William Lawrence Mitchell (March 1, 1928 – January 5, 2010) trumpeter, bandleader, soul, R&B, rock and roll

Willie Mitchell

Multistrumentista, bandleader, compositore, arrangiatore e produttore, Willie Mitchell (n. 1928, USA) forma nella prima metà dei '50 il Willie Mitchell Combo. Il gruppo diventa nel 1960 la band stabile dell'etichetta Home Of The Blues; tra i membri, il fratello del leader, James, e il batterista Al Jackson jr., poi con Booker T. & The MG'S. Nel 1961 Mitchell firma per Hi di Memphis e nel 1964 ottiene un buon successo con il 45 giri 20-75; altro hit nel 1968 con Soul Serenade. Fra questo e quello alcuni buoni LP strumentali, con una struttura ritmica che non ha niente da invidiare a quella di casa Stax. Nei '70 la grande rivale di Memphis entrerà in crisi fino alla bancarotta mentre Mitchell continuerà la sua carriera e farà conoscere una seconda giovinezza al soul sudista suonando, componendo e producendo dischi per Al Green, Ann Peebles, Syl Johnson, Otis Clay, O.V. Wright.

 

Trade ad for Willie Mitchell's album "It's What's Happenin". To better adapt it to his respective Wikipedia article, the ad was cropped and cleaned in a graphics editing program. The original can be viewed at the source below.

Hi Records - Billboard, page 21, 3 September 1966

illiam Lawrence Mitchell (March 1, 1928 – January 5, 2010) was an American trumpeter, bandleader, soul, R&B, rock and roll, pop and funk record producer and arranger who ran Royal Studios in Memphis, Tennessee. He was best known for his Hi Records label of the 1970s, which released albums by a large stable of popular Memphis soul artists, including Mitchell himself, Al Green, O. V. Wright, Syl Johnson, Ann Peebles and Quiet Elegance.  

Biography

Born and raised in Ashland, Mississippi, Mitchell moved to Memphis when he was in high school. He attended Rust College. At the age of eight, he began to play the trumpet. While in high school, he was a featured player in popular local big bands. He later formed his own combo, which from time to time included musicians such as trumpeter Booker Little, saxophonists Charles Lloyd, and George Coleman, and pianist Phineas Newborn, Jr.
Mitchell landed a job with the Home of the Blues record label as a producer, then left to join Hi Records as both a recording artist and a producer.
Known at the recording studio as "Papa Willie", Mitchell earned his nickname by taking over the reins of Hi Records in 1970 and guiding it through its most successful period. Mitchell's productions have been much noted for featuring a hard-hitting bass drum sound (usually played by pioneering Memphis drummer Al Jackson, Jr. of Booker T. & the M.G.'s).^{[citation needed]}
A trumpeter and bandleader in his own right, Mitchell released a number of popular singles for Hi Records as an artist in the 1960s, including "Soul Serenade." It peaked at #43 in the UK Singles Chart in April 1968.
Through the 1980s Mitchell ran his own independent record label, Waylo Records. Acts on the label included Billy Always and Lynn White.
In 1987 Joyce Cobb recorded several singles for Waylo, one of which made it to No. 3 on the British R&B charts: "Another Lonely Night (Without You)".
He and Al Green revived their successful recording partnership in 2003 when Green recorded I Can't Stop, his first collaboration with Mitchell since 1985's He is the Light. Their 2005 follow-up project was Everything's OK.
Mitchell died in Memphis on January 5, 2010, from a cardiac arrest.
His final work was producing the final Solomon Burke studio album, Nothing's Impossibile, released in June 2010.

