Leon Haywood facts for kids

Otha Leon Haywood (born February 11, 1942 – died April 5, 2016) was an American singer, songwriter, and music producer. He was famous for his funk and soul music. His biggest hit song was "I Want'a Do Something Freaky to You" from 1975.

This song has been used by many other artists. For example, Dr. Dre used parts of it in his 1992 hit song "Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang". When a musician uses parts of another song, it's called "sampling".

Career

Early Life and Music

Leon Haywood was born in Houston, Texas. He loved listening to the blues when he was a child. He started playing the piano at just three years old.

As a teenager, he performed with a local music group. He also worked with a blues musician named Guitar Slim. In the early 1960s, Haywood moved to Los Angeles, California. There, he worked with saxophonist Big Jay McNeely.

McNeely helped him record his first song, "Without a Love." This was an instrumental song, meaning it had no singing. After this, Haywood joined Sam Cooke's band as a keyboard player. He stayed with the band until Cooke's death.

Rising to Fame

Haywood then recorded two songs for Fantasy Records. Later, he moved to Imperial Records. In 1965, his song "She's with Her Other Love" became a hit on the R&B music charts.

Haywood also played in two other bands. These were called the Packers and the Romeos. With the Packers, he had a hit song called "Hole in the Wall" in 1965. With the Romeos, he had "Precious Memories" in 1967.

In 1967, Haywood had his first solo hit song. It was called "It's Got to Be Mellow" and was released on Decca Records. He also started his own production company that year. He named it Evejim, after his parents.

Later Career

Leon Haywood continued to record music. He found more success in the 1970s. He changed his musical style to include funk and disco sounds. In 1974, he joined 20th Century Fox Records.

He had several big hits with this label. These included "I Want'a Do Something Freaky to You" (1975), "Strokin' (Pt. II)" (1976), and "Party" (1978). In 1980, his song "Don't Push It Don't Force It" was also very popular. It reached number 12 on the UK music charts.

Haywood wrote and produced the 1981 hit song "She's a Bad Mama Jama" for Carl Carlton. In 1983, he released an album called It's Me Again. His last song to make the R&B charts was "Tenderoni" in 1984.

In the late 1980s, he worked as an executive and producer for Edge Records. He also produced blues albums for other artists. He released these albums on his own Evejim Records label. Leon Haywood passed away peacefully in his sleep on April 5, 2016, at the age of 74.

Discography

Albums

• The Mellow Mellow Leon Haywood (Galaxy, 1964)
• Soul Cargo (Fat Fish, 1966)
• It's Got to Be Mellow (Decca, 1967)
• Back to Stay (20th Century, 1973)
• Keep It in the Family (20th Century, 1974)
• Come and Get Yourself Some (20th Century, 1975)
• Intimate (Columbia, 1976)
• Double My Pleasure (MCA, 1978)
• Energy (MCA, 1979)
• Naturally (20th Century, 1980)
• It's Me Again (Casablanca, 1983)
• Freaky Man (Evejim, 1994)

Singles