Tuskegee is the tenth studio album by American singer Lionel Richie, released on March 5, 2012, on Mercury Records. The album consists entirely of reinterpretations of previously released songs by Richie, each performed with a different guest artist. It became Richie's third number-one album on the Billboard 200 and his first since Dancing on the Ceiling in 1986. Tuskegee also became Richie's first album to sell more than a million copies in the United States since Dancing on the Ceiling. The album is named after the Alabama city where Richie was born and later completed his undergraduate degree at Tuskegee Institute.
Singles
"Endless Love" featuring Shania Twain was released as the album's lead single in the United States on February 7, 2012. In Denmark, "Say You, Say Me" featuring Rasmus Seebach was released as the first single on February 22, 2012. Four promotion singles — "Easy" featuring Willie Nelson, "Just for You" featuring Billy Currington, "Stuck on You" featuring Darius Rucker, and "Hello" featuring Jennifer Nettles — were released in advance of the album. Although it was not released as a single, "Deep River Woman" featuring Little Big Town, charted on the BillboardHot Country Songs chart from unsolicited airplay and reached a peak of number 60. It was also the only song from the album to make an appearance on the chart, though the album's lead single, "Endless Love," was a Top 20 hit on the Adult Contemporary chart.
Commercial performance
The album was an unexpected hit. It debuted in the United States at number two on the Billboard 200 behind Madonna's MDNA. Tuskegee sold 199,000 copies in its first week, becoming Lionel Richie's best sales week since Nielsen SoundScan began tracking sales data in 1991. The following week the album sold 95,000 copies and fell two places to number four. In its third week on the chart Tuskegee rose to number one, selling 129,000 copies. It is Richie's third number-one album and his first since Dancing on the Ceiling. Tuskegee was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America on May 3, 2012, for shipments of one million units in the US. As of December 2012, it has sold 1,071,000 copies. In the United Kingdom, the album debuted at number seven on the UK Albums Chart with first-week sales of 19,320 copies. It is Lionel Richie's eleventh top 10 album there. In Canada, the album debuted at number one on the Canadian Albums Chart, selling 18,000 copies.
2012 tour
In support of the album, Lionel Richie announced a 2012 tour starting in Aberdeen and touring throughout Europe. Set list
