-->
email Facebook Instagram Instagram Spotify Mixcloud eBay Instagram Linktree

Sunday 12 December 2021

Willie Hutch - A Profile Of... Part 1: The Singles


I've had this post in the pipeline for some time and realised this week (6 Dec 2021) that Willie Hutch would have been 77 ( 6 Dec 1944 - 19 Sep 2005) so what better time to post. 
The genius of Willie Hutch (William McKinley Hutchinson) (who seems to be much undervalued by the general record buying public) first came to my attention, probably like many others, via his Northern Soul favourite released in 1965 on Dunhill, a great double-sider which featured "The Duck" c/w "Love Runs Out". "The Duck" appeared on one of the early Northern Soul compilations "Out On The Streets Again" in 1976 on ABC which was the only way to hear it back then as the original 45 is still extremely rare, the last one to sell sold in Sep 2020 for nearly £1,200! The style of what was traditionally labelled Northern Soul has changed considerably since the heyday of the 70s, but these two tracks epitomise the 'original' sound.  "The Duck" was bootlegged by the infamous Simon Soussan in 1974 as Richard Temple "Let's Do The Duck" on a counterfeit Stephanye label (I think this bootleg version was even speeded up a bit). I'm not exactly sure when or where this record was originally broken but given it was bootlegged in 1974 it would suggest that it would have been pressed to 'meet demand' so probably a Wigan Casino tune but may have already been played before the Casino opened it's doors? The flip side "Love Runs Out" was reissued in the UK as a double A side with Bobby Hutton's album only track "Lend A Hand" by ABC in 1978.

Another big track played from him was "Lucky To Be Loved By You" which Casino DJ, Richard Searling,  played from his 1969 "Soul Portrait" album on RCA, as it has never had an official 45 release. His next release on Modern also has two good Northern Soul tunes "I Can't Get Enough" c/w "Your Love Has Made Me A Man". Another stomper followed in 1967 on Soul City with "I Can't fight The Power".

As is often the case with Wiki, I think their facts are incorrect as it states that he debuted with a single "Love Has Put Me Down" on Soul City in 1964. Firstly I can find no trace of said recording and secondly Soul City didn't come into existence until 1966.  However it is partially correct as he was a member of The Phonetics who recorded the song on H-E-D which could have been in 1964. It appears to be the only release (listed) on the label and is as rare as hen's teeth as it was only listed on Discogs a year ago (not listed on 45Cat) and none have sold there nor are there any listed sales on Popsike. The Phonetics released a further four singles on Trudel between 1964-65, with "Just A Boy's Dream" being the most 'in-demand' which sells for over £4k. The flip "Don't Let Love Get You Downwas released on three of the four Trudel 45s. The Phonetics account for four of the seven (listed) releases on Trudel between 1963-65.

Hutch was born in L.A. in 1944 before moving to Dallas with his mother. He was part of a doo-wop group called The Ambassadors at Booker T. Washington high school in Dallas. After serving in the marines he moved back to L.A. to begin his music career where her joined Soul City and wrote and produced for The Fifth Dimension (he wrote their debut single "I'll Be Loving You Forever") before moving to RCA where he recorded two albums. He was approached by Hal Davis to write the lyrics for "I'll Be There" for The Jackson Five which, at the time (1970), became Motown's biggest ever selling single. On the strength of that he was promptly signed to Motown by Berry Gordy as writer, arranger, producer and musician for many Motown artists. 

His first Motown album "Fully Exposed" arrived in 1973. His next two Motown albums were soundtracks for "The Mack" (1973) and "Foxy Brown" (1974). He released a further five albums in his first stint at Motown before recording two for Norman Whitfield's label in 1978 and 1979. In 1982 he re-joined Motown and released a few singles and one album but they also released a compilation on him. It was another nine years before his next recording appeared, an album on Omni / GG.it, followed by two more in 1996 and 2002 before he sadly died in 2005 aged only 60.

He was predominantly an album artist, releasing sixteen studio albums between 1969-2002. Only fifteen of his singles dented the US R&B chart, with only three of them reaching the Billboard Hot 100, the biggest (and only top 10 entry) being "Love Power" in 1975 (#8 R&B #41 Hot 100).

In the UK only two of his recordings made any impact on the chart "In And Out" #51 1982 and "Keep On Jammin'" #72 1985.

