Willie Mitchell - Willie Willie Willie '1981 [2000]

Tracks list

Best known as the man who signed Al Green to Hi Records and as the producer of
Greens most popular records, Willie Mitchell had a successful recording career
of his own during the mid-60s before meeting Green. Born on March 23, 1928 in
Ashland, Mississippi, Mitchell was raised in Memphis and began studying music
and arranging at an early age, taking up the trumpet at the age of eight and
learning from pianist Ozie Horn (as well as drawing from such influences as Roy
Eldridge and Harry James). After he was discharged from the Army in 1954,
Mitchell moved back to Memphis, where he soon became a popular, local
trumpet-playing bandleader – Elvis Presley hired the big band to play
several private parties. By 1959, Mitchell had turned his attention to studio
work and signed on with Hi Records; he is often credited as being the creator of
the oft-copied and instantly recognizable Hi sound (churning organ fills, sturdy
horn arrangements, a steady 4/4 drumbeat, etc.).

Throughout the 60s, Mitchell became a popular concert attraction on U.S. college
campuses and he scored several moderately successful soul/dance hit singles,
issuing a steady stream of solo releases for the Hi label, including such titles
as Sunrise Serenade, Its Dance Time, Its Whats Happenin, Hit Sound of Willie
Mitchell, Ooh Baby, You Turn Me On, Willie Mitchell Live at the Royal, Solid
Soul, On Top, and Willie Mitchells Driving Beat. (The latter was reissued by Fat
Possum Records in 2017.) When the founder of Hi Records, Joe Cuoghi, died in
1970, Mitchell suddenly found himself in charge of the label. What could have
been a turbulent transition turned out to be a smooth one: a year before Cuoghis
passing, Mitchell had signed an up-and-coming soul singer named Al Green to the
label. Under the guidance of Mitchell, Greens career would soon skyrocket and he
became one of the 70s top soul artists, with Mitchell co-producing and
engineering all of Greens albums from 1970 through 1976 (the singers most
successful period), as well as such classic Top Ten hit singles as Tired of
Being Alone, Call Me (Come Back Home), Im Still in Love with You, Here I Am
(Come and Take Me), Lets Stay Together, You Ought to Be with Me, Look at What
You Done for Me, Lets Get Married, and others.

Besides racking up the hits with Green in the 70s, Mitchell continued to issue
his own solo recordings, including such further releases as Soul Bag, Robbins
Nest, Hold It, Listen Dance, Many Moods of Willie Mitchell, and Willie Mitchell
Live, in addition to producing albums for Ann Peebles and Syl Johnson. Mitchell
also sporadically issued solo albums, but still continuously produced recordings
for other artists, including Otis Clay, Jimmy King, Preston Shannon, and O.V.
Wright, among others. The late 90s saw several Mitchell compilations crop up
(1998s Hi Masters and 1999s Soul Serenade: The Best of Willie Mitchell), which
continued into the early 21st century with a double-disc anthology, Poppa
Willie: The Hi Years, 1962-1974, as well as a pair of two-for-one CD releases
(Its Whats Happenin/The Hit Sound of Willie Mitchell and Soul Serenade/Willie
Mitchell Live). In addition to his many musical accomplishments, Mitchell also
owned and operated the Royal Recording Studio in Memphis; he passed away in
Memphis on January 5, 2010.



Tracks:

01. Sparkle 03:59
02. Reachin Out 03:56
03. Honey Bear 03:58
04. Midnight Rhapsody 05:23
05. Give The World More Love 05:31
06. Sugar Candy 03:46
07. Expressions 04:06
08. Happy Hour 03:45

Personnel:

Arrangements, Piano, Trumpet Willie Mitchell
Drums Eddie Fisher
Bass Steve Cobb
Arrangements, Guitar, Piano, Synthesizer Michael Toles
Piano, Synthesizer Donald Brown
Percussion Walter Person
Synthesizer Archie Turner
Marimba, Xylophone Rene Koopman
Trumpet Wayne Jackson
Trumpet Ben Cauley
Trombone, Trumpet Jack Hale
Trumpet Mark Blumberg
Saxophone Andrew Love
Saxophone Darnell Smith
Trombone Jackie Thomas
Trombone Ken Spain
Arrangements, Saxophone James Mitchell
Group The Memphis Strings
Arrangements (Vocal), Vocals Erma Shaw
Vocals Elizabeth Smith
Vocals Cindy Farr
Vocals Romell Greenlee

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