Full profile of musician who entertained President Uhuru at the white house

Washington DC, USA: President Uhuru Kenyatta is among 40 African leaders at the US-Africa Summit in Washington DC, a global coup for US President Barack Obama, whose administration had been accused of playing second fiddle to a resurgent China and faced hostility from the African Union over the trials of Uhuru and his deputy William Ruto at the International Criminal Court (ICC).

While in Washington DC, President Uhuru Kenyatta attended a dinner hosted by President Barack Obama and American first lady Michelle Obama. The African leaders were entertained by musician Lionel Richie and below is his full profile.

Lionel Richie, the Tuskegee, Alabama native, has sold over 100 million albums worldwide, and is the recipient of an Oscar award, a Golden Globe award, and five GRAMMY awards. Lionel is one of only two songwriters to have No. 1 records for nine consecutive years. In 1968, Lionel joined The Commodores and produced the hits, “Brick House,” “Just to Be Close To You,” and “Too Hot Ta Trot.” In 1981, Lionel pursued a solo career, earning 13 top ten hits, including “Endless Love” with Diana Ross, “Truly,” “All Night Long,” “Hello,” and “Say You (Say Me).” In 2012, Lionel went back to his roots by reworking duets with country superstars including Shania Twain, Kenny Rogers, Willie Nelson, Tim McGraw, Blake Shelton, Jason Aldean, Darius Rucker, and Little Big Town. The album reached No. 1 on the Billboard Top 200 list. In 2013, Lionel launched a global tour, “All The Hits, All Night Long,” a two-hour set spanning his entire catalogue of music. The tour has visited Europe, Asia, Australia, the Middle East, and North America, where it will wrap in August 2014.