I was going to put everything he's done in a singe post but it would be huge so I'll split it into several parts. This part will cover just his singles. Other parts will cover his albums Part 2 Pre- Motown i.e. RCA, Part 3 Motown, Part 4 Whitfield and Part 5 Later Years

Singles

The Phonetics

1964 - Love Is Wonderful / Love Has Put Me Down [H-E-D #1001]

Willie Hutch

Pre- Motown

1965 - The Duck / Love Runs Out [Dunhill #45-D-4012]
1968 - Use What You Got (Part 1) / Use What You Got (Part 2) [Maverick #1003]
Part 1 is faster 45 part 2 is the album version

Motown

Cameron & Hutch
1973 - Come Get This Thing (Mono) / Come Get This Thing (Stereo) [Mowest #MW 5035F]
This is an unreleased test pressing credited to Cameron/Hutch but it was released by G.C. Cameron on his 1974 album "Love Songs & Other Tragedies".


Whitfield


Motown
1985 - Keep On Jammin' / The Glow (OST The Last Dragon) [1797MF]
1985 - Keep On Jammin' / The Glow [1797MF] 12" versions

NB Discography includes US singles only and doesn't include reissues.

Here's a playlist of the ones I can find on Spotify:



Willie Hutch - A Profile of ... Part 2: The RCA Albums


Continuing a series on a profile of Willie Hutch, Part 2 consists of two albums released on RCA between 1969-70.

Willie Hutch  [1969] Soul Portrait [RCA Victor #LSP-4213]


Full album HERE
Ain't Gonna Stop (3:06)
You Can't Miss Something That You Never Had (2:32)
A Love That's Worth Having (2:47)
Good To The Last Drop (3:00)
That's What I Call Lovin' You (1:54)
You Gotta Try (2:26)
Let Me Give You The Love You Need (2:34)
Lucky To Be Loved By You (2:50)
Keep On Doin' What You Do (2:18)
Your Love Keeps Liftin' Me Higher (2:32)
Do What You Wanna Do (3:12)

Willie Hutch [1970] Season For Love [RCA #LSP-4296]


Full Album HERE
Season For Love (3:06)
The Twelfth Of Never (2:25)
Trying To Understand A Woman (2:27)
When A Boy Falls In Love (2:38)
The Shortest Distance (0:36)
Hurt So Bad (3:16)
Walking On My Love (3:02)
Wichita Lineman (3:21)
Let's Try It Over Again (2:09)
The Magic Of Love (2:47)


Willie Hutch - A Profile Of... Part 3: The Motown Albums


Continuing a series on a profile of Willie Hutch, Part 3 consists of nine albums released on Motown, eight between 1973-77 and one from 1985 when he returned after recording two albums at Whitfield (Part 4).

Willie Hutch [1973] - Fully Exposed [Motown #M 784V1]


Full Album HERE
I Wanna Be Where You Are (4:35)
Can't Get Ready For Losing You (5:51)
I Just Wanted To Make Her Happy (4:25)
California My Way (7:30)
Tell Me Why Has Our Love Turned Cold (4:08)
Sunshine Lady (3:56)
I'll Be There (5:04)
If You Ain't Got No Money (You Can't Get No Honey) (5:04)
Ain't Nothing Like Togetherness (4:56)

Willie Hutch [1973] - The Mack [Motown #M 766L]


Full Album HERE
Vampin' (2:45)
Theme Of The Mack (5:36)
I Choose You (3:42)
Mack's Stroll / The Getaway (Chase Scene) (3:08)
Slick (3:36)
Mack Man (Got To Get Over) (5:10)
Mother's Theme (Mama) (3:56)
Now That It's All Over (4:31)
Brother's Gonna Work It Out (4:46)

Willie Hutch [1974] - Foxy Brown [Motown #M6-811S1]


Full Album HERE
Chase (2:28)
Theme Of Foxy Brown (2:25)
Overture Of Foxy Brown (0:55)
Hospital Prelude Of Love Theme (2:55)
Give Me Some Of That Good Old Love (3:41)
Out There (2:40)
Foxy Lady (4:02)
You Sure Know How To Love Your Man (3:49)
Have You Ever Asked Yourself Why (All About Money Game) (3:24)
Ain't That (Mellow, Mellow) (2:56)
Whatever You Do (Do It Good) (3:01)

Willie Hutch [1974] - The Mark Of The Beast [Motown #M6-815S1]


Full Album HERE
Get Ready For The Get Down (4:20)
The Mark Of The Beast (7:42)
Try It You"ll Like It (3:43)
Life's No Fun Living In The Ghetto (4:28)
I'm Gonna Stay (4:03)
Woman You Touched Me (4:30)
Do The Thing That's Best For You (3:28)
Don't You Let Nobody Tell You How To Do Your Thing (4:50)
(I Wanted To Be A Rock & Roll Star) Woman I Still Got Loving You On My Mind (6:05)

Willie Hutch [1975] - Ode To My Lady [Motown #M6-838S1]


