Thursday 1 October 2020

Donny Hathaway born 1 October 1945

Donny Edward Hathaway (October 1, 1945 – January 13, 1979) was an American soul singer, keyboardist, songwriter, and arranger. Hathaway has been described as a "soul legend" by Rolling Stone. He was one of the brightest new voices in soul music at the dawn of the '70s, possessed of a smooth, gospel-inflected romantic croon that was also at home on fiery protest material. Hathaway achieved his greatest commercial success as Roberta Flack's duet partner of choice, but sadly he's equally remembered for the tragic circumstances of his death -- an apparent suicide at age 33. 

Hathaway was born October 1, 1945, in Chicago, but moved to St. Louis when he was very young, and began singing in the church choir with his grandmother, a professional gospel singer, at the age of three, and studying piano. He graduated from Vashon High School in 1963. Hathaway then studied music on a fine arts scholarship at Howard University in Washington, D.C., where he met Roberta Flack. At Howard, he was also a member of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity. Hathaway formed a jazz trio with drummer Ric Powell while there, but during 1967 left Howard just before completing a degree, after receiving job offers in the music business. 

Hathaway first worked behind the scenes as a producer, arranger, songwriter, and session pianist/keyboardist. He supported the likes of Aretha Franklin, Jerry Butler, and the Staple Singers, among many others, and joined the Mayfield Singers, a studio backing group that supported Curtis Mayfield's Impressions. Hathaway soon became a house producer at Mayfield's Curtom label, and in 1969 cut his first single, a duet with June Conquest called "I Thank You Baby." From there he signed with Atco as a solo artist, and released his debut single, the inner-city lament "The Ghetto, Pt. 1," toward the end of the year. While it failed to reach the Top 20 on the R&B charts, "The Ghetto" still ranks as a classic soul message track, and has been sampled by numerous hip-hop artists. 

"The Ghetto" set the stage for Hathaway's acclaimed debut LP, Everything Is Everything, which was released in early 1970. In 1971, he released his eponymous second album and recorded a duet with former Howard classmate Roberta Flack, covering Carole King's "You've Got a Friend." It was a significant hit, reaching the Top Ten on the R&B charts, and sparked a full album of duets, Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway, which was released in 1972. The soft, romantic ballad "Where Is the Love?" topped the R&B charts, went Top Five on the pop side, and won a Grammy, and the accompanying album went gold. 


                    

Perhaps Hathaway's most influential recording is his 1972 album, Live, which has been termed "one of the best live albums ever recorded" by Daryl Easlea of the BBC. The album can also be found on the British online music and culture magazine The Quietus' list of "40 Favourite Live Albums" It was recorded at two concerts: side one at the Troubadour in Hollywood, and side two at The Bitter End in Greenwich Village, Manhattan.

Also in 1972, Hathaway branched out into soundtrack work, recording the theme song for the TV series Maude and scoring the film Come Back Charleston Blue. However, in the midst of his blossoming success, he was also battling severe bouts of depression. He was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia for which he was prescribed various medications which occasionally required him to be hospitalized. His mood swings also affected his partnership with Flack, which began to crumble in 1973. Hathaway released one more album that year, the ambitious Extension of a Man, and then retreated from the spotlight; over the next few years, he performed only in small clubs. 

In 1977, Hathaway patched things up with Flack and temporarily left the hospital to record another duet, "The Closer I Get to You," for her Blue Lights in the Basement album. The song was a smash, becoming the pair's second R&B number one in 1978, and also climbing to number two on the pop charts. Sessions for a second album of duets were underway when, on January 13, 1979, Hathaway was found dead on the sidewalk below the 15th-floor window of his room in New York's Essex House. 

The glass had been neatly removed from the window, and there were no signs of struggle, leading investigators to rule Hathaway's death a suicide; his friends were mystified, considering that his career had just started to pick up again, and Flack was devastated. Roberta Flack Featuring Donny Hathaway was released in 1980, and both of the completed duets -- "Back Together Again" and "You Are My Heaven" -- became posthumous hits. In 1990, Hathaway's daughter Lalah launched a solo career. 

Hathaway has been inducted into the St. Louis Walk of Fame and won one Grammy from four nominations. He was also posthumously bestowed with a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Dutch director David Kleijwegt made a documentary: Mister Soul - A story about Donny Hathaway which was premiered at the International Film Festival Rotterdam on January 28, 2020.  (Edited from AllMusic & Wikipedia) 

 

2 comments:

boppinbob said...


