Most of us see Lionel Richie as pure confidence. The smile. The charm. The songs that feel like they have always been there. It is easy to think he was born that way. But in his new memoir, he finally admits something he has kept quiet for decades. He says he “grew up totally in fear.”
In this interview with Robin Roberts for IMPACT by Nightline, Lionel goes back to Tuskegee, Alabama, and to the boy who never felt sure of himself. He talks about saying “kinda” when people asked if he was good at sports. Feeling like a late bloomer. Even thinking about becoming a priest before he ever believed he could belong on a stage.
He also shares the secret that still shocks people. One of the greatest songwriters alive cannot read music. His grandmother was a classically trained pianist. He was not. Marvin Gaye once told him not to chase an explanation for his gift, just to accept it. That advice changed everything.
This is not the polished TV judge or the smooth voice behind “Hello.” This is the man who spent years scared that he was not enough, then somehow wrote the soundtrack to other people’s courage. If you have ever felt behind, anxious or afraid to start, this side of Lionel Richie is the one you have been waiting to meet.
Stream “Truly Lionel Richie: A Conversation with Robin Roberts” on Hulu
Before the ballads and solo fame, he was a key part of The Commodores, a band that defined 1970s funk and soul. His memoir digs into the tension between the anxious, late-blooming kid from Tuskegee and the confident performer inside a high-energy party band.
The Commodores • “Brick House” • LIVE 1977 [Reelin’ In The Years Archive]
If the first clip shows the chaos he grew up inside, this one shows the calm he spent his life chasing. “Truly” is not just a hit from 1982. It is the moment Lionel Richie steps out from the noise, owns his softer voice and proves that the fearful kid from Tuskegee can lead with his heart. The memoir takes its name from this song for a reason.
Lionel Richie – Truly Live (1982)
