Last week I was in Las Vegas to interview one of the biggest pop stars in the world – Lionel Richie.
He’s doing a residency at the Planet Hollywood Resort in Vegas this summer, and he’ll also be visiting the UK on tour.
I got plenty of time to sit down with Lionel – the missus asked if we chatted All Night Long.
I’ll do the jokes around here, pal, so I’ll bring you more from our conversation next week.
Lionel’s band The Commodores played on the same stage he’s due to appear on in Vegas 38 years ago.
“Wow, you did some homework, I’m impressed!” laughed Lionel.
“We played here back then – and it was all hair and painful platform shoes. I’m suffering for it to this day!
“My kids look at those platform shoes and the big Afro hair and they say, ‘Dad, what were you thinking?’
“I say, ‘But we were COOL, then!’”
The stage Lionel will be performing on used to be part of the Aladdin Resort & Casino, which has changed into the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino. When they knocked down the Aladdin they kept the stage!
I wanted to ask Lionel about his old pal, Vegas legend Sammy Davis Jnr. He helped Lionel in his early career, and he regards the Rat Pack member as a mentor.
He told me about how he shocked the old-school entertainer with his more modern soul and R & B performance.
“It’s such a great vibe – it’s like coming home,” said Richie. “Even when you walk back stage you get such memories.
“Sammy Davis Jnr – or Mr D as I called him – was a true mentor. When I did my first solo show here in Vegas he came along.
“When the show was over, I asked Mr D what he thought.
“He said, ‘I saw you kissing ladies in the audience and men cheering you on. What did you think you were doing?’
“I said to him that I thought I was Elvis!”
It’s interesting to think that a band like The Commodores could shock anyone. They’re just so likeable.
“I became friends with Frank Sinatra later,” said Lionel. “But when he came to see us for the first time – with our big platform shoes and Afro haircuts – he said, ‘Well there goes the music business!’”
There’s more from me and Lionel next week. See you then!
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