2019 Motown affiliated obituaries.

[woodward]

Every year I keep a running list of obituaries of deaths of individuals affiliated with Motown who were essential to the success that the company earned. Thus far I have only two.

On 3/17/19 Andre Williams, age 82. He was a writer/producer at Motown as well as Fortune Records before that.

On 9/6/19 Clay McMurray. age Unknown. He was a producer at Motown.


HAVE I MISSED ANY ---- HOPEFULLY NOT. If this is all for the year we are lucky.

Thanks.

[Ngroove]

Diahann Carroll - October 4, 2019. Although her album on Motown was largely unknown, her overall career was prolific and extraordinary.

[Clifton Miller]

Motown's national promotion director, Gordon Prince, who died June 29:

https://www.adampwhite.com/westgrandblog/soulful-gordon

One of the backroom believers...

[johnny_raven]

Clydie King ... Jan 7, 2019
Michel Legrand ... Jan 26, 2019
Albert Finney ... Feb 7, 2019

[sansradio]

This is a stretch, but John Witherspoon, actor/comedian/brother of Motown staff writer William Weatherspoon.

[benross]

Carol Channing [[who wrote the liner notes for Diana Ross & The Supremes Greatest Hits) passed on January 15, 2019.

Doris Day [[who was filming a movie in March 1967 when Diana visited her on set) passed on May 13, 2019. In October 1964, Doris Day's movie Send Me No Flowers was released. It had a title song written by Bacharach/David. Was the name of this movie an influence on Holland-Dozier-Holland, who could have seen a newspaper clipping mentioning the movie project prior to writing/recording their May 1964 song of the same name? Was the name of the H-D-H unreleased song mentioned anywhere prior to the time the movie's name and its title song were finalized? Or was the use of the same phrase for both the H-D-H/Supremes project and the movie project strictly a coincidence? Did H-D-H write the song as a demo for Doris Day, who rejected it in favor of the Bacharach/David song? NOTE: the H-D-H song was recorded May 4, 1964, while the Bacharach/David song was recorded three weeks later, on May 25, 1964, with Glen Campbell on guitar. Wasn't Berry Gordy a fan of Doris Day, and didn't he state that he saw Doris as a career model for Diana? Was the Lady Sings The Blues scene with Diana in a green cape and matching skirt at a train station influenced in part by the mood of the Doris Day/Les Brown signature song Sentimental Journey? Will Diana ever record Sentimental Journey or possibly add it to her concert routine as an introduction to a Motown hits or movie segment? Will Diana record a medley of the H-D-H and Bacharach/David song? These are the questions that haunt one's mind when the nights are at their longest at this time of year.

[marv2]

This is a stretch, but John Witherspoon, actor/comedian/brother of Motown staff writer William Weatherspoon.

If you are going to stretch like that, then we need to add the Dean of Congress, Rep. John Conyers who was a friend to the Gordy Family and worked closely with Stevie Wonder to get the MLK Holiday passed.

[marv2]

Beverly Stubbs Meah, daughter of Levi Stubbs and member of the singing group, The Stubbs Girls.

[marv2]

James Louis Mason, age 84, died on April 2, 2019. The principal bassoonist with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. He played on many Motown recordings in the 60s.

https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/ToledoBlade/obituary.aspx?n=James-L-Mason&pid=192065919

[benross]

Michel Legrand -- who wrote the theme song and arranged the score for Lady Sings The Blues and also wrote What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life, recorded by Diana Ross -- passed on January 26, 2019.

Albert Finney -- who recorded an album for Motown in 1977 -- passed February 7, 2019.