I just bought this album:



After hearing Stevie sing Someday We Will Be Free. Hathaway's a name I've heard, and I knew a couple of his songs (Where Is The Love, for example), but I have to say I was blown away by what I heard on this cd.

Incredible singing, songwriting, arranging, playing, harmonies. I can't believe how music has declined!

I feel like I've discovered another Stevie or Marvin. Some of you have probably listened to him your whole lives, but in my world he's not in the same league as those other two in terms of legend or popularity.

Why is that? Not because he's dead, I don't need to list the dead legends here. Because he's not as pop? Maybe he doesn't have as many great albums as Stevie (I've only heard one, so I don't know)?

I'm so happy I bought this record on impulse. It's so inspiring to discover greatness!

Does he have other records as great as this? Also, what led to his suicide? Drugs, mental illness, both?

Donny Hathaway (October 1, 1945 – January 13, 1979) was an American soul musician.

Biography

Early career
He began singing in a church choir with his grandmother at the age of 3. He also began playing piano as a child, and by the time he was a teenager, his prowess at the piano earned him a fine arts scholarship to Howard University in 1964. He attended the university for three years, and performed with a jazz trio, The Ric Powell Trio. Ultimately, Hathaway was offered so much industry work that he left before graduating.


Personal life
Hathaway was born in Chicago, IL, but grew up in St. Louis, MO, where there are currently subdivisions named in his honor. He and his wife, Eulaulah, had two daughters, Lalah and Kenya.


Career
At first, Hathaway worked as songwriter, session musician and producer. He did the arrangements for The Unifics and participated in projects by The Staple Singers, Jerry Butler and Aretha Franklin, as well as with Curtis Mayfield. After becoming a "house producer" at Mayfield's label, Curtom Records, he recorded his first single in 1969, a duet with singer June Conquest called "I Thank You Baby".

Hathaway then signed to Atco Records, which released his first single of note, "The Ghetto, Pt. 1". His debut LP was Everything Is Everything (1970), which was critically acclaimed. His second album, Donny Hathaway, was a major hit. He also recorded an album of duets with former Howard University classmate and label mate Roberta Flack. The album was both a critical and commercial success, including the Ralph MacDonald-penned track "Where Is The Love?", which proved to be not only an R&B hit, but also went Top Five on the pop charts. [1]. The album also included a number of other covers, including versions Carole King's "You've Got a Friend" and "Baby I Love You", originally a hit for Aretha Franklin.

Hathaway followed this flurry of work with some contributions to soundtracks, along with his recording of the theme song to the TV series Maude. Several years after their first collaboration, Hathaway renewed his collaboration with Flack and recorded several additional tracks, including the hit "The Closer I Get to You" (1978).

In the mid-1970s he also produced albums for other artists including Cold Blood, where he expanded the musical range of lead singer Lydia Pense.


Health challenges
At the height of his career, Hathaway began to suffer from severe bouts of depression. The illness wreaked havoc on his life, requiring several hospitalizations. The effects of Hathaway's depression also drove a wedge into Flack and Hathaway's friendship; they did not reconcile for several years, and did not release additional music until the 1978 release of "The Closer I Get To You". The single became a pop and R&B hit, and Flack and Hathaway returned to the studios to record a second album of duets.


Death
On January 13, 1979, Hathaway was found dead on the sidewalk in front of the Essex House in New York City, where he had been living. His body showed no signs of struggle, and the glass from the window in Hathaway's room had been removed; investigators determined Hathaway had committed suicide. Friends, fans, and the media were mystified at his death, since his career and his partnership with Flack were on an upswing. Flack was devastated by his death, and included the few duet tracks they had finished on her next album.


Discography
Albums
Everything Is Everything (ATCO, 1970)
Donny Hathaway (ATCO, 1971)
Live (ATCO, 1972)
Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway (1972)R
Extensions Of A Man (1973)
Featuring Donny Hathaway (1980)R
In Performance (1980)
Singles
"I Thank You Baby" (Curtom, 1969)
"The Ghetto, Pt. 1" (ATCO)
"This Christmas" b/w "Be There" (ATCO, 1970)
"A Song For You" (1971)
"Magnificent Sanctuary Band" b/w "Take A Love Song" (1971)
"You've Got A Friend" (1971)R
"You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling" (1971)R
"Giving Up" (1972)
"Where Is The Love?" (1972)R
"The Closer I Get To You" (1978)R
"Back Together Again" (Atlantic, 1979)R
"You Are My Heaven" (1980)R
Compilations
The Best of Donny Hathaway (Atlantic, 1978)
A Donny Hathaway Collection (1990)
These Songs For You, Live (Rhino, 2004)
R - Billed as Roberta Flack featuring Donny Hathaway.


