Lionel Richie ‘Thrilled’ to Get First-Ever CMA Awards Nomination for Darius Rucker Duet
With a long and mega-successful career, you would think that Lionel Richie would have been nominated for practically every music award there is by now. But in the short time since he crossed over into the country side of things, Richie hasn't been formally honored for his work -- until now, that is. This year, the 'Just for You' hitmaker received his first ever CMA Awards nomination.
Richie turned the heads of critics and country music fans alike when he released 'Tuskegee' in back in March. The album consists entirely of new interpretations of Richie's previous hits, all sung with a different guest artists. Blake Shelton, Darius Rucker, Jason Aldean, Tim McGraw, Rascal Flatts and a handful of other country stars contributed to the album.
Although Richie was applauded for several of the duets and live performances from 'Tuskegee,' one song in particular stuck out to the CMA nominating committee. Richie received his first-ever CMA Awards nomination for his 'Stuck on You' duet with Rucker in the Music Event of the Year category.
“I am thrilled to receive my first nomination from the CMA. I am so grateful to the country music community for embracing this project and making me feel so at home,” Richie said in a statement. “To share this nomination with my friend Darius Rucker makes it even more special. I have a CMA nomination and a friend for life. It doesn't get much better than that."
Rucker was also ecstatic about the nomination, saying he is "honored to have sung with Lionel and... overjoyed with this nomination.”
Although Richie has never been recognized at the CMAs before, it's no surprise that 'Tuskegee' helped him to secure a nomination. The record spent two consecutive weeks at the top of the Billboard 200 chart, and became the top-selling country album of the year with sales surpassing 100 million.
Tune into the CMA Awards at 8PM ET on November 1 to find out if Richie scores his first-ever CMA Award!