Lionel Richie lauded by Luke Bryan, Gloria Estefan at Gershwin Prize concert: 'He was just the world’s music'

WASHINGTON – To list Lionel Richie’s career accomplishments would take, well, all night long.

From the Grammy Awards (four) to the No. 1 pop-R&B hits (16) to the Academy Awards (1) to the number of albums sold (more than 125 million worldwide), his resume brims with staggering statistics.

That legacy earned its celebration on Wednesday when Richie, 72, was feted as the 2022 recipient of the Library of Congress' Gershwin Prize for Popular Song. A lustrous cast of friends – Gloria Estefan, Boyz II Men, Chris Stapleton, Richie’s “American Idol” mate Luke Bryan and gregarious host Anthony Anderson among them – paid tribute to the singer/songwriter’s melodious catalog of solo work and Commodores classics at a brisk, joyful concert at DAR Constitution Hall.

The show airs on PBS May 17.

Richie was clearly humbled and appreciative of the honor and the peers who saluted him. He leapt to his feet as Estefan opened the night with a spirited “Dancing on the Ceiling”; bowed back at Stapleton, who tipped his cowboy hat toward Richie after a booming-yet-tender “Say You, Say Me”; and leaned down from the dais where he perched with girlfriend Lisa Parigi in an attempt to hug Bryan after the country superstar’s impassioned take on “Lady."

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Before the show, Richie joked on the red carpet that he’d taken “about 19 deep breaths” to prepare for the evening. The native of Tuskegee, Alabama, also invoked his grandmother: “She would say, this is ‘high cotton,’ ” he said with a smile.

The Gershwin Prize – which follows Richie’s accolades of MusiCares Person of the Year in 2016 and a Kennedy Center Honor in 2017 – is named for the legendary songwriting team of George and Ira Gershwin to recognize a living musical artist’s lifetime achievement in promoting the song genre. Past recipients include Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder, Billy Joel, Carole King, Willie Nelson, Tony Bennett and Estefan and her husband, Emilio.

Richie’s commemoration also marked the return of the ceremony, which took a pandemic break in 2021. The masked, invite-only crowd, which included members of Congress, Library of Congress supporters and guests of PBS, popped up frequently for ovations as they absorbed a string of songs from his timeless oeuvre.

Their greatest affection was reserved for, naturally, Richie, who spoke eloquently from the stage without notes (“Love is the only answer to everything we’re doing,” he said) and closed out the show with a double-shot of his musical magic after changing into a showman’s outfit of black velvet, satin and leather.

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Some highlights from the event:

– Andra Day, looking luminous in a powder-blue ensemble and hat nearly the width of the stage, tinted “Hello” with elegant phrasing and masterful vocal control.  Acoustic guitar featured prominently in the sumptuous melody of the song – so often overlooked because of the ballad’s immortal video – and Day followed the crescendo into full belting before tapering the lyrics down to a whisper.

– Miguel began his version of “You Are” casually cool, with a hand in his pocket and a strut to the front of the stage. But soon enough his velvety vocals were accompanied by shimmying shoulders as he fell into the groove.

– Before rolling into the liquid bob of “Easy,” Boyz II Men member Shawn Stockman addressed Richie in his honoree box and told a story about his mom always playing the song at home when he was a boy. Nathan Morris slid behind a black baby grand piano as Stockman and Wanya Morris leaned against it, the trio coating the glistening classic with the soaring harmonies that are their musical backbone.  

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– Bryan also sweetly addressed Richie, whom he jokingly called “my co-worker” before landing on “my friend." “From one small-town boy to another,” Bryan, a native of Leesburg, Georgia, told Richie, “you fill my life with so much happiness.” Before the show, Bryan lauded Richie’s musicality. “He’s the most creative interpreter of a love song,” he said. “You didn’t put him in a category; he was just the world’s music.”

– Yolanda Adams, in a sequined mustard-yellow gown, was perfectly paired with The Commodores’ “Jesus Is Love.” The gospel great took the crowd to church as she smashed notes, ad libbed stunning vocal runs and injected the song with unfettered passion.

– When Richie’s spotlight moment arrived, he first recalled writing “We Are the World” with Michael Jackson and their “naiveté” that the all-star charity behemoth would end world hunger. “Thirty-some-odd years later, we’re dealing with a world that is actually in turmoil,” Richie said. Despite the somber undertone, Richie quickly enticed the crowd to sing and clap along with the anthem before pivoting to the ultimate show-closer, “All Night Long.” Beaming, strutting with arms outstretched and reveling in the moment, Richie dazzled brightest at his own party.