ഌ COMMODORES, Three Times A Lady|Easy|Nightshift|Brick House

The Commodores are an American funk/soul band of the 1970s and 1980s. The members of the group met as freshmen at Tuskegee Institute (now Tuskegee University) in 1968, and signed with Motown in November 1972. The Commodores originally called themselves the Jays, but had to change their name because of the similarly named O'Jays. This group is best known for its ballads, such as "Easy" and "Three Times a Lady".

'There's something, I must say out loud. You're once, twice. Three times a lady. Yes you're once, twice. Three times a lady...'

Many of their hit tunes were written or co-written by Walter "Clyde" Orange, the original lead singer before Lionel Richie came on board. Lionel and Clyde alternated as lead singers. Clyde was also the lead singer on "Nightshift" and "Brick House" among others. Clyde now lives with his family in Coral Springs, Florida and has three children named Paula, Colin and Cody.

Band members typically alternated lead vocal duties. After Richie left to pursue a solo career, former Heatwave singer J.D. Nicholas assumed co-lead vocal duties with drummer Walter "Clyde" Orange. "Nightshift" won The Commodores their only Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals. Today, the Commodores consist of Walter "Clyde" Orange, James Dean "J.D." Nicholas and William "WAK" King, along with a backing band. King married songwriter Shirley Hanna-King ("Brick House" co-writer) in 1976. Together they have four children, Adam, Ryan Hanna, Leah Hanna and Noah. [wikipedia]