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 ...
soul
In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being".
Etymology
The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...
arranger
In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orches ...
, producer and instrumentalist, best known as former
lead singer
The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of the ...
of R&B vocal group
The Impressions
The Impressions were an American music group originally formed in 1958. Their repertoire includes gospel, doo-wop, R&B, and soul.
The group was founded as the Roosters by Chattanooga, Tennessee natives Sam Gooden, Richard Brooks and Arthur Bro ...
.
His music concerns '70s soul, as noted in the June 29, 2006 issue of ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'' magazine. He is the father of producer
JR Hutson
JR Hutson (born Lee Hutson Jr.) is an American record producer, executive producer, songwriter and talent developer. He has collaborated with several notable artists including Jill Scott, Musiq Soulchild, Stevie Wonder, George Duke, Trick Daddy ...
.
Biography
Early years
As a teenager, Hutson formed the Nu-Tones, a four-man vocal group based in New Jersey. They won several talent shows during his high school years. The other members of the Nu-Tones were Ronald King, Bernard Ransom, Ed Davis, and Irving Jenkins.
In 1968, as part of the duo Sugar & Spice, Lee Hutson and Deborah Rollins recorded for
Kapp Records
Kapp Records was an independent record label started in 1954 by David Kapp, brother of Jack Kapp (who set up American Decca Records in 1934). David Kapp founded his own label after stints with Decca and RCA Victor. Kapp licensed its records to L ...
. They recorded several singles with some success. Their single "In Love Forever" ranked the "Best New Record Of The Week" in the local newspaper column "Soul Sauce". Two other singles recorded were "Ah Ha Yeah" and "Dreams".
College years
Initially attending
Howard University
Howard University (Howard) is a private, federally chartered historically black research university in Washington, D.C. It is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity" and accredited by the Middle States Commissi ...
in Washington D.C. to study dentistry, Hutson was room-mates with
Donny Hathaway
Donny Edward Hathaway (October 1, 1945 – January 13, 1979) was an American soul singer, keyboardist, songwriter, and arranger whom ''Rolling Stone'' described as a "soul legend". His most popular songs include " The Ghetto", "This Christmas ...
who left college early in order to be Curtis Mayfield's musical director, Hutson then chose to switch his college major to music theory and composition. It is through Hathaway that Hutson then came to replace Curtis in The Impressions.
At Howard University, Hutson joined
The Mayfield Singers
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
, a group put together on Howard's campus by musician
Curtis Mayfield
Curtis Lee Mayfield (June 3, 1942 – December 26, 1999) was an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer, and one of the most influential musicians behind soul and politically conscious African-American music.
that performed at New York's famed
Apollo Theater
The Apollo Theater is a music hall at 253 West 125th Street between Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard (Seventh Avenue) and Frederick Douglass Boulevard (Eighth Avenue) in the Harlem neighborhood of Upper Manhattan in New York City. It is a not ...
and Philadelphia's Uptown Theater. The group released one single for Mayfield in 1967.
There, Hutson collaborated with Donny Hathaway on " The Ghetto", giving the late recording star his first hit record in early 1970.
Years with the Impressions
In 1971, three months out of college, Hutson was asked to replace
Curtis Mayfield
Curtis Lee Mayfield (June 3, 1942 – December 26, 1999) was an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer, and one of the most influential musicians behind soul and politically conscious African-American music.
as the lead singer of
The Impressions
The Impressions were an American music group originally formed in 1958. Their repertoire includes gospel, doo-wop, R&B, and soul.
The group was founded as the Roosters by Chattanooga, Tennessee natives Sam Gooden, Richard Brooks and Arthur Bro ...
. He stayed with them for two-and-a-half years and recorded two albums with the group, before amicably leaving to pursue his own career as a writer, producer,
arranger
In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orches ...
, and musician.
The first Impressions single to feature Hutson as lead vocalist was entitled " Love Me", released on
Curtom Records
Curtom Records was a record label started in 1968 by Curtis Mayfield and Impressions manager Eddie Thomas. The label's name was a combination of Mayfield's first name and Thomas' last name. Mayfield had previously made attempts at a record lab ...
in North America in June 1971.
On August 27, 2013 Hutson, filed a complaint against
Young Jeezy
Jay Wayne Jenkins (born September 28, 1977), known by his stage name Jeezy (or Young Jeezy), is an American rapper. Signing to Def Jam Recordings in 2004, his major label debut, '' Let's Get It: Thug Motivation 101'', was released the followin ...
and others alleging that Young Jeezy's song "Time" inappropriately incorporated the instrumental portion of
The Impressions
The Impressions were an American music group originally formed in 1958. Their repertoire includes gospel, doo-wop, R&B, and soul.
