Lionel Richie star-struck over Barry Gibb at Silver Clef Awards
Lionel Richie collected the Nordoff Robbins O2 Silver Clef Award in London on Friday (07.01.16) and admitted he felt like a "fan" when his musical hero Barry Gibb presented him with his prize.
The ‘Stuck On You’ singer received the prestigious accolade in recognition for his five-decade spanning career, which has seen him sell over 100 million albums globally both as a member of The Commodores and as a solo star.
Despite being one of the most successful singers in history, Lionel still considers himself to be very lucky to be able to make a living from his "hobby" and still gets star-struck when he sees people like former Bee Gees singer Barry, even though the pair are friends.
Speaking to BANG Showbiz on the special blue carpet at the ceremony held at the Grosvenor House Hotel, Lionel said: "I’m still a kid at heart, I get given awards like this Icon awards and stuff, you know, but the truth of it is this has been my biggest hobby my whole life. When I see Barry Gibb walking down the red carpet, I think, ‘Oh my god, it’s Barry! Wait, I know Barry, what am I saying!’ It’s because I’m still a fan of the business."
Lionel, 67, insisted getting a Silver Clef Award means a lot to him because it’s connected with a charity that is close to his heart because of the work it does.
The Nordoff Robbins O2 Silver Clef Awards have been running for 41 years and as well as honouring the achievements of musicians it also raises funds for the Nordoff Robbins charity which practices creative music therapy for children and people with special needs.
Multi-time Grammy winner Lionel said: "An award like this is the best type in the world because it’s part of a charity, we get to give back, that’s part of the equation. The universe didn’t just give you this talent just to be famous, what are you going to do with it? That’s what I love about this award, is that some kids are going to use music therapy, just as I used it, to pull them back together again, that’s what’s so beautiful about this."
Other winners included Jess Glynne, who won Best Newcomer, Icon Award recipient Jeff Lynne and Craig David, who got the Innovation Award.
Hozier, Olly Murs, Patti Smith and Andre Rieu were also honoured on the day, while One Direction were named the Ticketmaster Best Live Act, however, the boys – Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson and Harry Styles – did not break their hiatus to attend.
The Ticketmaster Best Live Act is the only category at the Silver Clef Awards which is voted for by the public and 1D fans came out in force to help the band fight off competition from Adele, Ed Sheeran, Little Mix and Muse to win with over 60 per cent of the total vote.
