The Commodores in the mid 70s. It’s one week today until Lionel Richie plays the first of three dates on his 2014 New Zealand tour*, so I thought it was time to remind people not just of how good he is, but how funky. I’m not one of those precious music fans who subscribes to…
Tag: Commodores
Commodores Bassist Ronald LaPread’s Powerful Tribute To Nelson Mandela – 1 Of The Commodores Most Inspiring Songs
Nelson Mandela. Last night on The Two on Newstalk ZB we paid tribute to Nelson Mandela, taking calls from listeners for the entire three hours about what the great man meant to them. One of the callers was none other than former Commodores bassist Ronald LaPread. Having grown up in Alabama during the Civil Rights…
The Commodores 1975 Instrumental Named After An Island In The Philippines
For the people of the Philippines reeling from the devastation of typhoon Haiyan (2000 estimated dead, 600,000 homeless, two million in desperate need of clean water), here is the Commodores song named after the Philippine island (and city) Cebu. In the mid-70s the Commodores fame spread far from their Alabama homeland and made them superstars…
Why Aren’t The Commodores In The Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall Of Fame?
At the moment I’m indulging in one of my favourite past-times which is listening to old Commodores albums. For those who don’t know, Ronald LaPread was the bassist in the Commodores from 1969 until his departure from the band in 1986 when he fell in love with an Iranian / Kiwi and moved to New…
Lionel Richie – ‘Tuskegee Volume Two’ Track-list
Lionel Richie is riding high in the charts with his first US number one album since 1986’s Dancing On The Ceiling, Tuskegee. Richie’s album of countrified duets of 13 of his most famous songs is described as a return to his country roots, though any true fan knows those roots have always been pretty close…
Needlessly Comparing Lionel Richie & Bruce Springsteen – Featured Songs From Their New Albums
Two of my biggest music heroes have returned with new albums in the last couple of weeks and while it might seem unlikely to put these guys side-by-side, there are a few things beyond longevity and massive success that align them. For starters, there are still Bruce Springsteen fans smarting from Lionel Richie taking out the Album of…
Whitney Houston’s Death – Why Are We So Quick To Judge? 2 Of Her Most Poignant Songs
Last night on Newstalk ZB we did a three hour tribute show to Whitney Houston who died yesterday, possibly drowning in her Beverly Hills hotel bath, aged just 48. On the programme we had comments from the likes of Simon Cowell, Tony Bennett, Gladys Knight, Smokey Robinson and Lionel Richie, who said he would speak to…
Rare Commodores Concert & Interview Footage From 1980
Here is some sensational footage from 1980 I’d never seen before where an interviewer spoke to each of the six Commodores in their homes in Tuskegee, Alabama. See my buddy Ronald LaPread (bass) from the 8 minute 30 second mark talk about how he can’t not dance while playing, despite the complex choreography. You also…
Lionel Richie Back Onstage With His Old Commodores Buddies
Last night Lionel Richie reunited onstage in Auckland at Vector Arena with two former Commodores, Thomas McClary and Ronald LaPread. By all accounts, the concert was phenomenal mixture of the funk, the soul and the balladry that made these men superstars for the first time in the 70s and I’m gutted I couldn’t be there….
Is Lionel Richie The Nicest Man In Showbiz? Hanging Out With A Couple Of Commodores, November 2007
The exuberant tale of 26-year old Lionel Richie and Commodores fanboy that gets to meet to his hero – three times… One-time-a-Lionel I knew was going to happen. Universal Records appreciated my daily on-air ravings about the magnificence of all things Lionel Richie and had put my name on the pre-concert meet ‘n’ greet list….
