I’ve scanned Facebook and it looks like family members have confirmed his passing. Sad to learn of this.

I LOVE his work. A totally under appreciated songwriter and producer. I wish Motown got behind his work because there were some stellar productions that could have been hits when the label was trying to keep some of its flagship acts afloat. When the Four Tops and the Vandellas were struggling chartwise in the departure of HDH, Raynard had several songs that I believe could have brought them back on top. Instead Motown issued the wrong songs and let those great tracks linger in the vaults. “You Can’t Keep A Good Man Down” is one of my all-time favorite Tops songs and for Motown not to even release it at the time is criminal. To me, it could have given them another top 10 hit. It was fresh and different and had a great hook. For the Vandellas, “I Love The Man” was another missed opportunity by Motown that could have given Martha another hit. Not to mention the instrumental break with the strings and Funks may be my favorite of all Motown songs - it just wasn’t long enough!

In 2014, I attended the HAL Awards and met Raynard. I told him how I felt about his work and a huge smile lit up on his face. You could see how genuinely touched he was that his work was appreciated and loved by a younger generation.

I plan on playing his work today in celebration of him.