For “Donny Hathaway ‎– Never My Love: The Anthology” go here:

https://workupload.com/file/4z5aCE63bPQ

and here:

https://workupload.com/file/rZ8LNWjqr7Z

1-1 –June & Donnie I Thank You Baby
1-2 –Donny Hathaway & June Conquest Just Another Reason
1-3 –Donny Hathaway The Ghetto - Part 1 (Single Version)
1-4 –Donny Hathaway The Ghetto - Part 2 (Single Version)
1-5 –Donny Hathaway Thank You Master (For My Soul) (Promo Edit)
1-6 –Donny Hathaway Voices Inside (Everything Is Everything)
1-7 –Donny Hathaway Tryin' Times
1-8 –Donny Hathaway To Be Young, Gifted And Black
1-9 –Donny Hathaway I Believe To My Soul
1-10 –Donny Hathaway This Christmas
1-11 –Donny Hathaway A Song For You (Single Version)
1-12 –Donny Hathaway Magnificent Sanctuary Band (Single Version)
1-13 –Donny Hathaway Giving Up (Single Version)
1-14 –Donny Hathaway With Margie Joseph Come Back Charleston Blue
1-15 –Donny Hathaway Little Ghetto Boy (Single Version)
1-16 –Donny Hathaway Valdez In The Country
1-17 –Donny Hathaway I Love You More Than You'll Ever Know (Single Version)
1-18 –Donny Hathaway Lord Help Me
1-19 –Donny Hathaway Come Little Children (Single Version)
1-20 –Donny Hathaway Love, Love, Love
1-21 –Donny Hathaway Someday We'll All Be Free
1-22 –Donny Hathaway You Were Meant For Me
Unreleased Studio Recordings
2-1 –Donny Hathaway Never My Love
2-2 –Donny Hathaway A Lot Of Soul
2-3 –Donny Hathaway Let's Groove
2-4 –Donny Hathaway Latin Time
2-5 –Donny Hathaway Tally Rand
2-6 –Donny Hathaway Memory Of Our Love
2-7 –Donny Hathaway Sunshine Over Showers
2-8 –Donny Hathaway After The Dance Is Done
2-9 –Donny Hathaway Don't Turn Away
2-10 –Donny Hathaway Always The Same
2-11 –Donny Hathaway Brown Eyed Lady (Instrumental)
2-12 –Donny Hathaway The Sands Of Time And Changes
2-13 –Donny Hathaway Zyxygy Concerto
Live At The Bitter End, 1971 - All Previously Unreleased Performances
3-1 –Donny Hathaway What's Going On
3-2 –Donny Hathaway Sack Full Of Dreams
3-3 –Donny Hathaway Little Ghetto Boy
3-4 –Donny Hathaway You've Got A Friend
3-5 –Donny Hathaway Voices Inside (Everything Is Everything)
3-6 –Donny Hathaway He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother
3-7 –Donny Hathaway Jealous Guy
3-8 –Donny Hathaway I Love You More Than You'll Ever Know
3-9 –Donny Hathaway Hey Girl
3-10 –Donny Hathaway The Ghetto
Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway Duets
4-1 –Donny Hathaway & Roberta Flack I (Who Have Nothing)
4-2 –Donny Hathaway & Roberta Flack You've Got A Friend
4-3 –Donny Hathaway & Roberta Flack Baby I Love You
4-4 –Donny Hathaway & Roberta Flack Be Real Black For Me
4-5 –Donny Hathaway & Roberta Flack You've Lost That Loving Feeling
4-6 –Donny Hathaway & Roberta Flack For All We Know
4-7 –Donny Hathaway & Roberta Flack Where Is The Love
4-8 –Donny Hathaway & Roberta Flack When Love Has Grown
4-9 –Donny Hathaway & Roberta Flack Come Ye Disconsolate
4-10 –Donny Hathaway & Roberta Flack Mood
4-11 –Donny Hathaway & Roberta Flack The Closer I Get To You
4-12 –Donny Hathaway & Roberta Flack You Are My Heaven
4-13 –Donny Hathaway & Roberta Flack Back Together Again

Four-Disc Anthology Featuring Hathaway's Essential Solo Tracks And Duets With Roberta Flack
Along With Two Full Discs Of Previously Unreleased Studio And Live Recordings. 2-1 and 2-6 were released on a limited edition 7" for Record Store Day 2013 but "Memory Of Our Love" was edited on this CD version.

Guitarradeplastico,scraping oddities said...

Many thanks for Two Full Discs Of Previously Unreleased Studio And Live Recordings