Post by Diamond Girl on Jul 24, 2005 0:57:39 GMT -5
William Henry Weatherspoon, Lathrup Village: Producer nurtured younger Motown singers
By Ronald J. Hansen / The Detroit News
William Henry Weatherspoon, a writer and producer for Motown Records during its storied heyday in the 1960s, died in his Lathrup Village home Sunday, July 17, 2005. He was 69.
During his Motown tenure, the Detroit native worked closely with many of the label's younger singers.
It meant that he kept a relatively low profile for a label bursting with A-list celebrities from Berry Gordy to Diana Ross.
Mr. Weatherspoon, who suffered heart and other ailments for years, is credited with producing 168 songs in a career that spanned five decades.
Despite his failing health, last week he finished producing an album of his original work with Detroit singer Laura Lee from a studio in his home.
"He would stay up and work on it till 4 in the morning. He said, 'I must get through this.' It's like he knew," said Lee, who went to Northeastern High School in Detroit with Mr. Weatherspoon.
Lee remembered Mr. Weatherspoon as a proud, self-assured producer who was deeply religious.
He is best known for producing Jimmy Ruffin's 1966 hit "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted." He teamed with Ruffin, who is the older brother of David Ruffin, formerly of the Temptations, with lesser hits "I've Passed This Way Before" and "I'll Say Forever My Love."
He worked with other artists who achieved musical acclaim, such as Edwin Starr, the Marvelettes and the Temptations.
Mr. Weatherspoon's own recording career began in 1955 with the Tornados, a well-known local group that broke up by 1960.
Then he served a hitch in the U.S. military and worked as a songwriter and producer for Correc-Tone Records.
From there, he jumped to Motown, where Gordy relied on Mr. Weatherspoon's experience to nurture his younger artists.
He left Motown in about 1968 to join the Holland-Dozier-Holland Invictus label, but returned by 1980 for a second stint.
In his later years, Mr. Weatherspoon produced gospel music.
"He enjoyed his life of music, every stage of it," said Angelo Bond, a soul singer who knew Mr. Weatherspoon for 40 years.
"I remember him as a genius."
Survivors include his wife of nearly 50 years, Doris Weatherspoon.
Funeral services are scheduled for noon Monday in Perfecting Church, 7616 E. Nevada, Detroit. Cards and condolences may be sent to the church.
You can reach Ronald J. Hansen at (313) 222-2019 or rhansen@detnews.com.
By Ronald J. Hansen / The Detroit News
William Henry Weatherspoon, a writer and producer for Motown Records during its storied heyday in the 1960s, died in his Lathrup Village home Sunday, July 17, 2005. He was 69.
During his Motown tenure, the Detroit native worked closely with many of the label's younger singers.
It meant that he kept a relatively low profile for a label bursting with A-list celebrities from Berry Gordy to Diana Ross.
Mr. Weatherspoon, who suffered heart and other ailments for years, is credited with producing 168 songs in a career that spanned five decades.
Despite his failing health, last week he finished producing an album of his original work with Detroit singer Laura Lee from a studio in his home.
"He would stay up and work on it till 4 in the morning. He said, 'I must get through this.' It's like he knew," said Lee, who went to Northeastern High School in Detroit with Mr. Weatherspoon.
Lee remembered Mr. Weatherspoon as a proud, self-assured producer who was deeply religious.
He is best known for producing Jimmy Ruffin's 1966 hit "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted." He teamed with Ruffin, who is the older brother of David Ruffin, formerly of the Temptations, with lesser hits "I've Passed This Way Before" and "I'll Say Forever My Love."
He worked with other artists who achieved musical acclaim, such as Edwin Starr, the Marvelettes and the Temptations.
Mr. Weatherspoon's own recording career began in 1955 with the Tornados, a well-known local group that broke up by 1960.
Then he served a hitch in the U.S. military and worked as a songwriter and producer for Correc-Tone Records.
From there, he jumped to Motown, where Gordy relied on Mr. Weatherspoon's experience to nurture his younger artists.
He left Motown in about 1968 to join the Holland-Dozier-Holland Invictus label, but returned by 1980 for a second stint.
In his later years, Mr. Weatherspoon produced gospel music.
"He enjoyed his life of music, every stage of it," said Angelo Bond, a soul singer who knew Mr. Weatherspoon for 40 years.
"I remember him as a genius."
Survivors include his wife of nearly 50 years, Doris Weatherspoon.
Funeral services are scheduled for noon Monday in Perfecting Church, 7616 E. Nevada, Detroit. Cards and condolences may be sent to the church.
You can reach Ronald J. Hansen at (313) 222-2019 or rhansen@detnews.com.