Full Album HERE
Party Down (3:02)
The Way We Were (4:00)
Since I Found You Everything's Alright (4:03)
(I'm Gonna) Hold On (4:05)
Ode To My Lady (3:25)
Love Power (3:45)
Just Another Day (3:12)
Talk To Me (3:30)
Love Me Back (4:09)
You Gotta Give Love Up (3:20)

Willie Hutch [1976] - Color Her Sunshine [Motown #M6-871S1]


Full Album HERE
Come On Girl Let's Get It On (3:52)
I Feel We Can Make It (4:16)
Color Her Sunshine (4:15)
I Like Everything About You (4:26)
Shake It, Shake It (3:41)
Let Me Be The One (3:19)
She's Just Doing Her Thing (5:03)
We Can Make It Baby (3:09)
I'm Gonna Be Around (3:58)

Willie Hutch [1976] - Concert In Blues [Motown #M6-854S1]


Full Album HERE
Party Down (3:02)
I Finally Made The Headlines (3:24)
Baby Come Home (3:53)
Stormy Weather (4:27)
I Wish You Love (4:50)
Come On Let's Do The Thang (4:12)
Don't Let A Little Money Keep You Acting Funny (4:58)
Stormy Monday (4:36)
Precious Pearl (3:44)
Shake, Rattle And Roll (4:16)

Willie Hutch [1977] - Havin' A House Party [Motown #M6-874S1]


Full Album HERE
Willie's Boogie (5:46)
We Gonna Have A House Party (4:11)
What You Gonna Do After The Party (4:15)
I Can Sho' Give You Love (5:00)
I Never Had It So Good (4:12)
We Gonna Party Tonight (4:31)
After Love Is Gone (4:33)
Soul Strut (3:53)
Train Of Love (6:38)

Willie Hutch [1985] - Making A Game Out Of Love [Motown #6142ML]


Full Album HERE
She's Making A Game Out Of Love (5:19)
Super Sexy (3:59)
The Very Best Of Love (3:40)
The Glow (Unedited Version) (5:07)
Don't Act Like That (3:43)
Sexy Feelin' (3:35)
Always (4:25)
Keep On Jammin' (3:59)
Inside You (4:32)


Willie Hutch - A Profile Of... Part 4: The Whitfield Albums


Continuing a series on a profile of Willie Hutch, Part 4 consists of two albums released on Whitfield 1978-79.

Willie Hutch [1978] - In Tune [Whitfield #WHK 3226]


Full Album HERE
And All Hell Broke Loose (4:11)
Paradise (3:59)
All American Funkathon (3:55)
Anything Is Possible If You Believe In Love (3:57)
Come On And Dance With Me (3:20)
Easy Does It (5:50)
Hip Shakin' Sexy Lady (3:43)
Nothing Lasts Forever (4:33)

Willie Hutch [1979] - Midnight Dancer [Whitfield #WHK 3352]


Full Album HERE
Disco Thang (6:15)
Midnight Dancer (8:03)
Kelly Green (4:22)
Never Let You Be Without Love (4:25)
Everyday Love (5:38)
Deep In Your Love (5:42)
Everybody Needs Money (5:27)
Down Here On Disco Street (5:33)


Willie Hutch - A Profile Of... Part 5: The Later Years Albums


Continuing a series on a profile of Willie Hutch, Part 5 consists of three albums released between 1994-2002.

Tracks prefixed with '#' indicate that I've not been able to find a sound file for the track so if any readers are able to provide any of these then please email to soulstrutter@gmail.com. Some tracks are prefixed '*' which indicates that i believe that these are tracks from other albums.

Willie Hutch [1994] - From the Heart [Omni #B000005VKN]


Part Album HERE
(NB if anyone can provide the missing tracks (#) please leave comment)
She's A Super Lover (4:19)
#So Excited (5:02)
Love You With A Feeling (4:57)
#You Ought To Be With Me (4:52)
Rock This House (5:00)
#Deva (5:21)
#She's So Fine (4:28)
#Precious Little Girl (4:29)
#Imagine If (3:46)
#Never Be For Me (Another You) (5:06)

Willie Hutch [1996] - The Mack Is Back [Midwest #MID-2183]


Part Album HERE 
(NB if anyone can provide the missing tracks (#) please leave comment)
Ode 2 Da Mack (4:41)
Here Comes Slick (5:27)
#You're The One I Choose (5:00)
Brother's Theme (4:50)
Living Water (5:00)
Working For A Living (4:43)
Feeling Sexual (4:45)
Rock Your Body (4:45)
#The Other Woman (4:50)
Too Right To Be Wrong (5:16)
#Hiding Place (4:31)
Real Deal (4:41)

Willie Hutch [2002] - Sexalicious [GG.it]


