Leon Haywood - A Profile

Leon Haywood was born Otha Leon Haywood in Houston, TX, on 11 Feb 1942. He died in his sleep on 5 Apr 2016 aged 74. 

His biggest hit for which he will probably be best remembered is "Don't Push It Don't Force It" in 1980 which rose to #2 on the R&B chart (#49 hot 100) and was his only UK hit reaching #12 on the UK pop chart in Mar 1980 spending eleven weeks there. 

His biggest hit came almost 17 years after his debut single in Oct 1963. His only other top 10 hit was "I Want'a Do Something Freaky to You" in 1975 although he did write Carl Carlton's biggest hit, "She's a Bad Mama Jama (She's Built, She's Stacked)" which was a #2 R&B hit (#22 Hot 100) which was also Carlton's only UK hit reaching #34 on the UK pop chart in 1981. He also wrote the flip side, "This Feeling's Rated X-Tra", a song that has better stood the test of time. Haywood recorded it on his 1976 album "Come Get Yourself Some".

Haywood started playing the piano from the age of 3 and by his teens was performing with a local group and accompanied Guitar Slim (aka Eddie Jones) who was a pioneering rock n roll guitarist who was distorting tones a full ten years before the great Jimi Hendrix.

He moved to L.A. in the early 60s and worked with saxophonist Big Jay McNeely who he would make his first recording with on "Without A Love" / "The Squat" in 1961 billed as Big Jay McNeely and Band featuring Leon Haywood at the Organ on two instrumental songs co-written with McNeely. However, he had featured as pianist on a self-titled album by Pee Wee Crayron prior to that in 1960. Big Jay McNeely and Band backed Sam Cooke on the road until Cooke's death in Dec 1964.

His first solo single arrived in Oct 1963 on Fantasy where he released two singles and his debut album, "The Mellow, Mellow Leon Haywood", on subsidiary Galaxy in 1964.  He then released four singles on various labels, two for Imperial and one on each on Josie and Convoy. His first on Imperial, "She's With Her Other Love" billed as Leon Hayward, in 1965 was his first hit reaching #13 RB and #92 Hot 100. The Josie single was credited as Leon & The Burners.

Haywood was also a pianist with The Packers, an instrumental group set up by saxophonist Charles 'Packy' Axton who was the son of Estelle Axton, who founded Stax with her brother Jim Stewart, and a founding member of the Stax house band The Mar-Keys. Other members were Mar-Keys and Booker T. & The M.G.'s members Booker T. Jones, Steve Cropper and drummer Al Jackson Jr. The Packers had an R&B Top 10 hit (#5 R&B / #54 Hot 100) with "Hole In The Wall" on Pure Soul. He was also a member of The Romeos who had a #31 R&B hit with instrumental "Precious Memories" on Mark II in 1967 and  he also played on sessions with Dyke & The Blazers.

In 1966 he signed to Vault label Fat Fish where he released four singles and an album "Soul Cargo". His last single on Fat Fish in 1967, "Baby Reconsider", became a Northern Soul classic at Manchester's Twisted Wheel. It, and "Ain't No Use", were originally released on his first album on Galaxy.

An interesting piece of information on "Baby Reconsider", from producer Arthur Wright, is that it was getting good airplay which Motown's Berry Gordy put a stop to as he threatened legal action believing that it sounded too much like The Contours "Just A Little Misunderstanding". He had just won a similar case against Curtis Mayfield for The Impressions' "I Can't Satisfy" (which he claimed plagiarised "This Old Heart Of Mine" by The Isley Brothers). So Fat Fish withdrew the record rather than risking it, which has resulted in a scarcity, and hence high value, of the issued Fat Fish single. It was reissued on Fantasy in the UK in 1978 and a review in Blues & Soul also drew comparisons to The Temptations "Ain't Too Proud To Beg"!

In Jul 1967 he was signed to Decca and hit with his first single for the label "It's Got To Be Mellow" which has been a firm favourite over the years on the UK rare soul scene. He released another four singles for the label with only the follow up, "Mellow Moonlight", registering on the charts in 1968 (#35 R&B / #92 Hot 100). 

He then switched to Capitol releasing two singles in 1969 and 1970 which weren't commercially successful but "Consider The Source" is a gem which is a firm favourite in rare soul circles which some regard as his best recording. A few years later, in 1975, he re-recorded it at a slower pace on 20th Century. 

Two more singles followed on Atlantic in 1971-72 which again were commercial failures. Just to queer the pitch, Haywood set up his own label, Evejim (named after his parents), and the Decca single "It's Got To Be Mellow" and the two on Atlantic singles ("There Ain't Enough Hate Around To Make Me Turn Around You" and "Your Moody Ways" (another favoured on the rare soul circuit) were also released on Evejim, so perhaps they were leased to the majors for release or national distribution?

By 1972 he'd moved to 20th Century where he would next hit the charts with his third single for the label, "Keep It In The Family", with the B side, "Long As There's You (I Got Love)", charting separately. All six singles on the label afterwards charted including his biggest hit to that date "I Want'a Do Something Freaky to You" in 1975.

He was on the move again in 1977, to Columbia this time, for only two singles with only the first, "The Streets Will Love You To Death", being a minor hit (#63 R&B). It was then off to MCA for six singles between 1977-79, four of which were minor hits all outside the R&B Top 50.

In 1980 he returned to 20th Century Fox with his first single "Don't Push It Don't Force It". being an R&B #2 hit. Only two more singles followed on the label with the first, "If You're Lookin' For A Night Of Fun (Look Past Me, I'm Not The One)", reaching R&B #67 and the third, "Daydream", not charting.

Only a few more singles were released by Haywood, two on Casablanca in 1983 ("I'm Out To Catch" *#R&B #27) and "T.V. Mama" (R&B #87)). His next single, "Tendoroni", was released on Evejim and Modern in 1984 which climbed to #22 R&B. A new version of "I Want'a Do Something Freaky to You" was also released on his own label Evejim in 1994 as "Freaky 94" followed by "The Legacy" (1995). A 12", "Agony", was another on the label released in 1984 as Leon Haywood feat. Captain Rap.

Although his chart success, in the main, was rather modest he still managed to put out over a dozen albums. One on his own Evejim label, "Then And Now", was unreleased from 1984 but was gained a release a few years later. His early material on "Soul Cargo" was Hammond organ instrumentals in the main, much loved by the UK mod scene which is how "Baby Reconsider" was discovered. His 1973 album "Back To Stay" has a cover of Bettye Swann's "Make Me Yours".  An album titled "Hey! Mr.BigBen" was released in Japan only in 1976 and seems to be a collection of tracks from his 1973 and 1975 albums on 20th Century.

Album Discography

1964 - The Mellow Mellow Leon Haywood [Galaxy]

1966 - Soul Cargo [Fat Fish]

1967 - It's Got to Be Mellow [Decca]

1973 - Back to Stay [20th Century]

1974 - Keep It in the Family [20th Century]

1975 - Come and Get Yourself Some [20th Century]

1976 - Hey! Mr.BigBen  [20th Century] Japan only

1976 - Intimate [Columbia]

1978 - Double My Pleasure [MCA]

1979 - Energy [MCA]

1980 - Naturally [20th Century]

1983 - It's Me Again [Casablanca]

1994 - Freaky Man [Evejim]

There is a limited amount of his material available on Spotify (only 5 albums), but here's a selection of the best of what is.

Copyright © 2009-2023 SoulStrutter All Rights Reserved