William Henry Weatherspoon (February 11, 1936 – July 17, 2005) was an American songwriter 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 ...

, best known for his work for Motown Records in the 1960s. He co-wrote "

What Becomes of the Brokenhearted "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted" is a hit single recorded by Jimmy Ruffin and released on Motown Records' Soul label in the summer of 1966. It is a ballad, with lead singer Jimmy Ruffin recalling the pain that befalls the broken-hearted who h ...

", an international hit for

Jimmy Ruffin Jimmy Lee RuffinRibowsky, Mark (2010), ''Ain't Too Proud to Beg: The Troubled Lives and Enduring Soul of the Temptations'', Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, p. 89. . (May 7, 1936 – November 17, 2014) was an American soul singer, and ...

, and many other hit songs.

Biography

He was born in

Detroit, Michigan Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...

; his younger brother was the actor

John Witherspoon John Witherspoon (February 5, 1723 – November 15, 1794) was a Scottish-American Presbyterian minister, educator, farmer, slaveholder, and a Founding Father of the United States. Witherspoon embraced the concepts of Scottish common sense real ...

. William Weatherspoon began singing in 1956 with a local vocal group, the Tornados, led by Charles Sutton, formerly of

The Midnighters The Midnighters were an American vocal group from Detroit, Michigan. They were an influential group in the 1950s and early 1960s, with many R&B hit records. They were also notable for launching the career of lead singer Hank Ballard and the wo ...

. The group split up in 1960, and, after a spell in the US military, Weatherspoon began working as a songwriter and producer for the Correc-Tone label in Detroit. After that label folded, he began working for Motown, and paired up with fellow songwriter James Dean to write a series of hits, mostly for junior or relatively minor artists on the company's roster.Biography by Andrew Hamilton at Allmusic
Retrieved 21 March 2013 Ronald J Hansen, ''William Henry Weatherspoon, Lathrup Village: Producer nurtured younger Motown singers'', The Detroit News, 22 July 2005
Retrieved 21 March 2013 With Dean and arranger

Paul Riser Paul Riser (born September 11, 1943) is an American trombonist and Motown musical arranger who was responsible for co-writing and arranging dozens of top ten hit records. His legacy as one of the " Funk Brothers" is similar to that of most of ...

, Weatherspoon wrote "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted", a US no.6 pop hit in 1966, and also co-produced the record with

William "Mickey" Stevenson William "Mickey" Stevenson (born January 4, 1937) is an American former songwriter and record producer for the Motown group of labels from the early days of Berry Gordy's company until 1967. Life and career He was born William Stevenson and, a ...

. Weatherspoon's other writing successes at Motown included Jimmy Ruffin's follow-up hit " I've Passed This Way Before" (with Dean) and his 1970 UK hits " Farewell Is a Lonely Sound" (with Dean and Jack Goga), " I'll Say Forever My Love" (with Dean and Stephen Bowden), and " It's Wonderful (To Be Loved by You)" (with Dean);

Marv Johnson Marvin Earl Johnson (October 15, 1938 – May 16, 1993) was an American R&B singer, songwriter and pianist. He was influential in the development of the Motown style of music, primarily for the song " Come to Me," which was the first record iss ...

's "I'll Pick a Rose for My Rose" (with Dean and Johnson); and

Edwin Starr Charles Edwin Hatcher (January 21, 1942 – April 2, 2003), known by his stage name Edwin Starr, was an American singer and songwriter. Starr was famous for his Norman Whitfield-produced Motown singles of the 1970s, most notably the number-one ...

's "I Am the Man for You Baby" (with Dean and Bowden). BMI Repertoire Search, William Weatherspoon
Retrieved 21 March 2013 He and Dean also co-produced "

When You're Young and in Love "When You're Young and in Love" is a song composed by Van McCoy which first became a Top 40 hit single for the Marvelettes in 1967: a remake by the Flying Pickets would reach the UK Top Ten in 1984. Original version: Ruby & the Romantics Backgr ...

", a hit for

The Marvelettes The Marvelettes were an American girl group that achieved popularity in the early to mid-1960s. They consisted of schoolmates Gladys Horton, Katherine Anderson, Georgeanna Tillman, Juanita Cowart (now Cowart Motley), and Georgia Dobbins, who wa ...

. When

Eddie Holland Edward Holland Jr. (born October 30, 1939) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. Holland was born in Detroit, Michigan, United States. Although he was an early Motown artist who recorded minor hit singles such as "Jamie", he ...

Lamont Dozier Lamont Herbert Dozier (; June 16, 1941 – August 8, 2022) was an American singer, songwriter, and record producer from Detroit, Michigan. He co-wrote and produced 14 US ''Billboard'' number-one hits and four number ones in the UK. Career Doz ...

, and

Brian Holland Brian Holland (born February 15, 1941) is an American songwriter and record producer, best known as a member of Holland–Dozier–Holland, the songwriting and production team that was responsible for much of the Motown sound, and numerous h ...

left Motown in 1968, Weatherspoon joined them at

Invictus Records Invictus Records was an American record label based in Detroit, Michigan. It was created by former top Motown producers Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier and Edward Holland, Jr. (known collectively as Holland–Dozier–Holland). It was the sister l ...

, and established a songwriting partnership with Angelo Bond. They provided several hits for

Laura Lee Laura Lee can refer to: * Laura Lee (singer-songwriter) (born 1945), American soul and gospel singer-songwriter * Laura Lee (sex worker) (1973–2018), Irish-born sex worker and activist based in the UK * Laura Lee (bassist) (born 1986), Mexican-Ame ...

, including "Women's Love Rights" and "Rip Off", and "I'm Not My Brother's Keeper" for

The Flaming Ember The Flaming Ember was an American soul band from Detroit, Michigan, United States, who found commercial success starting in the late 1960s. The group originally formed in Detroit in 1964. At that time they were known as The Flaming Embers, named f ...

. Weatherspoon returned to Motown in about 1980 and continued to write for

The Temptations The Temptations are an American vocal group from Detroit, Michigan, who released a series of successful singles and albums with Motown Records during the 1960s and 1970s. The group's work with producer Norman Whitfield, beginning with the Top ...

High Inergy High Inergy was an American R&B and soul girl group who found fame on Motown Records in the late 1970s. They are best known for the hit song, " You Can't Turn Me Off (In the Middle of Turning Me On)". History High Inergy started in 1976 when the ...

, and others. Nick Talevski, ''Rock Obituaries - Knocking On Heaven's Door'', Omnibus Press, 2010, p.692
/ref> In later years, Weatherspoon concentrated on writing and producing gospel music, including albums by Laura Lee. He died of a heart attack at his home in

Lathrup Village, Michigan Lathrup Village ( ) is a city in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. Per of the 2020 census, the population was 4,088. This city is surrounded by the city of Southfield. The I-696 / Reuther Freeway goes through nearly the east–west c ...

in 2005 at the age of 69.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Weatherspoon, William 1936 births 2005 deaths African-American record producers African-American songwriters Motown artists Musicians from Detroit Record producers from Michigan Songwriters from Michigan 20th-century American musicians People from Oakland County, Michigan 20th-century African-American musicians 21st-century African-American people