The group was founded as the Roosters by Chattanooga, Tennessee natives Sam Gooden, Richard Brooks and Arthur Bro ...
"Getting it On," which was registered with the
United States Copyright Office
The United States Copyright Office (USCO), a part of the Library of Congress, is a United States government body that maintains records of copyright registration, including a copyright catalog. It is used by copyright title searchers who are ...
in 1973.
Solo career
In 1973 Hutson wrote, produced, arranged and recorded his first solo album, ''" Love Oh Love"'', featuring the single ''"So In Love With You".'' It was released on
Curtom Records
Curtom Records was a record label started in 1968 by Curtis Mayfield and Impressions manager Eddie Thomas. The label's name was a combination of Mayfield's first name and Thomas' last name. Mayfield had previously made attempts at a record lab ...
.
Between the period of 1973 until 1992 Hutson recorded eight albums and charted with thirteen singles in the U.S. Because of this he has developed a
cult following
A cult following refers to a group of fans who are highly dedicated to some person, idea, object, movement, or work, often an artist, in particular a performing artist, or an artwork in some medium. The lattermost is often called a cult classic. ...
on the soul scene. After " Love Oh Love", Hutson went on to release " The Man", "
Hutson Hutson is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Curtis Hutson (pastor), Curtis Hutson, American Baptist minister and newspaper editor
* Don Hutson, American football player
* Eyre Hutson (politician), Eyre Hutson, British colonial go ...
Hutson II
''Hutson II'' is the fifth solo album by Leroy Hutson. It was released November 1976 on Curtom Records. This album bookended Hutson's trilogy of classic albums he released between 1975 and 1977. It is considered to be one of his greatest albums. ...
Unforgettable
Unforgettable may refer to:
Film
* ''Unforgettable'' (1996 film), a thriller starring Ray Liotta
* ''Unforgettable'' (2014 film), a Bollywood film
* ''Unforgettable'' (2016 film), a South Korean film
* ''Unforgettable'' (2017 film), an America ...
." Hutson's last 12" the "Share Your Love EP" was released via the UK's
Expansion Records
Expansion Records is a British record label founded by Northern Soul DJ Richard Searling and Soul Bowl owner John Anderson. In 1989, DJ Author & Journalist Ralph Tee joined the label, both he and Searling run Expansion Records.
Label hist ...
.
In 2008, Hutson returned to recording under the name Lee Hutson, issuing an album "''Soothe You Groove You"'' on his own Triumph label and via download. Two years later, in August 2010, Hutson made his comeback to European stages, performing at Suncebeat Festival in Zadar, Croatia, at Vintage at Goodwood Festival and at Indigo2 in London. He was backed by the British group The Third Degree.
As of 2017, Hutson's work is now licensed by British independent record label
Acid Jazz Records
Acid Jazz Records is a record label based in East London formed by Gilles Peterson and Eddie Piller in 1987. The label is the namesake of the acid-jazz subgenre of jazz music for which it is most famously known for producing.
Background
The la ...
, who released an Anthology LP featuring his bigger hits such as ''"I Think I'm Falling In Love", "Lucky Fellow"'' and ''"Don't It Make You Feel Good"'' as well as previously unreleased track ''"Positive Forces"'' which featured an instrumental of ''"All Because Of You"'' on the B side. They then went on to release another unreleased single, ''"Now That I Found You"'.''
In February 2018 they re-issued both
Hutson Hutson is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Curtis Hutson (pastor), Curtis Hutson, American Baptist minister and newspaper editor
* Don Hutson, American football player
* Eyre Hutson (politician), Eyre Hutson, British colonial go ...
and
Hutson II
''Hutson II'' is the fifth solo album by Leroy Hutson. It was released November 1976 on Curtom Records. This album bookended Hutson's trilogy of classic albums he released between 1975 and 1977. It is considered to be one of his greatest albums. ...
and are currently in the process of releasing a four-part online documentary entitled ''"Leroy Hutson: The Man!"'', which features contributions from long-time fans of Hutson's such as actor and radio DJ
Craig Charles
Craig Joseph Charles (born 11 July 1964) is an English actor, comedian, television and radio presenter. He is best known for his roles as Dave Lister in the science fiction sitcom ''Red Dwarf'' and Lloyd Mullaney in the soap opera ''Coronation ...
Eddie Piller
Eddie Piller is a British DJ, radio show host, and founder/managing director of Acid Jazz Records.
Early life and career
Piller was born in 1962 and grew up in Essex. His father ran a firm of bookmakers and his mother ran the Small Faces' fa ...
. Piller is said to have based his own music production style on that of Hutson's, and uses the instrumental track ''"Cool Out"'' as the opening track for his current radio show, ''"Eddie Piller's Eclectic Soul Show".''
