The original members of The Commodores, Thomas McClary, Lionel Richie, Milan Williams, Walter Orange, William King and Ronald LaPread met as freshmen at Tuskegee Institute and began the group that grew from a hit regional act to a worldwide phenomenon.

They signed with Motown Records in 1971 and toured, opening for the Jackson Five. 

Their first big hit was an instrumental called "Machine Gun," and they followed with a string of 22 gold records, six platinum, two double platinum and three triple platinum albums. Their first recordings for the label were produced in Muscle Shoals by Terry Woodford and Clayton Ivey.

After being discovered by Berry Gordy, the Commodores went on to sell more than 60 million records for Motown.

The group scored with hits such as "I Feel Sanctified," "Slippery When Wet," "Fancy 

Dancer," "Just To Be Close To You," "Sweet Love," "Easy," "Three Times A Lady," "Sail On" and "Still." The hit recordings included four Top Five albums, "Commodores," "Commodores Live," "Natural High" and "Midnight Magic."

In 1977 they co-starred in the hit disco movie "Thank God It's Friday" playing themselves.

In 1982 Richie left to pursue a solo career, and since then McClary and LaPread have also left the group. J.D. Nicholas was added to the band and following the hit album "Nightshift," The Commodores left Motown Records and moved to Polygram Records where they released the album "Rock Solid."

For more than three decades, The Commodores have remained a force in the music industry. They are Legends of Motown and Grammy Award Winners. With all the emotion and all the excitement, if you haven't seem them Live, you haven't heard The Commodores!

The Commodores aren't just any group. They have staying power. Just like their hit song "Brick House," the Commodores have created a foundation that just won't budge. After churning out hit after hit in the Motown days, the Commodores still hadn't achieved Grammy recognition. This wasn't to be until 1986, without Lionel Richie, when the Commodores released "Night Shift." 

With hits like "Machine Gun" and "Sail On," the Commodores became proven artists. They proved it then. They proved it again in 1986 with "Night Shift," and now they are ready to prove it again. Unlike many other groups, the Commodores haven't rested on their early hits. Quite the contrary, the Commodores have continued to put out quality work. With the creation of their new label, the Commodores released "Commodores Hits Vol. I," "Commodores Hits Vol. II," "Commodores Christmas," and "Commodores XX - No Tricks."

- from various online resources