Mighty, mighty! Commodores bring hits to St. Charles
Gonna be some sweet sounds, comin' down, at the Arcada Theatre.
The Commodores - the band best known for funk-filled hits "Brick House" and "Lady," and love ballads "Three Times a Lady," "Still" and "Sail On" - will be in town for a Saturday night show in St. Charles.
While lead singer Lionel Richie left the band in 1983, the Commodores went on to win a Grammy in 1986 for the hit "Night Shift" and have been playing together ever since, releasing six more albums.
We talked with original member Walter "Clyde" Orange this week, who shared stories of how "Brick House" was recorded, why they've resisted reinventing themselves, and how Lionel Richie got the nickname "George." Below is an edited excerpt of the interview:
Q. What can fans expect to see at your show?
A. We call it keep-up. It's high energy. It's all about the people getting involved. We enjoy the show ourselves. When we finish, we're tired. You're tired as well, because you don't just sit there. You may even lose a few pounds at the show (laughs). It's fun.
Q. Is the Commodores' 2015 music different from what it was in the late '70s?
A. We have tried to change what we were in the '70s in our shows, in our this, in our that, by watching other entertainers ... and there have been a few honest people who said, "What are you all tryin' to do, man? Reinvent yourself? You're not this group, you're not that group. You're the Commodores." So we do what we do. We play those songs that made us who we are.
Q. What's your favorite song to perform live?
A. (sings chorus to "Brick House") It's because that is, pretty much, in terms of really funky songs, the one the world can relate to.
Q. Did you write that song?
A. It was 1976, and (producer James Carmichael) said, "Gentlemen, there is a song that's playing now that is so hot, a song by Ohio Players called 'Fire.' I want a song that sounds just like that." All of a sudden, our bass player, he came up with that (sings the famous bass beat). Carmichael said, "That's it! That's it! Play it again! Tape recorder! Tape recorder!" But he said, "I don't know what I did. I was just doodling around." It took about three hours to come back up. We called it "Match Box." There were no words. It was just instrumental. Only eight of the songs were gonna make the album, so two got cut. One of them was "Match Box."
Q. So it almost never saw the light of day?
A. I loved this song and I loved the music. So when we were on a break for Christmas, I took the song home, and I had two tape recorders. I put the music that we recorded in the studio on one cassette, and on another cassette, I would sing with the music and record it. I came up with "She's a brick, house." I wrote the song. Long story short, I did the demo vocal. At the very end of it ... Carmichael walked in to the studio and waved his hand round and round, which means play it again, so I played it again. He said, "Brother Clyde, I think you got yourself one" ... and it was added to the album. It burns me up today to hear (radio DJs) say "That's 'Brick House' by Lionel Richie and the Commodores!" They never say my name.
Q. How would you describe your relationship with Lionel Richie now?
A. When Lionel Richie left the group (in 1983), we tried to get him back. We finally came to the realization that he's not coming back. Richie is who Richie is. Once we came to that realization ... we left it alone. Richie wanted to do some other things. Why should I not like Richie? I never was angry with Richie for one day about leaving the group. The only thing I got mad about was when he said, "I don't want to sing this stuff." You call him Richie, we called him George.
Q. George?
A. One time, we had to make the 18-to-19-hour drive from Tuskegee, Alabama, to New York City pulling a trailer with all of the equipment. We needed to get out of Tuskegee by 4:30 a.m. to beat Atlanta traffic. So we're out there at 3 a.m. loading the truck, and everyone's out there but Richie. We were telling him to come out and help, and he (angrily) said, "Everything's Richie, Richie, Richie! Call me George!" So we called him George after that.
Q. What does the future hold for the Commodores?
A. We are very blessed to still be here through the grace of God. If we can just stay together for another 10 years, it'll be all right. Maybe we can get back into the mainstream, because we have new management now and they're bringing some new things to the table. Does this mean we'll be back in the studio writing again? Who knows. Would I like to do it? Yes. But the music business is different now. If you don't have a staff of 100 people to get you from A to Z? You're spinning your wheels.
The Commodores
When: 8 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 8
Where: Arcada Theatre, 105 E. Main St., St. Charles, (630) 962-7000 or
Tickets: $25-$79