Deke Richards (born Dennis Lussier;"Jackson 5 producer Deke Richards dies aged 68"
BBC News, March 26, 2013. Retrieved March 26, 2013. April 8, 1944 – March 24, 2013), also known as Deke Lussier, was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

songwriter A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music gen ...

and

record producer A record producer is a recording project's creative and technical leader, commanding studio time and coaching artists, and in popular genres typically creates the song's very sound and structure.Virgil Moorefield"Introduction" ''The Producer as ...

who was affiliated with

Motown Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau of ''moto ...

. He was a member of both The Clan and The Corporation, the latter a production team that wrote and produced some of

The Jackson 5 The Jackson 5 (sometimes stylized as the Jackson 5ive, also known as the Jacksons) are an American pop band composed of members of the Jackson family. The group was founded in 1964 in Gary, Indiana, and for most o ...

's early hits.

Biography

He was born in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

. His father was the screenwriter

Dane Lussier Dane Lussier (December 23, 1909 – October 10, 1959) was an American screenwriter.Martin, p.191 He was the father of songwriter Deke Richards. Selected filmography * ''Ladies' Day'' (1943) * '' Storm Over Lisbon'' (1944) * '' A Sporting Chanc ...

. Deke Lussier portrayed one of the band members in the movie ''

Eegah ''Eegah'' (sometimes stylized as ''Eegah!'' and also known as ''Eegah: The Name Written in Blood'') is a 1962 American horror film directed by Arch Hall Sr. (as Nicholas Merriwether) and starring Arch Hall Jr., Marilyn Manning and Richard Kie ...

'' in 1962. He later used the

stage name A stage name is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. Such professional aliases are adopted for a wide variety of reasons and they may be similar, or nearly identical, to an individu ...

Deke Richards. While playing in a band that backed singer

Debbie Dean Debra "Debbie" Dean is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera ''Hollyoaks'', played by Jodi Albert. She first appeared in 2002, before Albert quit the role in 2004. She made her final appearance during 2005, before making a ...

, he wrote a song for her, and met

Berry Gordy Berry Gordy III (born November 28, 1929), known professionally as Berry Gordy Jr., is a retired American record executive, record producer, songwriter, film producer and television producer. He is best known as the founder of the Motown record la ...

when

The Supremes The Supremes were an American girl group and a premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s. Founded as the Primettes in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959, the Supremes were the most commercially successful of Motown's acts and the most successful ...

played at the

Hollywood Palace ''The Hollywood Palace'' was an hour-long American television variety show that was broadcast weekly Saturday nights (except September 1967 to January 1968, when it was seen Monday nights) on ABC from January 4, 1964, to February 7, 1970. Titl ...

in 1966. Gordy signed Richards to a contract as a

and songwriter.Deke Richards, Motown Songwriter and Producer, Dies at 68
. ''Hollywood Reporter'', March 25, 2013. Retrieved March 26, 2013. Richards also wrote and produced for

Bobby Darin Bobby Darin (born Walden Robert Cassotto; May 14, 1936 – December 20, 1973) was an American musician and actor. He performed jazz, Pop music, pop, rock and roll, Folk music, folk, Swing music, swing, and country music. He started his car ...

Martha and the Vandellas Martha and the Vandellas (known from 1967 to 1972 as Martha Reeves & The Vandellas) were an American vocal girl group formed in Detroit in 1957. The group achieved fame in the 1960s with Motown. An act founded by friends Annette Beard, Rosalind ...

, The Blackberries, Stacie Johnson, and others, and produced

Diana Ross and the Supremes The Supremes were an American girl group and a premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s. Founded as the Primettes in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959, the Supremes were the most commercially successful of Motown's acts and the most successf ...

after Holland, Dozier and Holland left Motown in 1968. He co-wrote the U.S. no.1 hit " Love Child" for the Supremes, and was responsible for " I'm Still Waiting", a UK no.1 hit, for

Diana Ross Diana Ross (born March 26, 1944) is an American singer and actress. She rose to fame as the lead singer of the vocal group the Supremes, who became Motown's most successful act during the 1960s and one of the world's best-selling girl groups o ...

. He and fellow writer Sherlie Matthews also formulated the vocal sextet Celebration, which released an album on

's Mowest label, in an attempt to replicate the success of the 5th Dimension. Richards died of

esophageal cancer Esophageal cancer is cancer arising from the esophagus—the food pipe that runs between the throat and the stomach. Symptoms often include difficulty in swallowing and weight loss. Other symptoms may include pain when swallowing, a hoarse voice ...

on March 24, 2013 at age 68.Deke Richards, of Motown's The Corporation, dies
. ''The Detroit News'', March 25, 2013. Retrieved March 26, 2013.

References

External links

*
Credits at Allmusic.comSongwriting credits at BMI.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Richards, Deke 1944 births 2013 deaths Musicians from Los Angeles Record producers from California Songwriters from California Motown artists Deaths from esophageal cancer Deaths from cancer in Washington (state)