As mentioned previously, Lionel Richie's departure from The Commodores in 1982 had the music industry concerned that one of the biggest Motown acts of the 1970s wouldn't survive the change in decades, as Soul Tracks reports. The industry was wrong.
In 1985, after spending some time looking for a new lead singer, according to UDiscoverMusic, the group settled on J.D. Nicholas (per Encyclopedia of Alabama). Their first album with Nicholas behind the microphone was "Nightshift," and its lead single of the same name was a smash hit. The song peaked at number three on both the U.S. and U.K. charts, according to Session Days, and would go on to win a Grammy Award for Best Vocal R&B Performance by a Duo/Group, despite the band's objections to releasing it as a single (per "Spin").
Unfortunately for The Commodores, "Nightshift" would be their last major hit after Lionel Richie, although they continued to perform for the next several decades, including a 2009 appearance in which Richie briefly rejoined them, as CBS News reported.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7qL7Up56eZpOkunB9kHFpbHBmZMGpsYyhoJ2claN6rrHAp6Cnn12Xsqm1zZ1kraCVYrCwucyom6iqlah6r7XGoausoJmbwXA%3D