Legendary singer Lionel Richie is returning to his country roots with his next album, Tuskegee. Richie, who was born in Tuskegee, Ala., and attended the Tuskegee Institute, will release an all-country album.
The album, due out in March 2012, will feature 13 duets of his biggest hits, including "My Love" with Kenny Chesney, "Easy" with Willie Nelson and "Hello" with Jennifer Nettles.
Richie said the album was a return to his country roots. "I was born and raised in Tuskegee, Alabama. I am a country boy and proud of it. To do this project just felt natural," the singer-songwriter said in a statement.
Richie has earned five Grammys and an Oscar and has had more than 20 top 10 hits in a career that started with Motown Records more than 40 years ago.
We're definitely buying 'Tuskegee.' We find it funny that folks have forgotten that Lionel Richie has been making country music for years. Clearly people have forgotten 'Stuck on You,' 'Lady' and 'Still,' which were country and R&B hits. Richie's classic performances with country singer Kenny Rogers can't be forgotten, either.
In the words of country legends Barbara Mandrell and George Jones, Lionel Richie "was country when country wasn't cool." To be clear, country music is not new to Lionel Richie or black folks. After all, the banjo is an African instrument.
Read more at MSNBC.
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