The Commodores began in 1968 at the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. All of the band members were business majors, thus trumpeter William King, guitarist Thomas McClary and vocalist Lionel Richie all decided to form the Mighty Mystics to get girls. When joined by keyboardist Milan Williamsafter, bassist Ronald LaPread and drummer Walter "Clyde" Orange, the group adopted the name the Commodores.

Though Orange was the only music major, all the boys had rich backgrounds in music and found their diversity made them unique. Influenced by pop icons like the Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zepplin and others, the group's initially Sly and the Family Stone sound revolutionized into something avant-garde. Upon moving to New York City, the group met talent agent Benny Ashburn, who would become their manager, and released their debut single in 1970 with Atlantic. Just a year later, they signed with Motown but had trouble releasing their debut album due to their innovative ideals. Machine Gun appeared three years later after years of gaining headlines thanks to their live performances.

Initially the group's songwriting was shared by all, but after two albums together, most of the work was done by Richie. Thanks to Richie's talents, the group created the corporation Commodore Entertainment as Richie's clients grew and his ballads for the group remained at the top of the charts. Yet by the ‘80s the group was falling short of their high standards. One album was a serious disappointment, though it was followed by another that had two Top Ten singles. When longtime manager Ashburn died in 1982, Richie left the group to pursue a solo career. McClary left the next year and was replaced by James Dean "JD" Nicholas, but their next few albums were unsuccessful. Their 1985 album Nightshift marked a comeback but was shadowed by the success of former member Richie thanks to his Grammy winning solo album.