Leonard Caston Jr. facts for kids

Leonard Caston Jr., born on November 13, 1943, is an American musician. He is known for writing songs, producing music, playing piano, and singing. He worked with famous record companies like Chess and Motown in the 1960s and 1970s. He helped create many hit songs, including "I Had A Talk With My Man" by Mitty Collier, "Nathan Jones" by The Supremes, and "Keep On Truckin'" and "Boogie Down" by Eddie Kendricks.

Early Life and Music Career

Leonard Caston Jr. was born in Chicago. His father, Leonard "Baby Doo" Caston, was also a blues musician. After serving in the US Army, Leonard Jr. joined a singing group called The Radiants in 1964. This group recorded music for the Chess record label.

While at Chess, Caston helped write new words for a gospel song. It became a popular song called "I Had A Talk With My Man" for Mitty Collier. This song became a hit in 1964. Caston left The Radiants in 1965. He then started working as a session musician, songwriter, and producer at Chess. This means he played music for other artists' recordings. He played piano on Fontella Bass' hit song "Rescue Me". He also worked with other singers like Bobby McClure and Laura Lee. In 1967, he returned to work with The Radiants and helped produce their last hit song, "Hold On."

Working at Motown Records

In 1968, Caston left Chess Records and joined Motown Records in Detroit. Motown was a very famous record company. There, he worked with other talented writers and producers. He co-wrote "Nathan Jones" with Kathy Wakefield. The Supremes recorded this song, and it became a top hit in 1971.

Caston then helped bring back the career of Eddie Kendricks, who used to be the lead singer of The Temptations. Caston helped write and produce some of Kendricks' biggest hits. These included "Keep On Truckin'" and "Boogie Down". Both of these songs reached number one on the R&B music charts in 1973 and 1974. He also worked on several of Kendricks' later albums. Other famous artists like the Four Tops, Stevie Wonder, and the Jackson 5 recorded songs that Caston wrote. In 1975, he was nominated for a Grammy award, which is a big honor in music.

While at Motown, Caston met singer Carolyn Majors. They later got married and formed a singing duo called Caston & Majors. In 1974, they released an album together. One song from their album, "I'll Keep My Light In My Window," became very popular. Many artists, including Diana Ross and Marvin Gaye, later recorded it. Caston & Majors left Motown in 1977. In 1979, he also helped write and produce two songs for Minnie Riperton's last album.

Gospel Music and Later Years

Later, Leonard Caston Jr. and Carolyn Majors moved to California. They worked as pastors at a church in the Los Angeles area. In 1999, they moved to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. There, Caston became the Minister of Music at the Dayspring Ministries church. He also started his own music company called My-Lyn Music.

Caston continued to achieve success in his music career. In 2002, he won a Billboard BMI Urban Music Award. In 2004, he helped produce an album for Australian singer Kate Ceberano. He also produced an album for gospel singer Dana Fields in 2008.