tavis: the grammy winner is out with a new album. he is getting set for an ambitious world tour that takes him through the u.s. and asisi europe and australia. we will celebrate the 50th anniversary of motown. he was part of the tradition as a solo glad you've joined us for a about the u.s. auto industry and edie falco, coming up right now. >> there are so many things

wal-mart is looking forward to helping us doing, like helping you live better. with your help the best is yet to come. >> nationwide insurance proudly supports tavis smiley. tavis and nationwide insurance, working to improve financial litey and the economic empowerment that comes with it. qu>> nationwide is on your side. >> and by contributions to your pbs station by viewers like you. thank you. [captioning made possible by kcet public television] tavis: i am pleased to welcome lionel richie this program. he has a latest project called "just go" and is planning a

major tour that stops on four continents. all this year he will be celebrating motown's 50th anniversary. he contributed so much to that legendary label. including a remarkable run of 13 consecutive top-10 hits as a solo artist. how are you doing? >> every time i came here i feel like i just left yesterday. we have been around a couple of times. >tavis: you never stop moving. >> it is one of the blessings that what has happened are not only are we know here in america, but the rest of the world. by the time we started out in europe and end up in the middle east, and come back around to asia, it has been one year. we travel a lot. tavis: let me ask you to pick

three parts of the world, any place you want to pick and give me a topside for what the differences and how the concerts' are received, the play list, give me a sense of the aesthetic of three different parts of the world. >> let's start with an unusual place. the middle east. tavis: when you play there is like what? >> it is 20,000 people or 30,000 people a night. it is pandemonium. we're talking about -- normally you would think religion or politics, there are factors as to why you would not go there or why they would not allow an artist to play. tavis: i would think the audience would be reserved. >> here is my opening line after three songs in. "is this detroit?" because the act like this is downtown detroit.

the know every word. whatever you expect as far as reserved, it is just like the sea. i am planning detroit or dc or anything you would think of other than the middle east. >tavis: that is the middle east. give me another place. >> england. it is karaoke night. no kidding. you have no idea. any part of britain, manchester, you name it. they now every word -- know everywhere. i do not have to sing. i say you pass outside my door, because the rest of the show is done by the audience. i'd turn the camera on the audience so they can have their chance to perform. tavis: let me pest -- pick the last spot.

you got back from south africa. tell me about south africa. >> the first thing that got me was the opening line. welcome home. i have never been there. from the time i got off that stage, to the time i got on that plane, to come back, i had tears in my eyes. they know everything about me. they know everything about the commodores and know everything about my family. i am talking about kids from seven to 70. they have friends and students and relatives who have been to tuskegee. it is not just that they know about it. they have connections. they're able to sit down with me and discuss the issues of america. and the issues of tuskegee.

i felt as though a lot that i had to learn. they were putting me in to the rest of my heritage. do you understand? they were there to see me -- what did that kids say to me? easy like sunday morning is your favorite song. how do know this? my family, you are talking to us. that says volumes. i was humbled by the fact that we went to cape town and johannesburg. they kept saying, they may be reserved, yeah, right. that was such a performance. tavis: they were dancing on the ceiling? >> was beautiful was you get things like "stop on you" and i

decided to do -- to let the ladies in the audience be diana ross. you would have thought this was debut number one. they were out of their minds. you get to things. "-- things like "all night long," forget about it. tavis: what is it like to be on stage in places around the world and to see the kind of response to your stuff everywhere? what does that feel like? >> it is humbling. let us take -- where was that that i played, in front of 500,000 people one night.

you walk out on stage and you hear your songs in ways. -- waves. it was unbelievable. every night i walked on stage, you have a million and one artist's you could see. it is their choice. i do not sit up there every day and say you can go see lionel richie. they show up year after year. and when i walk out on stage, just walking out on stage, no song. ok. i have not started. it is tumbling. this is 30 some odd years later. it was only supposed to be to get the girls on the campus of tuskegee. it was not supposed to go any further. tavis: do these songs after all

these years ever take on new meaning for you? you have sung them countless times. >> every time i think i have figured out the song and i say tonight i do not feel like singing. i do not feel to it and then i walked out on stage or take a meet and great. sometimes -- to hear how they have applied these songs to their lives. i have heard people say i was contemplating suicide but your song "all night long" gave me the joy of living. the desire to live or "zoom". jester lyrics. -- just your lyrics. i am trying to think about "brick house" as a lot of things. the sunnis and shiites cannot

agree but they enjoy partying on those songs. you get into belfast and between the catholics and protestants the cannot agree. they have not figured out how to get together but four nights of sold-out and we're going to sing songs. that is -- i have not figured out yet but when i walk on stage, i celebrate the joys of what they're feeling. this is a night they will sing with me. i cannot help but say i am with you. tavis: i believe that in black america, the best that we have been able to produce are our artists. i celebrate artists like you and i think our artists are the best we have given the world. i came to that because it is one thing for the world community, for the rest of the globe to celebrate the unity of our artists.

even at the same time they do not get our politics. you are out on the road and they celebrate you. they are -- you just came back from being on the other side of the world. you were out there when this obama media was kicking up. did you sense -- what was so wonderfu >> if you said america, they were smiling. for the first time in a long time, the world was saying, isn't it exciting? i do not care if i am having an interview in france or germany, it does not matter. it is exexting in america right now and i am thinking what are you talking about? they're talking about politics. i spent eight years -- they never went near it. i never did. you cannot win. iiis a no win. i am sitting there looking at

the excitement that i used to see years ago when people would say i would make it to america. one day i will be in this place to see what this is about. that energy has been renewed. because i cannot do an interview now. i feel like a bomb as rep. i feel like a walk out on stage, i walked out on stage and they started cheering and i said i am not obama. tavis: they cheered louder. >> i am not obama. i can now crack jokes on stage like that and it is universal. tavis: you are on a compilation cd for obama. >> it was one of those wonderful periods, i have been blessed in my life. their few times when you get a chance to do something when it

does not come along every day. "we are the world" or a shot at the oscars. that is something maj. when someone says would you like to do something for obama, "yes we can" and more importantly the president-elect, would like to do something and i said for the first black president of the united states? to be blessed to be alive at this time, do i have a song? i have a song. if i did not, i would find one. i said could i have permission to use his voice and they said absolutely. how many times do you get to have a song and have the president's voice on the record? i wrote the song called " eternity".

there is a place for us for all the world to see, there is a place for all of us wilfor all eternity. we as a people not only just black people but americans, we can call this home. home for everybody. i think what has happened with the obama presidency or his election, he has given everyone a chance to feel like we are together at this wonderful collection of all kinds of cultures. each one of us has a voice. i know for me when i first got involved, writing the lyrics to this song was so easy. it was everything. tavis: like a sunday morning. >> it was easy because you are thinking about your grandparents or about t ur mama or the tuskegee a amen. the time in life when the wind and fought and came home and

they could not vote. imagine from that point. this is my lifetime and doors. here we are watching this man called obama, president elect. where did that come from? tavis: who knew when barry gordy started motown that you would be at this place that would take you through. take me through your memories. >> i am a college guy. to me it wasn't -- college and instructors and i thought about it. here i am a 21-year-old. we're not in detroit. we are in the new motown which is coming to los angeles. i remember my first time in motown studios and there is marvin gay and smokey robinson and s svie wonder walked in the door.

i do not know about any other university but this one had my attention. and more portly, i learned so much. -- more importantly, i learned so much. i felt like i was not able to handle that. this was a serious university. i decided i am still in school, i am an economics major and accounting minor so i decided i would interview them. no one has access. i interviewed martin. a