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Donny Hathaway | |
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| Background information | |
| Also known as | Donny Pitts |
| Born | Donny Edward Hathaway (1945-10-01)October 1, 1945 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | January 13, 1979(1979-01-13) (aged 33) New York City, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
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| Instruments |
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| Years active | 1966–1979 |
| Labels | |
Donny Edward Hathaway (October 1, 1945 – January 13, 1979)[1] was an Americansoul singer, keyboardist, songwriter, backing vocalist, and arranger whoRolling Stone described as a "soul legend".[2] His most popular songs include "The Ghetto", "This Christmas", "Someday We'll All Be Free", and "Little Ghetto Boy". Hathaway is also renowned for his renditions of "A Song for You","For All We Know", "Jealous Guy" and "I Love You More Than You'll Ever Know", along with"Where Is the Love" and "The Closer I Get to You", two of many collaborations withRoberta Flack. He has been inducted into theSt. Louis Walk of Fame and won oneGrammy Award from four nominations.[3][4][5][6] Hathaway was also posthumously honored with aGrammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019.[7] Dutch director David Kleijwegt made a documentary calledMister Soul – A Story About Donny Hathaway, which premiered at theInternational Film Festival Rotterdam on January 28, 2020.[8]
Hathaway, the son of Drusella Huntley, was born into aBlack American family inChicago, Illinois, and was raised by his grandmother, Martha Pitts, also known as Martha Crumwell, in theCarr Squarehousing project ofSt. Louis,Missouri. Hathaway began singing in the church choir with his grandmother, a professional gospel singer, at the age of three, and studying piano. He graduated fromVashon High School in 1963.[9] Hathaway then studied music on a fine arts scholarship atHoward University inWashington, D.C.,[10] where he met his roommate and drummer Ric Powell, who ultimately launched Donny's musical career as a member of "The Ric Powell Trio". At Howard, he was also a member of theAlpha Phi Alpha fraternity,[10] but during 1967, just before completing a degree, Donny and Ric left Howard after receiving job offers in the music business with the likes ofCurtis Mayfield'sCurtom Records in Chicago.[11]
Hathaway worked as a songwriter, session musician, and producer forCurtis Mayfield'sCurtom Records in Chicago. He did the arrangements for hits bythe Unifics ("Court of Love" and "The Beginning of My End") and took part in projects bythe Staple Singers,Jerry Butler,Aretha Franklin,the Impressions and Curtis Mayfield himself. After becoming a "house producer" at Curtom, he started recording there. Hathaway recorded his first single under his own name in 1969, a duet with singerJune Conquest called "I Thank You, Baby". They also recorded the duet "Just Another Reason", released as theB-side. FormerCleveland Browns president Bill Futterer, who as a college student promoted Curtom in the southeast in 1968 and 1969, was befriended by Hathaway and has cited Hathaway's influence on his later projects.
That year, Hathaway signed toAtco Records, then a division of Atlantic Records, after being spotted for the label by producer/musicianKing Curtis at a trade convention. He released his first single of note, "The Ghetto, Pt. 1", which he co-wrote with former Howard roommateLeroy Hutson, who became a performer, writer, and producer with Curtom. The track appeared the following year on his critically acclaimed debut LP,Everything Is Everything, which he co-produced with Ric Powell while also arranging all the cuts.
His second LP,Donny Hathaway, consisted mostly of covers of contemporary pop, soul, andgospel songs. His third albumRoberta Flack & Donny Hathaway was an album ofduets with former Howard University associate and label mateRoberta Flack, for whom he previously sang backup on "Killing Me Softly with His Song" that established him, especially on the pop charts. The album was a critical and commercial success, including theRalph MacDonald-penned track "Where Is the Love", which proved to be not only an R&B success, but also scored Top Five on the pop Hot 100.[12] It sold over one million copies, and was awarded agold disc by theRIAA on September 5, 1972.[13] The album also included other covers, including versions ofCarole King's "You've Got a Friend", "Baby I Love You", originally a hit forAretha Franklin, and "You've Lost That Loving Feeling".
Perhaps Hathaway's most influential recording is his 1972 album,Live, which has been termed "one of the best live albums ever recorded" by Daryl Easlea of theBBC.[14] The album is on the list of "40 Favourite Live Albums" published by British online music and culture magazineThe Quietus.[15] It was recorded at two concerts: side one at theTroubadour in Hollywood, and side two atThe Bitter End inGreenwich Village,Manhattan.
Hathaway was the co-composer and performer of the Christmas standard, "This Christmas".[10] The song, released in 1970, has become a holiday staple and is often used in movies, television and advertising. "This Christmas" has been covered by numerous artists across diverse musical genres, includingThe Whispers,Diana Ross, Aretha Franklin,The Temptations,The Four Tops,Stevie Wonder,Alexander O'Neal,Christina Aguilera,Chicago,Harry Connick, Jr.,Dru Hill,*NSYNC,Gloria Estefan,Boney James,The Cheetah Girls,Chris Brown, Anthony Arnett (First Baptist Bracktown Christmas Celebration),Patti LaBelle andMary J. Blige (A Mary Christmas),Seal, Train andCeeLo Green, among other artists.