Part Album HERE 
(NB if anyone can provide the missing tracks (#) please leave comment)
I've Got To Get You Back 4:45
Sexalicious 4:31
#All The Way 4:45
Leave It Alone 4:29
You Can't Take It Back 4:46
#Talk To Me 4:33
*Rock Your Body 4:47
*Super Lover 4:22
*I Wouldn't Have It Any Other Way 4:00
#Piece Of The Action 4:02
Keep It Real 4:49
*Rock This House 4:44
*Sexy Dancer 4:31
#Um, Hum Good 4:44
#Do It To Ya 4:27


The Dirty Dozen - The Best Of 2021... Part 45 (Dec 2021 Wk 49) Spotify Playlist


My selection of the best releases this week (Dec 2021 Wk 49)
In no particular order other than tempo. 

As is often the case I couldn't decide which track to drop to make a round dozen so there is an additional track this week.

The undoubted Soul Strutter Selection of the Week is Ray Estaire "Born To Do It" which I only discovered and posted on Wed morning when it was already almost two weeks old (released on 26 Nov) but no one seemed to have picked up on it but note that since posting it has featured in a few radio shows so will hopefully do well. I've selected it for inclusion on Soulsorts radio show this evening along with a couple of others from the list i.e. Gee Gee and Brian Temba.

As always the playlist is in no particular order of merit simply ordered by tempo starting off with the slowies and building in tempo.


NB You must be logged on to Spotify to listen in full



The Dirty Dozen - The Best Of 2021... Covers, Reissues, Remixes & Samples Part 37 (Dec 2021 Wk 49)



My selection of this week's best cover versions, remixes, reissues, previously unreleased and new songs using samples or new releases with a retro feel (Dec 2021 Wk 49 and a few from last week). (In no particular order).

This week's dozen are predominantly late 60s covers or reissues with a few retro sounds thrown in.

Reissues: Donnie, Fonnie & LeVorn x 2, Jackie Ross (same melody as Selfish Lover)
Samples: Timbo (The Montclairs)
Covers: Norma Sole (Candace Love, Ruby Andrews), Thee Illusions (Anna Raye), Anna Colesova (Johnny Bristol)
Retro: Lady Wray, The Temptations, John Carey
Remixes: Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes




SoulStrutter Top 30 - 12th Dec 2021



The SoulStrutter Top 30 of the most viewed posts in the last 30 days (i.e. blog readers choices).

A new #1 as Everis moves up one to replace Silk Sonic whose 30 days have expired. Nicholas Davis shoots up from #25 to #4 and a new entry at #6 for Bobby Harden. Another ten new entries at the lower end replacing those whose 30 days since posting have expired.

I'm surprised that, by the quality of material on the J'Cenae album, she is yet to feature on any other UK soul chart! That also goes for W3sst. It 'may' be non-commercial, but come on guys it's 'proper' soul music, give both albums a spin. At least Robert Brown's album has now been given a 'nibble' one one of the charts.

Last 30 Days

PosPrevArtist - TitlePostedDays
12Everis - What U Doing 2 Me16/1126
23J'Cenae - Decency LP12/1130
35Michelle Brooks-Thompson - Live It Up16/1126
425Nicholas Davis - Baby I'm Real04/128
59W3sst - Lessons Learned LP14/1128
6 Bobby Harden & The Soulful Saints
 - Feels So Good
03/129
710Dames Brown Feat. Andrés & Amp Fiddler
 - What Would You Do?
15/1127
812Robert Brown - One God One Love LP14/1128
911Nelccia - What You Make It20/1122
1013Tyrand - 80's Baby LP21/1121
1114Joss Stone - Never Forget My Love12/1130
1229Sympli Whitney - The 45th Chapter EP17/1125
1323Terrie Rimson [2021] - It's Not Worth It26/1116
1416Thuy - I Hope U See This LP17/1125
1522Yvy Maraey & Mike Nasa Feat. Noah Slee
 - A Família
30/1112
1628Eugene Cole - Together Forever in Love27/1115
1720Sophia Eleni - All I Ask (Love Is)18/1124
1827Montianna - Set You Free27/1115
1930Lizzy - SevenStages LP22/1120
2026Morris Day Feat. Big Daddy Kane - Grown Man26/1116
21 Jafar Curry - Loving My Girl09/123
22 Mezzoforte [2021] - Broke N Hip24/1118
23 Demi Jordanae - Smell Like You30/1112
24 Shalea Vintage - Lost Vinyl LP22/1120
25 The Groove Association Feat. Georgie B
 - Best Believe It
04/128
26 Ty Causey - U-Turn LP12/1130
27 Maxwell - Off16/1126
28 India Shawn - Before We Go LP16/1126
29 D Mills - Grateful EP19/1123
30 Nikkole - Vulnerable13/1129