Willie Hutch
Background information
Birth nameWilliam McKinley Hutchison
Born(1944-12-06)December 6, 1944
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
OriginDallas, Texas, U.S.
DiedSeptember 19, 2005(2005-09-19) (aged 60)
Dallas, Texas, U.S.
Genres
Occupation(s)Singer, musician, recording artist, producer, songwriter
Instrument(s)Vocals, guitar
Years active1969–2005
LabelsRCA, Motown, Whitfield

William McKinley Hutchison (December 6, 1944 – September 19, 2005),[1] better known as Willie Hutch, was an American singer, songwriter as well as a record producer and recording artist for the Motown record label during the 1970s and 1980s.[2]

Biography

Born in 1944 in Los Angeles, Hutch was raised in Dallas, Texas. He joined the high school choral group, The Ambassadors, as a teenager. After graduating from Booker T. Washington High School in 1962, he shortened his surname when he started his music career in 1964 on the Soul City label[3] with the song "Love Has Put Me Down".

After his move to Los Angeles, his music came to the attention of the mentor for pop/soul quintet The 5th Dimension, and Hutch was soon writing, producing, and arranging songs for the group. In 1969, he signed with RCA Records and put out two albums before he was asked by Motown producer Hal Davis to write lyrics to "I'll Be There", a song he wrote for The Jackson 5. The song was recorded by the group the morning after Hutch received the call.[3] Motown CEO Berry Gordy signed Hutch to be a staff writer, arranger, producer, and musician shortly thereafter.

Hutch later co-wrote songs that were recorded by the Jackson 5 and their front man Michael Jackson, Smokey Robinson, the Miracles, and Marvin Gaye.[2] In 1973, Hutch started recording albums for Motown, releasing the Fully Exposed album that year. That same year, Hutch recorded and produced the soundtrack to the Blaxploitation film, The Mack. Hutch had several R&B hits during this period, including "Brother's Gonna Work It Out" and "Slick". He also recorded the soundtrack for the 1974 film Foxy Brown.[2] He recorded at least six albums for Motown, peaking with 1975's single "Love Power", which reached number 41 on the Billboard Hot 100. He left Motown in 1977 for Norman Whitfield's Whitfield Records.

Hutch returned to Motown in 1982, where he scored the disco hit, "In and Out", that same year and also recorded a couple of songs – "The Glow" and "Inside You" – for the 1985 film The Last Dragon. He had a club hit with the song "Keep on Jammin'" as well. Hutch left Motown again by the end of the decade and by 1994 had moved back to Dallas.

He died in Dallas, Texas on September 19, 2005, aged 60. No cause was given when he died.[1] He was the uncle of Cold 187um of the rap group Above the Law.[1] His manager, Anthony Voyce, said of Hutch: "I've never met a more generous and caring person."[1]

Discography

Studio albums

Year Album Chart positions Label
US Pop
[4]		 US R&B
[4]
1969 Soul Portrait — — RCA
1970 Season for Love — —
1973 Fully Exposed 183 15 Motown
The Mack (soundtrack) 114 17
1974 Foxy Brown (soundtrack) 179 36
Mark of the Beast — 41
1975 Ode to My Lady 150 24
1976 Color Her Sunshine — 54
Concert in Blues 163 22
1977 Havin' a House Party — 26
1978 In Tune — 63 Whitfield
1979 Midnight Dancer — —
1985 Making a Game Out of Love — — Motown
1994 From the Heart — — Omni Records
1996 The Mack Is Back — — Midwest Records
2002 Sexalicious — — GG.it Records
"—" denotes releases that did not chart.

Compilation albums

  • In and Out (1983)
  • Try It You'll Like It (The Best of Willie Hutch) (2003)

Singles

Year Single Peak chart positions
US Pop
[4]		 US R&B
[4]		 US Dance
[4]		 UK
[5][6]
1973 "Brother's Gonna Work It Out" 67 18 ― ―
"Slick" 65 18 ― ―
"Sunshine Lady" ― 72 ― ―
"If You Ain't Got No Money (You Can't Get No Honey)" ― 70 ― ―
1974 "Theme of Foxy Brown" ― 64 ― ―
1975 "Get Ready for the Get Down" ― 24 ― ―
"Love Power" 41 8 ― ―
1976 "Let Me Be the One, Baby" ― 95 ― ―
"Party Down" ― 19 ― ―
"Shake It, Shake It" ― 60 ― ―
1977 "We Gonna Party Tonight" ― 49 ― ―
"What You Gonna Do After the Party" ― 40 ― ―
1978 "All American Funkathon" ― 62 ― ―
"Paradise" ― 74 ― ―
1982 "In and Out" ― 55 29 51
1985 "Keep on Jammin'" ― ― ― 73
1985 "The Glow'" ― ― ― ―
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Cartwright, Garth (October 4, 2005). "Willie Hutch". The Guardian. London, UK. Retrieved March 25, 2009.
  2. 1 2 3 Prato, Greg. "Willie Hutch Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved March 28, 2018.
  3. 1 2 "Willie Hutch: His Career in Pictures". Soulwalking.co.uk. Retrieved August 8, 2009.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 "Willie Hutch - Awards". AllMusic. Archived from the original on December 19, 2012. Retrieved March 6, 2022.
  5. ↑ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 264. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  6. ↑ "WILLIE HUTCH - full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 6, 2022.
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