Died On This Date (February 23, 2017) Leon Ware / Successful R&B Songwriter & Producer

Leon Ware
February 16, 1940 – February 23, 2017

Photo by David Corio. Source: rollingstone.com

Leon Ware was an American singer, songwriter and producer who was celebrated for the many hits he crafted for others.  Born in Detroit, Ware began writing professionally in 1967.  Later that year, the first recording note of a song he co-wrote was released; “Got To Have You Back,” by the Isley Brothers.  A couple of years later, he hooked up with Ike & Tina Turner to co-write six songs on their album,  Nuff Said.  What followed was nearly four decades of hit songs for the likes of Michael Jackson, Minnie Riperton, Quincy Jones, and Marvin Gaye.  In Gaye’s case, every song on his I Want You album was penned or co-penned by Ware who also produced the landmark album. It sold over a million copies and is considered a must-have for any album collection.  Ware also recorded nearly a dozen albums of his own, the most successful being 1979’s Inside Is Love, and the most recent, 2008’s Moon Ride.  Leon Ware was 77 when he died of prostate cancer on February 23, 2017.

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Died On This Date (February 4, 2016) Maurice White / Founder of Earth, Wind & Fire

Maurice White
December 19, 1941 – February 4, 2016

Maurice-WhiteMaurice White was the founder and co-lead singer of the highly influential R&B band, Earth, Wind & Fire.  Formed in Chicago in 1969, the band went on to sell over 100 million albums, making them one of the most successful bands of the 20th century.  For over four decades, the group dazzled audiences around the world thanks in part to their dynamic horn section and energetic live shows.  White was born in Memphis, Tennessee and gravitated toward music at an early age along with childhood friend, Booker T Jones.  As a teenager, White moved to Chicago where he found work as a session drummer for the legendary label, Chess Records.  He played on numerous records by the likes of Etta James, Muddy Waters, the Impressions, and Buddy Guy.   In 1966, he joined Ramsey Lewis Trio with whom he recorded nine albums and received his first Grammy for the single, “Hold It Right There.”  Three years later, he formed Earth, Wind & Fire and went on to produce most of the their albums.  In all, the group earned six Grammys along with countless other awards and accolades.  During the ’80s, White was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. Due to that, he ultimately retired from touring in 1994, but continued to oversee the band’s business side while producing their records and those by others.   His most notable successes outside of Earth, Wind & Fire were releases by the Emotions and Deniece Williams.   The stunning list of other collaborators includes Barbra Streisand, Weather Report, Neil Diamond, and Minnie Riperton.  Maurice White was 74 when he passed away on February 4, 2016.  Cause of death was not immediately released but likely attributed to his long battle with Parkinson’s.

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Died On This Date (May 3, 2011) Odell Brown / Jazz Musician; Wrote Marvin Gaye’s “Sexual Healing”

Odell Brown Jr.
1938 – May 3, 2011

Odell Brown was a jazz organist who is best remembered for penning the Marvin Gaye hit, “Sexual Healing.”  Brown was just 4 years old when he began playing the keyboards – mostly old classical pieces – until he found his groove with jazz.  By the mid ’60s, he had settled in Chicago where he formed Odell Brown & the Organizers which was touted by no less than Billboard magazine as the Best New Group in 1966.  He built a sizable following during the late ’60s and early ’70s for his live performances at which he played what could be classified as soul-jazz or jazz-funk.   One such audience member was Gaye who couldn’t get one of his numbers out of his head, so he put some words to it, and “Sexual Healing” was born.  Released in 1982, the single was a Top 5 hit around the world and has since been covered by the likes of Michael Bolton, Phish, Soul Asylum, and Sarah Connor.  Sadly however, Brown was bottoming out at the time – he watched his song win a Grammy at a Skid Row bar in Los Angeles.   He eventually got his life and career back on track and moved to the Minneapolis area where he continued to record and perform.  Over the course of his career, Brown worked with Johnny Nash, Minnie Riperton, and Curtis Mayfield.  Odell Brown was 70 when he passed away on May 3, 2011.  Cause of death was not immediately released.

Died On This Date (July 12, 1979) Minnie Riperton / R&B Great

Minnie Riperton
November 8, 1947 – July 12, 1979

Minnie Riperton was the five-octave voice behind one of soul music’s greatest ballads, “Loving You.”   After studying music as a child, Riperton began her career while still in high school when she joined a Chicago group, the Gems, who then signed to Chess and released a few records.  At around this time, Riperton was also singing back up on recordings by the likes of Etta James and Fontella Bass.  After graduating, Riperton got a job as a receptionist at Chess who subsequently signed her to a solo contract, but under the name, Andrea Davis.   Later fronting a soul band called the Rotary Connection, Riperton met her future husband, composer Richard Rudolph.  They would later have a daughter, Maya Rudolph, a future actress and cast member of Saturday Night Live.  After a few years fronting Rotary Connection, Riperton and Rudolph took some time off and later moved to Los Angeles where they hooked up with Stevie Wonder who co-produced Riperton’s breakthrough album, 1974’s Perfect Angel which included the world wide smash hit, “Loving You.”   But within two years, Riperton was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent a mastectomy which couldn’t stop the spread of the disease.  Even with her health failing, Riperton continued to work up until recording what would be her final album, 1979’s Minnie.  She died of cancer later that year at the age of 31.

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Perfect Angel - Minnie Riperton