the records for most receptions (1,549), most re-
ceiving yards (22,895), most touchdown receptions
(198), most yards from scrimmage (23,540), and
most rushing/receiving touchdowns (208). Experts
believe many of these records will never be broken.
Subsequent Events In 1994, Rice and the 49ers
were Super Bowl champions again. In 2001, he left
the 49ers for the Oakland Raiders, and in 2002 he
returned to the Super Bowl; although the team lost,
Rice became the first player to catch touchdown
passes in four Super Bowls. He played with the
Raiders until 2004, went to the Seattle Seahawks for
a year, had a brief stay with the Denver Broncos, and
retired in 2005. In 2006, he signed a one-day con-
tract to end his career as a 49er.
Further Reading
Dickey, Glenn. Sports Great Jerr y Rice.New York:
Enslow, 1993.
Rice, Jerry, and Brian Curtis.Go Long! My Journey Be-
yond the Game and the Fame. New York: Ballantine
Books, 2007.
Rice, Jerry, and Michael Silver.Rice. New York: St.
Martin’s Press, 1996.
Stewart, Mark.Jerr y Rice. New York: Children’s Press,
1996.
David W. Madden
See also African Americans; Football; Sports.
Richie, Lionel
Identification American singer and songwriter
Born June 20, 1949; Tuskegee, Alabama
Richie was the most influential songwriter and singer of the
romantic ballad in the 1980’s.
Lionel Richie achieved international success during
the 1970’s as a lead vocalist, saxophone player, and
songwriter for the band the Commodores. The 1978
single “Three Times a Lady,” which Richie com-
posed, reached platinum status by selling more than
one million copies, highlighted the artist’s song-
writing talents, and put him on the path to a very suc-
cessful solo career during the 1980’s.
In 1980, Richie wrote and produced the song
“Lady” for Kenny Rogers and the following year
wrote, produced, and recorded the duet “Endless
Love” with Diana Ross for the film of the same name,
starring Brooke Shields. In 1982, under the Motown
label, Richie produced his first solo album,Lionel
Richie. From that album, the ballad “Truly” topped
the pop charts and marked the beginning of a suc-
cessful solo career. Two other hit songs from the al-
bum were the ballads “You Are” and “My Love.”
Richie’s second album,Can’t Slow Down(1983), sold
more than eight million copies and included the
dance hit “All Night Long” as well as the hit songs
“Hello,” “Stuck on You,” and “Penny Lover.”
In 1985, Richie and Michael Jackson cowrote the
single “We Are the World” to help raise money for
famine relief in Africa. Produced by Quincy Jones,
the song was recorded on January 28, 1985, at the
A&M Recording Studios in Hollywood, California.
Forty-five musicians participated in the project—
known as United Support of Artists for Africa (USA
for Africa)—including Kenny Rogers, Billy Joel, Bob
Dylan, and Bruce Springsteen. The song debuted on
March 7, and on April 5 more than five thousand ra-
dio stations played the song simultaneously. In total,
the single sold more than 7.5 million copies, raisedThe Eighties in America Richie, Lionel 827
Lionel Richie.(Paul Natkin)