Quotes from Lionel Richie

When I came up with the idea for 'Tuskegee,' I didn't want to be confined by boundaries of age, genre or demographics. I am thrilled with how well this album has been received by people from all walks of life. It is truly living up to the vision we had when we created it.

I'm easy like Sunday Morning.

I just had to find all my friends that used to be in the business. As I say, the music business didn't die, it just moved to Nashville.

Country music has always been about as close to R&B as you can possibly get. We're storytellers.

People have allowed me into their homes, through my words and my music.

Greatness comes from fear. Fear can either shut us down and we go home, or we fight through it.

I find myself going out on the road to get my confidence back, because I lose it at home.

Taking time to sit back and watch and think about what you've seen is important. Traveling did a great deal to me. I found that when I travel and just sit in the corner and watch, a million ideas come to me.

'Let the music play on' would be my legacy.

It was very interesting in my world, because I grew up as a fan and I did not know that there was a thing called R&B, pop, country, classical - I just knew that I loved music.

By growing up in Alabama, I had a melting pot of the whole pie: R&B, gospel, country.

No one can deny, this love I have inside, and I'll give it all to you, my endless love.

I grew up with the Grand Ole Opry, Dottie West, Conway Twitty, Buck Owens... not realizing it was influencing me as much as it was.

I am a country boy and proud of it.

I think the whole world is dying to hear someone say, 'I love you.' I think that if I can leave the legacy of love and passion in the world, then I think I've done my job in a world that's getting colder and colder by the day.

The best compliment that has ever been given to me was, I was at the airport one day and a guy came in and said, 'Lionel, my wife loves you, the kids love you, my mother-in-law loves you, the family loves you.'

Just when I think it couldn't get any bigger, 'Tuskegee' reaches a new level of success.

It's quite interesting that in my growing up I had several influences. We had gospel music on campus. R&B music was, of course, the community, and radio was country music. So I can kind of see where all the influences came from.

When I was growing up, music was music and there were no genres. We didn't look at it as country music. Popular music in Tuskegee was country music. So I didn't know it in categories. It was the radio.

Kids will keep it real. If I've ever had in my life a great anchor, it's them. They get in your head, 'don't get too famous.' If you think you're really famous and think you're really hip, go hang out with your kids for an afternoon. That's about as earthbound as it's going to get.

You cannot beat the feeling of sitting on top of the charts. I had almost forgotten what it feels like... It feels great! It is really a very exciting time and I am enjoying the ride.

My first love, you're every breath that I take, you're every step I make

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.

Traveling did a great deal to me. I found that when I travel and just sit in the corner and watch, a million ideas come to me.