James Anthony Carmichael produced and arranged the hits of the Commodores as well as those of the group's former lead singer and principal songwriter Lionel Richie, including his ten-million-selling LP Can't Slow Down. Besides being involved with their number one million-selling hits for Motown Records, Carmichael also played piano on Bettye Swann's 1967 number one R&B hit Make Me Yours. Carmichael shouldn't be confused with James Carmichael, lead singer on Instant Funk's gold 1979 single I Got My Mind Made Up.

Carmichael and Richie co-produced Missing You for Diana Ross. The sweet ballad stayed at number one on the R&B charts for three weeks and went to number ten pop on Billboard's charts in early 1985. The Richie-composed song was a tribute to Marvin Gaye who was killed April 1984; the song's music video featured footage of the legendary Motown artist.

The Commodores were quick to credit Carmichael, along with engineer Cal Harris, for having a crucial role in their success. After seeing Carmichael work with the Jackson 5 and other artists on Motown, the group approached him about producing them.

The group appeared in the Motown/Casablanca (Records) Film Works movie #Thank God Its Friday. Asked at the spur of the moment to come up with a song for the movie soundtrack, the group hastily wrote and recorded the funky Too Hot to Trot then went back on tour. The track, with lead vocals by group member Walter Orange, went to number one R&B in early 1978.

Other hits for Carmichael/Commodores were Slippery When Its Wet (number one R&B, summer 1975), Motown's first big success with a funk/pop band; This Is Your Life (number 13 R&B, fall 1975); Sweet Love (number two R&B for two weeks, number five Pop, early 1976); the gentle, airy ballad Just to Be Close to You, which settled into the number one R&B spot for two weeks, number seven pop, fall 1976; the gritty Fancy Dancer (number nine R&B); Easy (number one R&B, number four pop, summer 1977); and Brickhouse (number four R&B, number five pop, fall 1977).

The Commodores surprised many when their lovely ballad Three Times a Lady held the number one R&B spot and number one pop position for two weeks in summer 1978 during disco music's zenith. The tender Still went to number one R&B/pop in fall 1979. The last charting Commodores single with a Lionel Richie lead vocal was Why You Wanna Try Me in early 1982.

Richie left the Commodores and along with Carmichael began an astounding five-year chart run: Truly went gold and held number two R&B for nine weeks, number one pop for two weeks in fall 1982; You Are went to number two R&B for three weeks, number four pop, early 1983; and My Love went to number six R&B, number five pop in spring 1983. The Caribbean-flavored All Night Long (All Night) with Carmichael heard in the background went gold and parked at number one R&B for seven weeks, number one pop for four weeks in fall 1983; Running With the Night went to number six R&B, number seven pop in fall 1983; the melancholy Hello went gold, holding the number one R&B position for three weeks, number one pop for two weeksin early 1984; Stuck on You went to number eight R&B, number three pop in summer 1984; Penny Lover went to number eight R&B, number eight pop in fall 1984 -- from his ten-million-selling album Can't Slow Down, which won a 1984 Grammy for Album of the Year; the lovely Say You, Say Me went gold and was included in the Gregory Hines/Mikhail Baryshnikov movie #White Nights; Dancing on the Ceiling went to number six R&B, number two pop for two weeks in summer 1986; the uplifting Love Will Conquer All went to number two R&B for two weeks, number nine pop in fall 1986; and Ballerina Girl went to number five R&B, number seven pop in late 1986. Carmichael also did arrangements on the Temptations' Happy People, which featured backing tracks by the Commodores, and Glasshouse. ~ Ed Hogan, Rovi