When Richie left the Commodores in 1982 for a solo career , Carmichael went with him . The pair co-produced all Richie 's albums and singles over the next few years , including the albums '' Lionel Richie '' ( 1982 ) , '' Ca n't Slow Down '' ( 1983 ) , and '' Dancing on the Ceiling '' ( 1986 ) . The albums featured another string of hits co-produced by Carmichael , including four US number one records on the pop charts - " Truly " , " All Night Long ( All Night ) " , " Hello " , and " Say You , Say Me " . When Richie won his first American Music Award in 1984 , he made a point of thanking Carmichael for his involvement . The song " All Night Long " was nominated for several Grammy awards , and Carmichael and Richie jointly won Grammies in 1984 for the album '' Ca n't Slow Down '' and as producers ( non-classical ) of the year . Richie credited Carmichael with giving him the inspiration to write the song " Hello " , saying that Carmichael had come to his house : As he turned the corner to come into the room , I turned to him and said : ' Hello , is it me you 're looking for ? ' He said : ' Finish that song . ' ... . I kept saying to him , ' You got ta be kidding me , right ? I was just joking . ' He said , ' No no , that 's incredible . Give me a verse to that . ' So I actually went in writing this song not liking the song , thinking that it was corny . I mean , this is REALLY corny . This is not going to do well . Then by the time I finished the verse , I fell in love with the song again . Carmichael also produced Atlantic Starr 's albums '' Radiant '' ( 1981 ) , '' Brilliance '' ( 1982 ) , and '' Yours Forever '' ( 1983 ) . He contributed to Kenny Rogers ' album '' We 've Got Tonight '' , and he and Richie co-produced Diana Ross ' 1985 hit " Missing You " , a tribute to Marvin Gaye . Carmichael also worked with the remaining Commodores on the group 's 1986 album '' United '' . He returned to working with Lionel Richie on the 1996 album '' Louder Than Words '' , and on Richie 's 1998 album '' Time ''
Grammies in 1984
27th Annual Grammy Awards
James Anthony Carmichael