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Author Topic: Willie Hutch Productions  (Read 5227 times)

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Willie Hutch Productions
« on: June 24, 2020, 06:18:08 am »
I rate Willie Hutch as one of Motown's best Seventies producers. He gave us Smokey's fabulous debut album, including the wonderful JUST MY SOUL RESPONDING. He also did great work with Sisters Love and G C Cameron.

I didn't know, until I looked him up on Discogs, that he wrote and co-produced this post-Motown track for Kim Weston. I don't think I knew of this one before:-



SWI
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Re: Willie Hutch Productions
« Reply #1 on: June 24, 2020, 06:34:09 am »
I honestly don't remember this one:-



It came out on MoWest in January 1973. Who is the lead singer?

SWI
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Re: Willie Hutch Productions
« Reply #2 on: June 24, 2020, 07:01:28 am »
Willie Hutch always seems like a man of mystery to me, especially his pre-Motown work.

For the past two decades I've been convinced that he is the lead singer on this track by Los Angeles vocal group The Marvellos (not to be confused with the group who did "I Do") ...



"Why Do You Want To Hurt The One Who Loves You" was written and produced by Willie Hutchinson, but I've yet to see any mention of him being a group member in anything I've read about him.  Conversely Discogs have him as also recording as Richard Temple/J Conwell which would have him as the singer who sang "That Beating Rhythm", yet to me it doesn't sound like our Willie at all!



Roger
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Re: Willie Hutch Productions
« Reply #3 on: June 24, 2020, 07:07:31 am »
He did a.lot of stuff in LA and some great NS tunes have him involved. But I've never heard him mentioned as Jimmy Conwell. Surely wrong.

I am a fan of his first 4/5 albums.
But I feel he lost it later...too much "get down.shake your booty" stuff..all sounded the same to me.
But earliet lps had some lovely tunes.
Will try find some when at my pc .
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Re: Willie Hutch Productions
« Reply #4 on: June 24, 2020, 08:05:58 am »
Uh Oh - according to Graham Betts' masterful Motown Encyclopedia, the Commodores track I highlighted above was NOT produced by Willie Hutch but the B-side, DETERMINATION, was. Sorry about that.

For sure, Jimmy Conwell and Richard Temple are NOT Williae Hutch.

I have got a double CD, THE BEST OF LOMA RECORDS, with these tracks by the Marvellos:-

SOMETHING'S BURNIN' - composed by Marc Gordon & Willie, produced by Marc Gordon
WE GO TOGETHER - composed by Willie, produced by Marc Gordon
WHY DO YOU WANT TO HURT THE ONE THAT LOVES YOU - composed by Willie, produced by Marc Gordon & Willie
YOU'RE SUCH A SWEET THING - composed by Willie, produced by Marc Gordon & Willie
DON'T PLAY WITH MY HEART - composed by Willie, produced by Marc Gordon & Willie

Sadly, Leo Sacks' liner notes don't say anything about the Marvellos and there isn't a picture of the group.

(I did notice, on the CD, a Frank Wilson composition, SOMEBODY (SOMEWHERE) NEEDS YOU by Ike & Tina Turner. It's a Stone Agate Music published tune.)

SWI

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Re: Willie Hutch Productions
« Reply #5 on: June 24, 2020, 08:18:34 am »
Eric
Darrell Banks recorded that track as follow up to "Open the door to your heart".
It's one of my all time favourite 45s.

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Re: Willie Hutch Productions
« Reply #6 on: June 24, 2020, 08:22:08 am »
Quote from: Snakepit on June 24, 2020, 07:07:31 am
He did a.lot of stuff in LA and some great NS tunes have him involved. But I've never heard him mentioned as Jimmy Conwell. Surely wrong.

I am a fan of his first 4/5 albums.
But I feel he lost it later...too much "get down.shake your booty" stuff..all sounded the same to me.
But earliet lps had some lovely tunes.
Will try find some when at my pc .

I have difficulty in believing that was Richard Temple/jimmy Conwell as well Mr Snakepit, maybe some member of Discogs heard a rumour and decided to do a bit of editing?

I quite liked Mr Hutch's "Get Down Shake Your Booty" stuff, I have one of his late '70s Whitfield LPs which I recall having a few tracks in that vein (not played it in ages), Mr Whitfield himself was producing a lot of similar material on Rose Royce at the time and I think they were both heavily influenced by James Brown who had being doing similarly styled music for ages.