Work with other artists
Consistently touring through the late 1970s and 1980s, Hutson also lent his musicality to production work with fellow Curtom artists
Linda Clifford
Linda Clifford (born 1944) is an American R&B, disco and house music singer who scored hits from the 1970s to the 1980s, most notably "If My Friends Could See Me Now", " Bridge over Troubled Water", " Runaway Love" and " Red Light".
Career ...
The Natural Four
The Natural Four was an American R&B group from Oakland, California that played from 1967-1976.
History
Formed in 1967, the Natural Four approached Fred Ivey about becoming their manager. Ivey owned a local record store called Tape Town and eve ...
.
As a writer/producer, he has worked for
Roberta Flack
Roberta Cleopatra Flack (born February 10, 1937) is a retired American singer. She topped the Billboard Magazine, ''Billboard'' charts with the No. 1 singles "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face", "Killing Me Softly with His Song", "Feel Like M ...
("Tryin' Times", "Gone Away"),
The Natural Four
The Natural Four was an American R&B group from Oakland, California that played from 1967-1976.
History
Formed in 1967, the Natural Four approached Fred Ivey about becoming their manager. Ivey owned a local record store called Tape Town and eve ...
("You Bring Out the Best in Me", "Can This Be Real"), Linda Clifford,
Voices of East Harlem
The Voices of East Harlem was an African-American vocal ensemble of up to 20 singers, aged between 12 and 21. Founded as a community initiative in 1969, the group performed with top soul and R&B musicians and recorded four albums in the early and ...
("Giving Love"), Arnold Blair ("Trying to Get Next to You"), and Next Movement ("Let's Work It Out"), while more recently one of his own cult singles " Lucky Fellow" was covered by
Snowboy
Snowboy (a.k.a. Mark Cotgrove) is an English percussionist, bandleader, DJ and journalist.The Midnight Special'' (Episode 20 aired 8 June 1973) - LeRoy Hutson performed "Love Oh Love", guest hosted by
Curtis Mayfield
Curtis Lee Mayfield (June 3, 1942 – December 26, 1999) was an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer, and one of the most influential musicians behind soul and politically conscious African-American music.
* ''
Soul Train
''Soul Train'' is an American musical variety television show. It aired in syndication from October 2, 1971, to March 25, 2006. Across its 35-year history the show primarily featured performances by R&B, soul, and hip hop artists. The series w ...
Soul Train
''Soul Train'' is an American musical variety television show. It aired in syndication from October 2, 1971, to March 25, 2006. Across its 35-year history the show primarily featured performances by R&B, soul, and hip hop artists. The series w ...
'' (Episode 37 aired 7 June 1975) –
Curtis Mayfield
Curtis Lee Mayfield (June 3, 1942 – December 26, 1999) was an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer, and one of the most influential musicians behind soul and politically conscious African-American music.
Hutson Hutson is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Curtis Hutson (pastor), Curtis Hutson, American Baptist minister and newspaper editor
* Don Hutson, American football player
* Eyre Hutson (politician), Eyre Hutson, British colonial go ...
Hutson II
''Hutson II'' is the fifth solo album by Leroy Hutson. It was released November 1976 on Curtom Records. This album bookended Hutson's trilogy of classic albums he released between 1975 and 1977. It is considered to be one of his greatest albums. ...
Unforgettable
Unforgettable may refer to:
Film
* ''Unforgettable'' (1996 film), a thriller starring Ray Liotta
* ''Unforgettable'' (2014 film), a Bollywood film
* ''Unforgettable'' (2016 film), a South Korean film
* ''Unforgettable'' (2017 film), an America ...
'' (October 1979)
* ''
Paradise
In religion, paradise is a place of exceptional happiness and delight. Paradisiacal notions are often laden with pastoral imagery, and may be cosmogonical or eschatological or both, often compared to the miseries of human civilization: in paradis ...
'' (1982)
* ''
Soothe You Groove You
Soothe is a multi-national wellness service provider based out of Los Angeles, California. The company allows users to request the services of a massage therapist, cosmetologists, and estheticians. Since its launch in 2014, the mostly mobile ...
'' (2009)
Compilations
* ''
There's More Where This Came From
English grammar is the set of structural rules of the English language. This includes the structure of words, phrases, clauses, sentences, and whole texts.
This article describes a generalized, present-day Standard English – a form of speech ...
Billboard Music Charts
The ''Billboard'' charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs and albums in the United States and elsewhere. The results are published in '' Billboard'' magazine. ''Billboard'' biz, the online extension of the ''Billboard'' charts, p ...
(North America) - singles
Billboard Music Charts
The ''Billboard'' charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs and albums in the United States and elsewhere. The results are published in '' Billboard'' magazine. ''Billboard'' biz, the online extension of the ''Billboard'' charts, p ...