Willie Hutch(1944-2005)

Extremely talented, versatile and ambitious R&B singer, songwriter, guitarist and producer Willie Hutch was born as Willie McKinley Hutchison on December 6, 1944 in Los Angeles. Willie grew up in Dallas, Texas and sang in the doo-wop group the Ambassadors as a teenager. Following graduation from Booker T. Washington High School, Hutch served for two years in the U.S. Marines. He first caught the attention of the music industry with the recording of his 1964 debut single "Love Has Put Me Down." He wrote several songs for the popular soul group the Fifth Dimension and penned the hit song "I'll Be There" for the Jackson 5. Moreover, Willie co-arranged the vocals on the Jackson 5 songs "Got To Be There" and "Never Can Say Goodbye." Hutch produced Smokey Robinson's first album without the Miracles. He recorded a slew of his own albums on the Motown label which include "The Mark of the Beast," "Concert in Blues," "Color Her Sunshine," and "Havin' a House Party." Willie wrote the song "Keep the Fire Burning" for Gwen McCrae. He collaborated with legendary Motown producer/songwriter Berry Gordy on "What Have We Got to Lose," which was a duet between Arethra Franklin and the Four Tops; the song/production "Hello Detroit" for Sammy Davis, Jr., and the soundtrack album for the immensely enjoyable martial arts action picture "The Last Dragon," which features Hutch's rousing song "The Glow." Willie also worked as either a producer and/or songwriter for such artists as Marvin Gaye, Diana Ross, and Junior Walker. Hutch composed the lowdown funky scores for the excellent blaxploitation cult favorites "The Mack" and "Foxy Brown." Willie continued to produce for Motown up until the mid 90s and still recorded solo albums up until 2002. His songs are featured on the soundtracks for such movies as "Hustle & Flow," "Four Brothers," and "The Ladies Man." Willie Hutch died at age 60 on September 19, 2005.