores’ hit “Three Times a Lady.” They took home a trophy for Favorite Pop/Rock Single.
The following year, the Commodores won another AMA for Soul/R&B Group.
Richie went on to collect 15 more AMAs, including six awards in one night at the 1985 show. He won Favorite Pop/Rock Male Artist, Favorite Soul/R&B Male Artist and Favorite Soul/R&B Video (“Hello”), to name a few.
In 1987, he scooped up four awards on the same night, including Favorite Pop/Rock Video for “Dancing on the Ceiling.”
Not only is Richie among the most-awarded artists of all time at the AMAs, but he holds the record for the most music video AMAs with six wins.
Aside from the AMAs, Richie has won four Grammy Awards, a BET Lifetime Achievement Award, an Oscar and a Golden Globe, among other accolades.
“We Are the World” by U.S.A. for Africa, which Richie co-wrote with Michael Jackson in 1985, was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2021.
“Each recording has had a significant impact on our culture, and it is an honor to add them to our distinguished catalog,” said Harvey Mason Jr., president/CEO of the Recording Academy.
On Saturday (Nov. 5), Richie was officially inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. He was joined by other legendary acts, including Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, Harry Belafonte, Sylvia Robinson, Dolly Parton and more.
The induction ceremony airs Nov. 19 on HBO.
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“The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is the holy grail as far as I’m concerned, in terms of your peers, who you’re in there with, the history, what they all had to go through to get here,” Richie said in a statement. “What I love about the Hall of Fame is that each artist has a story. It’s the music that came out of their stories.”
Richie added, “It humbles me to think that I’m even in the list because I know what all of them went through. To be able to join this group, that was a bucket list check right there.”
Richie has sold more than 125 million albums worldwide. He has 13 top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, including five No. 1 singles.
His Hot 100 chart-toppers include: “Say You, Say Me,” “Hello,” “All Night Long (All Night),” “Truly” and “Endless Love” with Diana Ross. The latter song spent nine weeks at No. 1 in 1981.
Richie’s last album, Tuskegee, was released in 2012. It featured reimagined versions of his classics with country singers. He collaborated with country stars such as Darius Rucker, Kenny Rogers, Shania Twain and Tim McGraw.
Tuskegee debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and remained in the top spot for two weeks.
In 2019, he released a live album, Hello From Las Vegas, which debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200.
Hosted by Wayne Brady, the 2022 American Music Awards will air live Sunday, Nov. 20, at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
In 2023, Richie will kick off his U.K. and Europe tour, which will run from June through July. Tickets are on sale for all shows at lionelrichie.com.
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