From:   "Dik de Heer" 
Date:  Fri Mar 1, 2002  1:16 am
Subject:  Born To Be With You : Willie Mitchell
 
WILLIE MITCHELL

Born 1 March 1928 (or 3 January, 1928), Ashland, Mississippi

Producer / composer / arranger / trumpeter / keyboardist

By the time Mitchell made his first record (1957), he was already
a very experienced musician, having played in several bands and
also leading his own combos. In 1960 he got his first producer's
job at the small Home Of The Blues label. At the end of 1961, Willie
joined the Memphis-based Hi label, which had been formed in 1957,
and, after some years of experimentation, had found a niche for
itself with succesful instrumentals by the Bill Black Combo and
Ace Cannon. Willie's combo became Hi's regular studio band and
recorded many instrumental singles and albums in the sixties.
His first chart entry (# 31, both pop and R&B) was "20-75", named
after the record's catalogue number (Hi 2075), in 1964. His biggest
success was "Soul Serenade" (# 23 pop, # 10 R&B) in 1968, though
I personally prefer the more rocking "Bad Eye" and "Slippin' And
Slidin'", both from 1966. But Mitchell's real forte was as a producer
and arranger and he was instrumental (no pun intended) in developing
Hi Records into a viable alternative to Stax, with artists such as Ann
Peebles, O.V. Wright and, most succesful of all, Al Green.
In 1970, Willie became vice-president of the label, but eventually
left Hi in 1979, a wealthy man.

Recommended listening: Soul Serenade : The Best Of Willie Mitchell
(Hi / Right Stuff, 1999). 20 tracks from the sixties. For a review see:
http://www.cdshakedown.com/123199.htm