Hathaway followed this flurry of work with contributions to soundtracks, along with his recording of thetheme song to the TV seriesMaude. He composed and conducted music for the 1972 soundtrack of the movieCome Back Charleston Blue.[16] In the mid-1970s, he produced albums for other artists includingCold Blood, where he expanded the musical range of lead singerLydia Pense.
His final studio album,Extension of a Man came out in 1973 with two tracks, "Love Love Love" and "I Love You More Than You'll Ever Know" reaching both the pop and R&B charts. It also included his classic ballad, "Someday We'll All Be Free" and a six-minute symphonic-styled instrumental piece called "I Love The Lord, He Heard My Cry". He told UK music journalistDavid Nathan in 1973, "I always liked pretty music and I've always wanted to write it." Added the writer, "He declined to give one particular influence or inspiration but said thatRavel,Debussy andStravinsky were amongst whom he studied."[17]
He returned to the charts in 1978 after again teaming up with Roberta Flack for a duet, "The Closer I Get to You" on her album,Blue Lights in the Basement. The song topped the R&B chart and reached the No. 2 spot on the Hot 100.[18] Atlantic then put out another solo single, "You Were Meant For Me" shortly before his sudden death.
Liner notes for later releases of his final solo album explain: "Donny is no longer here, but the song "Someday We'll All Be Free" gathers momentum as part of his legacy... Donny literally sat in the studio and cried when he heard the playback of his final mix. It's pretty special when an artist can create something that wipes them out." Edward Howard, lyricist of the song, adds, "It was a spiritual thing for me... What was going through my mind at the time was Donny, because Donny was a very troubled person. I hoped that at some point he would be released from all that he was going through. There was nothing I could do but write something that might be encouraging for him. He's a good leader for young black men".
In 1967, Hathaway married Eulaulah Vann.[19] The two met while attendingHoward University where both were studying music.[19] They had two daughters,Eulaulah Donyll (Lalah) andKenya Canc'Libra. Lalah has enjoyed a successful solo career, while Kenya is a session singer and one of the three backing vocalists on the hit TV programAmerican Idol. Both daughters are graduates of theBerklee College of Music.[20][21][11]
During the peak of his career, Hathaway began experiencing severe bouts of depression and exhibiting unusual behavior.[22] Between 1973 and 1974, he was hospitalized several times until he was eventually diagnosed withparanoid schizophrenia[23][22][24] for which he was prescribed various medications. At one point, Hathaway was prescribed fourteen different medications that he was to take twice a day.[10] After Hathaway was diagnosed and began taking medication, his mental state improved. However, Eulaulah Hathaway has said that her husband became less than diligent about following his prescription regimen when he began feeling better and often stopped taking his medications altogether.[11] From 1973 to 1977, Hathaway's mental instability wreaked havoc on his life and career and required several hospitalizations. The effects of his depression and severe mood swings also drove a wedge in his and Flack's friendship; they did not reconcile for several years, and did not release additional music until the successful release of "The Closer I Get to You" in 1978. Flack and Hathaway then resumed studio recording to compose a second album of duets.
Sessions for another album of duets were underway in 1979. On January 13, Hathaway began a recording session with producers/musiciansEric Mercury andJames Mtume. Each reported that although Hathaway was singing fine, he began behaving irrationally, seeming to be paranoid and delusional. According to Mtume, Hathaway said that white people were trying to kill him and had connected his brain to a machine for the purpose of stealing his music and his voice.[11] Given Hathaway's behavior, Mercury said that he decided the recording session could not continue, so he aborted it and all of the musicians went home.[11]
Hours later, Hathaway was found dead on the pavement below the window of his 15th-floor room in New York City'sEssex House hotel at 160 Central Park South.[1][25] It was reported that he had jumped from his balcony.[26] His hotel room door was locked from the inside and the window glass carefully removed. There were no signs of a struggle, leading investigators to rule that Hathaway's death was asuicide.[27] Flack was devastated and, spurred by his death, included the few duets they had finished on her next album,Roberta Flack Featuring Donny Hathaway (1980). According to Mercury, Hathaway's final recording was "You Are My Heaven", a song Mercury co-wrote withStevie Wonder.
Hathaway's funeral was conducted by the ReverendJesse Jackson.[10] Later in 1979,the Whispers recorded the tribute "Song for Donny" for theirself-titled album. The song reached No. 21 on the R&B chart. That same year, they used that tribute song's arrangement to do a cover of Hathaway's song "This Christmas", included on their Christmas album,Happy Holidays to You.