Discography

• 1963: Sunrise Serenade
• 1964: 20-75
• 1965: It's Dance Time
• 1966: It's What's Happenin
• 1967: Ooh Baby, You Turn Me On
• 1967: The Hit Sound of Willie Mitchell
• 1968: Willie Mitchell Live at the Royal
• 1968: Soul Serenade"
• 1969: On Top
• 1969: Solid Soul
• 1969: Soul Bag
• 1970: Robbin's Nest
• 1970: The Many Moods of Willie Mitchell
• 1971: Hold It
• 1971: Listen Dance
• 1977: Willie Mitchell Live
• 1981: Willie Willie Willie
• 1986: That Driving Beat
• 2001: Poppa Willie The Hi Years / 1962-74
• 2003: Walkin' With Willie
• 2008: Best Damn Fool (with Buddy Guy)

Singles

Year	Title	Chart positions
		US	US R&B	CAN	UK
1964	"20-75"	31	32	32	—
	"Percolatin'"	85	—	—	—
1965	"Buster Browne"	96	29	—	—
	"Everything Is Gonna Be Alright"	126	—	—	—
1966	"Bad Eye"	92	23	—	—
	"Mercy"	127	—	—	—
1967	"Slippin' and Slidin'"	96	—	—	—
1968	"Soul Serenade"A	23	10	21	43
	"Prayer Meetin'"	45	23	79	—
	"Up-Hard"	91	—	—	—
1969	"30-60-90"	69	31	90	—
	"Young People"	120	—	—	—
	"My Babe"	115	37	—	—
1976	"The Champion"	—	—	—	47

• ^A"Soul Serenade" peaked at #32 on Billboard Adult Contemporary charts

 

willie mitchell ...20-75 - YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GuDzzh-Tvg

Artist: Willie Mitchell

Genre: Jazz

 

Willie Mitchell "Groovin'" - YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svIMbKNyypo

Lyrics

Groovin', on a Sunday afternoon
Really couldn't get away too soon

I can't imagine anything that's better
The world is ours whenever we're together
There ain't a place I'd like to be instead of

Groovin', down a crowded avenue
Doin' anything we like to do

There's always lots of things that we can see
We can be anyone we want to be
And all those happy people we could meet just

Groovin', on a Sunday afternoon
Really couldn't get away too soon

Ah-ha-ha
Ah-ha-ha
Ah-ha-ha

We'll keep on spending sunny days this way
We're gonna talk and laugh our time away
I feel it comin' closer day by day
Life would be ecstasy, you and me endlessly

Groovin', on a Sunday afternoon
Really couldn't get away too soon

Ah-ha-ha
Ah-ha-ha
Ah-ha-ha

Songwriters: Teddy Mcrae / Frank X. Brown / R. I. Onan

Groovin' lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

Artist: Willie Mitchell

Genre: R&B/Soul

 

Willie Mitchell - Soul Serenade - YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZN10KhuKec

 

 

Willie Mitchell - That Driving Beat - YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdliK6IwsYU

 

 

Lyrics

I dont want no part of your love factory
I aint no machine baby, im a human being
I dont want no part of your love factory
I aint no machine baby, im a human being

you want to put me on your??
super duper doll
just come around and see me when you get the time

dont you baby
Im just one of your precious toys
that you play with till its destroyed
I cant adjust to your way of life
you want a different woman every night

theres no room for me in your heart
you have love affairs like??

I dont want that kind of love baby
I dont need that kind of love
I aint no machine touch me
im a human being

you push a button show me the moves
yes you do now
you want to use me like a carpenter uses his tools
like a man on a 8 hour job
love is a routine you know my heart

I dont want that type of affection
I dont need that kind of rejection
theres no room for me in your heart
you have love affairs like??

I dont want that kind of love
i dont need that kind of love
I aint nobodies machine touch me
im a human being

oh no
i dont want no part of your love factory
i aint no machine baby
im a human being
i dont want no part

Songwriters: Willie Mitchell

That Driving Beat lyrics © Jec Publishing Corp., Rondor Music (London) Ltd.

Artist: Willie Mitchell

Genre: R&B/Soul

 

 

 

 

WILLIE MITCHELL Take Five 60s Rare Soul Instr. - YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0RsSdsPhw_k

Artist: Willie Mitchell

Genre: R&B/Soul