The Commodores

The Commodores joined Motown in 1972, toiling for years in the studio and on the road—as the opening act for the Jackson 5 and Stevie Wonder—before becoming the premiere R&B/pop group of the late '70s and early '80s, as well as the springboard for the phenomenal solo career of Lionel Richie. From hard funk like "Brick House" to the soaring pop of "Three Times a Lady," "Easy" and more, they remain one of the most recognizable bands of any era. Its six original members—Richie, Milan Williams, Ronald LaPread, William King, Jr., Thomas McClary, Walter "Clyde" Orange—met at Alabama’s Tuskegee Institute in 1968. In 1981, when Richie went solo, J.D. Nicholas joined and the group scored with the No. 1 smash "Nightshift."