Legacy
Donny Hathaway's Donny Hathaway Live, which featured noted R&B musicians Willie Weeks (bass guitar) and Cornell Dupree (guitar), has been cited as an influence by numerous artists, including India.Arie and Stevie Ray Vaughan. Arie, Brian McKnight, Anthony Hamilton and Frank McComb are among the contemporary artists whose work echoes Hathaway's.
Hathaway was considered an eccentric by many. He cultivated many unusual interests, and was a devotee of mid-20th century French classical composers. Several anecdotes about Hathaway are contained in Jerry Wexler's book Rhythm And The Blues.
On soul group The Whispers' 1980 self-titled album, the group paid homage with "A Song for Donny," written by fellow soul singer Carrie Lucas. The song was set to the melody of Hathaway's "This Christmas."
He was a major influence on the singing style of singer-guitarist George Benson.
Pop singer Justin Timberlake claims Hathaway is his favorite artist and biggest musical influence.
In 2005, Neo-soul singer songwriter guitarist, Raul Midon (Blue Note) worked with Hathaway's longtime producer Arif Mardin (known for collaborations with The Bee Gees, Chaka Khan, Bette Midler, Norah Jones & Aretha Franklin) and created a tribute song to Hathaway called "Sittin' in the Middle."
Hathaway's daughter Lalah is an accomplished R&B/jazz singer.
On NY artist NAS's album "Hip Hop is Dead" on the song Blunt Ashes, he tells a story that includes reportedly claiming donny hathaway was thrown from his window.


Trivia
Hathaway was a prominent member of Alpha Phi Alpha, the oldest intercollegiate Greek-letter fraternity established by African Americans.
His death followed by exactly one year the death of his fraternity brother (honorary), Hubert Humphrey.
Hathaway is among the many notable and famous Alumni of Howard University in Washington D.C..
Donny composed and conducted music for the 1972 soundtrack of the movie Come Back Charleston Blue. [1]

American Idol connection
Modern R&B singer and 2003 American Idol winner Ruben Studdard grew up with Hathaway's music, and did cover versions of the Hathaway songs "For All We Know" and "This Christmas."
Another American Idol contestant, 2006 second runner-up Elliott Yamin, covered Leon Russell's "A Song for You", popularized by Hathaway, in his audition, during Hollywood Week and again during the show's primetime performances, as well as in front of a crowd at the baseball stadium during his visit back home (when he was eliminated, his final video clips segued through several of the performances). After the April 25, 2006 show in which Yamin performed "A Song for You" and said he wanted to return the "spotlight" to Donny Hathaway, sales of A Donny Hathaway Collection shot all the way up to twenty-third on Amazon.com CD sales chart, with some commenters citing the performance as their reason for buying Hathaway's CD. In December 2006, Yamin also released a cover of "This Christmas", and Yamin's March 2007 self-titled debut album featured a cover of "A Song For You".
Hathaway's daughter, Kenya, is a backup singer in the house band for American Idol.

Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a US-registered 501(c)(3) tax-deductible nonprofit charity.

Donny Hathaway was awesome....just another example of the ravages of depression...he was a talent to be reckoned with and his death a tremendous loss to the future of popular music....

The Ghetto is that ish.

wow, so he disappeared for at least five years after Extension? Living with John Lennon or something? Crazy how depression can cripple people who seem to have it all.

You can definitely hear the Benson effect, they have a similar vocal quality & style.

Actually Stevie's style is pretty similar to Hathaway, too. No doubt they admired & inspired each other.

Timberlake, fuck! Does that guy have to creep his way into everything now?

One of the really interesting things about Extension is the classical influence on the first track. Really interesting, and more of a genuine composition than, say, Stevie's pseudo classical (not to say bad, just more pop) songs like Village Ghetto Land or Secret Life of Plants.

And don't forget this soundtrack album
from 1972 Come back Charlston Blue
with Quincy Jones.
It includes the studioversion of Little ghetto boy



/peace Manki

Oh, right, Little Ghetto Boy! I'm sorry to say I know that because of Dr Dre (no offense Dre!)
[Edited 2/27/07 14:08pm]

manki said:

...

