Salute to Mr. WILLIAM "MICKEY" STEVENSON

[loveblind]

SALUTE TO WILLIAM "MICKEY" STEVENSON
William "Mickey" Stevenson was a songwriter and record producer for the Motown Records group of labels from the early days of Berry Gordy's company until 1967, when he and his then-wife, singer Kim Weston, left for MGM.

Stevenson was head of the A&R department at Motown during the company's "glory" years of the mid-1960s when artists such as The Supremes, Marvin Gaye, The Temptations, Four Tops, and Martha & the Vandellas came to the fore. He was also responsible for establishing the company's in-house studio band, which came to be known as The Funk Brothers. He also discovered Martha Reeves.

He wrote and produced many hit records for Motown, some with co-writer and producer Ivy Jo Hunter, including "Dancing in the Street", "It Takes Two", "Ask the Lonely", "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted", "My Baby Loves Me", "Uptight [[Everything's Alright)" and "Stubborn Kind of Fellow". He also wrote "Devil with the Blue Dress On" in 1964 with Shorty Long, which became a hit for Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels in 1966, and "Can You Jerk Like Me" for Motown group The Contours [[also 1964) .
He also wrote under the pseudonym/alias Avery Vandenburg, for Jobete's Stein & Van Stock publishing subsidiary.

Stevenson has concentrated on producing stage musicals in more recent years. He is alive and well and still in the business of entertainment.

[MotownSteve]

Mickey Stevenson & Ivy Jo Hunter should have a CD of their songs done by ACE Records in their songwriters series.

[Roger Polhill]

Two of my main Motown men.Please the Power That Be release some of their vaulted material.

[robb_k]

Mickey Stevenson & Ivy Jo Hunter should have a CD of their songs done by ACE Records in their songwriters series.

My favourite songwriting team of all time and in all music genres [[even edging out [[albeit only slightly) Goffin-King, and Bachrach-David).

[jsmith]

In the early 70's, when all the old soul producers were getting into cutting stuff on themselves, Mickey cut a full album that was released here in the UK [[a 45 was also issued that featured tracks lifted from the LP).
It wasn't the best LP ever made by any means, but there were a couple of really good tracks on it.

[mysterysinger]

Have to agree with the theme of this thread and like the others I would regard William Stevenson as an all time Motown great - "Ask The Lonely" is an absolute fave. Just class!

[motony]

If I could only name 3 people that made the Motown Record Corp. what it became I would say Berry Gordy, Smokey Robinson & William Stevenson.I think Motown Detroit would have ben alot better off after HDH left if Mickey had been there.

[motownlover1964]

My Baby Loves Me is my favorite recording by Martha & the Vandellas and Ask the Lonely ranks right near the top of the list of my favorite Four Tops recordings.

[loveblind]

Mickey was a sharp dresser too!