The Commodores

Commodores, formed at Tuskegee Institute, became Motown stars with seven number one hits and a string of Top Ten singles. Their breakthrough came with "Machine Gun" after catching Motown's eye during a tour with the Jackson 5. Hits like "Just to Be Close to You," "Easy," and the iconic "Brickhouse" solidified their success. Lionel Richie's departure led to J.D. Nicholas joining, and their tribute single "Nightshift" earned them a Grammy. Leaving Motown in 1985, they continued recording with Polydor and remained active into the '90s.