I thought I was the only one who still remembered that album!!Kool!!



...

paligap said:

I have that album too.

I remember Roberta Flack saying in a radio interview that Donny hated Quincy for taking credit of co-composing/producing/arranging when Donny did ALL of the work and vowed never to work with him again.

He was approached by Quincy to record "Everything Must Change" from his 'Body Heat' album but Donny declined, forcing Quincy to let the song be recorded by its original writer.

Harlepolis said:

Damn!!! Didn't know that! Well, that explains some things-- I love Bernard Ighner's version, but Donny would've Killed on That song!




...
[Edited 2/27/07 14:37pm]

paligap said:

Seems taylor-made for him
[Edited 2/27/07 14:38pm]

paligap said:

Thats the dude, his name was on the tip of my mouth,,,but couldn't remember it he also sang that song in the sitcom 227

Great composer/writer/pianist,,,,,I'm wondering if he recorded solo albums of his own.

Donny Hathaway trivia:

How many remember that he sang the theme song to the TV show "Maude" (Bea Arthur)? (?? means I don't remember all the words)


Lady Godiva was a freedom rider,
She didn't care if the whole world looked;
Joan of Arc, with the Lord to guide her,
She was a sista who really cooked;
Isadora?? was the first bra burner,
Angie Black??, she showed up.
And when the country was fallin' apart,
Betsey Ross got it all sewed up.
AND THEN THERE'S MAUDE!
(??*and then there were all those words he said real fast before saying*??)
RIGHT ON MAUDE!

NuPwr319 said:

I downlouded that theme song from limewire the minute I bought my laptop

NuPwr319 said:

That's funny. I read in the liner notes that he wrote commercial jingles, too. Any idea which ones?

You should hear his live version of Yesterday.
It may answer your "question" and might even make you believe.


Donny doing...



...Put Your Hand in the Hand


One of the few singers that had skills combined with that rare element of sincerity that made you believe he meant what he was singing.


Donny also produced/played and wrote for this Cold Blood (a horn driven funky band from the Bay area)...



...album featuring the soulful vocals of Lydia Pense.

They do 2 songs he wrote, You Had To Know (which Lydia kills) and Valdez In The Country.



tA

Tribal Disorder

http://www.soundclick.com...dID=182431
[Edited 2/27/07 19:23pm]
[Edited 2/28/07 13:13pm]

Since I bought India.Arie's Acoustic Soul I've been interested in Donnie Hathaway, John Coltrane, Miles Davis...

I got some Etta James stuff
Lady Day stuff
But never Donnie Hathaway...

Should I get some?

IMO, Donny had the purest voice of the classic soul era.

NuPwr319 said:

I always thought this part was: "Ain't ya glad she showed up"

I thought he died of a heart attack

Donny was great but a troubled, complicated soul.

theAudience said:

Aw man.. Thank you.. Sysphus lp, Ive been trying to remember the name of this band for a while now. Low and behold it pops up. "mm..mm..mm.."

COLD BLOOD ! Hell i was looking for some Humble Pie A Roadrunner the live version one day and ran across Cold Blood a couple of years ago. They had a live lp also, but just could not remember the name of the band .. but i knew it was a chick singing and there was another rock band out of L.A. they had one lp and it was pretty good but like Cold Blood i can't remember the name..

Damm too "Sisyphus".

StarMon said:

Now that i have a name i was able to look the others up. I think Lydia and Thriller were there other lps i was lookin for because, i thought she remind me of Janis.

theAudience said:

That link did'nt work for me but maybe it's the same
I found on youtube.
Put your hand in my hand-Live!

http://www.youtube.com/wa...eKUsZkXgEc

/peace Manki

His live album is nothing short of the voice of god singing. Beyond inspirational, beyond a category...simply beautiful.

So which record should I get next?

NDRU said:

His debut...


And his live albums

NDRU said:

Extensions of a Man. Now THAT is an album!!!

Harlepolis said:

all right! it's on the list now

NDRU said:

Extension of a Man is my favorite Hathaway album followed closely by his Donny Hathaway Live. Extension has an unbelievable opening with I Love the Lord Pts. & 2, Someday We'll All Be Free, Flying Easy and Valdez in the Country...culminating with I Love You More than You'll Ever Know. What a great great album. So soulful.