Then it was time to unleash the ballad, which turned out to be a song he nearly kicked to the curb. Before he was a worldwide superstar, Lionel Richie, like so many of us when we’re young ...

“I had to remind myself: 'The song came out, Lionel ... of R&B and the communal thrust of gospel music. “When that choir comes in, it’s undeniable,” Richie says. “You can’t help ...