Lionel Richie Honors Tuskegee Roots: A Tribute to His Hometown Legacy and First Teacher

Lionel Richie

Lionel Richie for legendary singer Lionel Richie, there really is no place like home. And when he says “home”, he means the historic town of Tuskegee, Alabama. Indeed, in a brand-new upcoming episode of ‘American Idol’, he is taking the show’s co-judges, Katy Perry and Luke Bryan there to show them his roots.
“Tuskegee Airmen, I was born and raised there,” the three-time ‘Grammy’ winner revealed in an exclusive sneak peek into the Sunday’s episode, posted by ‘CNN’ . He then added, “If it had not been for the Tuskegee Airmen, my whole family history would have been altered, so I know these men very, very well”.
It helps to understand the clip when you know more about the organization and place. Before and during World War II, black Americans were not allowed to become aviators in the military. As such, the US Army Air Corps put together an experimental training program for black aviators at Tuskegee Army Airfield in Alabama. In the clip, while on the ground, three judges are met by service men and women who each hand them uniforms and a new, personalized leather aviator for each of the judges. They tour Tuskegee University campus where the school students, cheerleaders and a marching band are there waiting to greet them.
Richie, this season on “Idol,” all three judges get their turns as they bring Richie and the others to their respective hometowns, where they hold auditions. Perry is from Santa Barbara, California , and Bryan is a Leesburg, Georgia , native.
Richie told GMA ‘s Robin Roberts in a 2023 interview that he was excited about bringing his “Idol” costars and the show to his hometown. “This is an opportunity to get them to know the roots of another kind of Black America that people don’t hear about or talk about on a daily basis,” he said.
This city is obviously very special to the Grammy-winner, causing him to say in one of the this week’s clip that “even though I had become an artist and had been somewhat successful, Tuskegee for me was about as far away from music as you could possibly think of.” In 2012, Richie brought things a lot closer, making his 10th studio title, Tuskegee. It a ten-track collection that includes duets and solos, sung by various country artists doing his trademark songs.
“Coming back to Tuskegee was wonderful, it was overwhelming,” Richie stated in the “American Idol” clip. “It was just one of those moments where I had to kind of reflect.”
Richie also proudly stated, “And it’s still home.”
The full “American Idol” episode will air this Sunday, at 8 p.m. in the viewer’s time zone, on ABC.

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