Willie Hutch facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Willie Hutch
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | William McKinley Hutchison |
| Born | December 6, 1944 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Origin | Dallas, Texas, U.S. |
| Died | September 19, 2005 (aged 60) Dallas, Texas, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, musician, recording artist, producer, songwriter |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar |
| Years active | 1969–2005 |
| Labels | RCA, Motown, Whitfield |
| Associated acts | Norman Whitfield |
William McKinley Hutchison (born December 6, 1944 – died September 19, 2005), known as Willie Hutch, was an American singer, songwriter, and music producer. He was famous for his work with the Motown record label in the 1970s and 1980s. Willie Hutch helped create many hit songs for famous artists.
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Willie Hutch: A Music Legend
Willie Hutch was a talented artist who wrote, produced, and sang many popular songs. He was a key part of the Motown sound, which was a very popular style of music.
Early Life and Music Beginnings
Willie Hutch was born in Los Angeles, California, in 1944. He grew up in Dallas, Texas. As a teenager, he joined a high school singing group called The Ambassadors. After finishing high school in 1962, he started his music career. In 1964, he released his first song, "Love Has Put Me Down." He shortened his last name to Hutch for his music career.
Becoming a Motown Star
After moving back to Los Angeles, Willie's music caught the attention of a music mentor. Soon, he was writing and producing songs for a group called The 5th Dimension. In 1969, he signed with RCA Records and released two albums.
A big moment came when a Motown producer asked him to help write the lyrics for "I'll Be There." This song was for The Jackson 5, a super famous group. Willie wrote the lyrics very quickly, and the song became a huge hit! After this success, Berry Gordy, the head of Motown, hired Willie Hutch. He became a full-time writer, arranger, producer, and musician for Motown.
Willie Hutch helped write songs for many other big names. These included Michael Jackson (from The Jackson 5), Smokey Robinson, the Miracles, and Marvin Gaye.
Film Soundtracks and Later Career
In 1973, Willie Hutch started releasing his own albums with Motown. His album Fully Exposed came out that year. He also created the music for the movie The Mack. This movie soundtrack included popular songs like "Brother's Gonna Work It Out" and "Slick." He also made the music for the 1974 film Foxy Brown.
Willie Hutch released several albums with Motown. One of his biggest hits was the song "Love Power" in 1975. It was very popular on the music charts. In 1977, he left Motown to work with another record label.
He returned to Motown in 1982. That year, he had another hit song called "In and Out." He also wrote two songs, "The Glow" and "Inside You," for the 1985 movie The Last Dragon. He had another popular club song called "Keep on Jammin'." Willie Hutch left Motown again later in the 1980s. By 1994, he had moved back to Dallas.
Willie Hutch passed away in Dallas, Texas, on September 19, 2005, when he was 60 years old. He was the uncle of Cold 187um, a member of the rap group Above the Law. His manager, Anthony Voyce, said that Willie Hutch was a very kind and giving person.
