"Shining Star" is a popular song written by the American songwriters and music producers Leo Graham and Paul Richmond. The song was recorded in 1980 by popular American R&B vocal group The Manhattans and released the same year on the album After Midnight. "Shining Star" was released as a single in 1980 and peaked at number 4 on the US Billboard R&B chart, and number 5 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. The song was most successful in New Zealand, where it reached position number 2; the same position that it also reached in the Black Oriented Singles of the Record World magazine in the USA. Although it did not reach the number-one on any chart, "Shining Star" was The Manhattans's highest charting hit since the worldwide hit "Kiss and Say Goodbye" released in 1976.