Strangely, around the time that Mr Hutch returned to Motown (late '82) he had some of his songs recorded by Gwen McCrae on Atlantic (the tracks were produced by Webster Lewis), two of them were released as British singles … the first was "Keep The Fire Burning" which came close to being a UK hit


The other was "Doing It" ….


Roger
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Re: Willie Hutch Productions
« Reply #7 on: June 24, 2020, 08:22:57 am »
Eric thanks for posting the Kim track, it's wonderful.
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Re: Willie Hutch Productions
« Reply #8 on: June 24, 2020, 08:27:30 am »
I'd had enough by the LP "Havin' a house party' came along.


Now regarding Willie, I seem to recall yhat his death was surrounded in mystery...at least initially.
Subsequent biogs etc don't mention anything susicous.
Does anybody remember any of this?
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Re: Willie Hutch Productions
« Reply #9 on: June 24, 2020, 08:38:39 am »
Quote from: Silly Wasnt I on June 24, 2020, 08:05:58 am
Uh Oh - according to Graham Betts' masterful Motown Encyclopedia, the Commodores track I highlighted above was NOT produced by Willie Hutch but the B-side, DETERMINATION, was. Sorry about that.

For sure, Jimmy Conwell and Richard Temple are NOT Williae Hutch.

I have got a double CD, THE BEST OF LOMA RECORDS, with these tracks by the Marvellos:-

SOMETHING'S BURNIN' - composed by Marc Gordon & Willie, produced by Marc Gordon
WE GO TOGETHER - composed by Willie, produced by Marc Gordon
WHY DO YOU WANT TO HURT THE ONE THAT LOVES YOU - composed by Willie, produced by Marc Gordon & Willie
YOU'RE SUCH A SWEET THING - composed by Willie, produced by Marc Gordon & Willie
DON'T PLAY WITH MY HEART - composed by Willie, produced by Marc Gordon & Willie

Sadly, Leo Sacks' liner notes don't say anything about the Marvellos and there isn't a picture of the group.

(I did notice, on the CD, a Frank Wilson composition, SOMEBODY (SOMEWHERE) NEEDS YOU by Ike & Tina Turner. It's a Stone Agate Music published tune.)

SWI

I have that Loma CD too SWI, and it was through hearing those tracks that my "Willie Hutch was the singer in The Marvellos" theory was born.  Maybe I should join Discogs, do a bit of editing, and people can confidently state it as a fact. :)

Real Gone Music issued a CD called "The Complete Loma Singles Volume 1" in 2017 …. https://www.45worlds.com/cdalbum/cd/rgm0606

I've been waiting for the past three years for a Volume 2 two appear, which might clear up the whole Willie Hutch/Marvellos issue but so far without success.

That Ike & Tina Turner version of "Somebody Somewhere" always sounds to me like it uses the same backing track as Larry Laster's Loma recording of "Go For Yourself" …





And Ty Karim's first version of "Lighten Up Baby" ….



Roger

(I had it in my head that the Darrell Banks version also used the same backing but that is obviously not the case)
« Last Edit: June 24, 2020, 08:42:36 am by Roger »
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Re: Willie Hutch Productions
« Reply #10 on: June 24, 2020, 09:06:12 am »
Blimey, Roger, what's the date order for those three singles? Who came first?

I see the Ike & Tina tune is Jobete published, so why aren't the others?

And this is the Willie Hutch produced Commodores B-side:-



Things can get very confusing sometimes!

SWI
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Re: Willie Hutch Productions
« Reply #11 on: June 24, 2020, 09:38:13 am »
SWI ….

Taking the order of issue
Ike & Tina - 1965
Larry Laster - 1966
Ty Karim - 1967

There was also a version of "Lighten Up" by Larry Atkins, using the same backing track yet again, issued on Highland in 1968 which had his version of "Ain't That Love Enough" on the other side (which as mentioned in the "Same Old Song" thread a couple of days back used a backing-track used by Motown for Brenda Holloway's unreleased "Keep On Rolling") …. https://motowntreasures.createaforum.com/bits-pieces/it's-the-same-old-song/

In the words of the prophet … "The more confusing things are the clearer they become".

I think that the publishing rights actually refer to the song lyrics, though it is very much a grey area.

Roger 
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Re: Willie Hutch Productions
« Reply #12 on: June 24, 2020, 10:47:19 am »
I bought vol 1 of Loma singles.
A new thread on SDF indicates that follow up vols in the  Loma series have been cancelled.
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