Elton John’s music was heavily influenced by Hathaway. According to Allison Keyes fromNPR, Hathaway's solo recordings are "part of the foundation of American soul music" and have "influenced performers from R&B singersAlicia Keys &Aaliyah to rapperCommon to singer-guitaristGeorge Benson".[28] He was named the 49th-greatest singer of all time in a 2010 list published byRolling Stone.[29]Justin Timberlake called him "the best singer of all time."[29]Raúl Midón said that Hathaway is "the strongest soul singer that ever existed" and compares his vocal technique to aclassical vocalist.[28] "When Donny sings any song, he owns it,"Stevie Wonder was quoted byDavid Ritz as saying.[3]Amy Winehouse called Hathaway her favorite artist of all time[30] and refers to "Mr Hathaway" in her songRehab. The Korean indie pop groupHathaw9y named themselves in honor of him. Rock criticRobert Christgau described Hathaway as "a synthesizer of limitless cultural aspiration" who "conveyed a sense of roots" and was never content with "the classbound pop fantasies ofAshford & Simpson", but mused that "the idealistic credulousness of a project that incorporated pop, jazz, a little blues, lots of gospel, andthe conservatory into an all-over black style is linked to the floridity that mars much of his work."[31]
| Year | Album | Chart positions | Certifications | Record label | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [32] | US R&B [33] | AUS [34] | UK [35] | ||||
| 1970 | Everything Is Everything | 73 | 33 | — | — | — | Atco |
| 1971 | Donny Hathaway | 89 | 6 | — | — | — | |
| 1972 | Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway | 3 | 2 | 22 | 31 |
| Atlantic |
| 1973 | Extension of a Man | 69 | 18 | — | — | — | Atco |
| Year | Album | Chart positions | Certifications | Record label | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [32] | US R&B [33] | ||||
| 1972 | Live | 18 | 4 |
| Atco |
| 1980 | In Performance | 201 | 68 | — | Atlantic |
| 2004 | These Songs for You, Live! | — | 78 | — | |
| 2014 | Live at the Bitter End, 1971 | — | — | — | |
| "—" denotes the album failed to chart or was not certified | |||||
| Year | Album | Chart positions | Record label |
|---|---|---|---|
| US [32] | |||
| 1972 | Come Back Charleston Blue | 198 | Atco |
| Year | Album | Chart positions | Record label | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [32] | US R&B [33] | KOR (Int.) [37] | |||
| 1972 | The Most Beautiful Songs of Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway | — | — | — | Atlantic |
| 1978 | The Best of Donny Hathaway | — | 51 | — | Atco |
| 1990 | A Donny Hathaway Collection | 108 | — | — | Atlantic |
| 2000 | Free Soul: The Classic of Donny Hathaway | — | — | — | WEA Int'l |
| 2010 | Someday We'll All Be Free | — | — | — | Atlantic |
| Original Album Series | — | — | — | ||
| 2011 | Flashback with Donny Hathaway | — | — | — | |
| 2013 | Never My Love: The Anthology | — | — | 67 | Atco |
| "—" denotes the album failed to chart or was not certified | |||||
| Year | Single | Chart positions | Certifications | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [38] | US R&B [39] | US AC [40] | UK [35] | |||
| 1969 | "I Thank You Baby"(with June Conquest) | — | 45 | — | — | |
| 1970 | "The Ghetto – Part 1" | 87 | 23 | — | — | |
| "This Christmas" | 34 | — | — | 63 | ||
| 1971 | "You've Got a Friend"(withRoberta Flack) | 29 | 8 | 36 | — | |
| "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'"(with Roberta Flack) | 71 | 30 | — | — | ||
| 1972 | "Little Ghetto Boy" | 109 | 25 | — | — | |
| "Giving Up" | 81 | 21 | — | — | ||
| "I Thank You" (re-release)(with June Conquest) | 94 | 41 | — | — | ||
| "Where Is the Love"(with Roberta Flack) | 5 | 1 | 1 | 29 |
| |
| "Come Back Charleston Blue"(withMargie Joseph) | 102 | — | — | — | ||
| "I Love You More Than You'll Ever Know" | 60 | 20 | — | — | ||
| 1973 | "Love, Love, Love" | 44 | 16 | — | — | |
| "Come Little Children" | — | 67 | — | — | ||
| 1978 | "The Closer I Get to You"(with Roberta Flack) | 2 | 1 | 3 | 42 |
|
| "You Were Meant for Me" | — | 17 | — | — | ||
| 1980 | "You Are My Heaven"(with Roberta Flack) | 47 | 8 | 46 | — | |
| "Back Together Again"(with Roberta Flack) | 56 | 8 | — | 3 | ||
| "—" denotes the single failed to chart or was not certified | ||||||
| This sectiondoes notcite anysources. Please helpimprove this section byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged andremoved.(August 2015) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
...Hathaway scored his first filmCome Back Charleston Blue.
in the 60s-70, schizophrenia was often diagnosed in Black men who suffered any sort of mental illness. Because of this racial bias, it is difficult to know with any certainty if Hathaway's diagnosis was correct. Regardless of this fact, Hathaway's struggles with mental illness included hallucinations, depression, and paranoia. These symptoms were often severe, and they heavily impacted his life.
