Former Cleveland 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. Hathaway then studied music on a fine arts scholarship at Howard University in Washington, D.C., where he met Roberta Flack. [2] Amy Winehouse called Hathaway her favorite artist of all time. Both daughters are graduates of the Berklee College of Music. Read Full Biography. Rhymesayers artist Brother Ali mentions Donny Hathaway in his song, "Room With A View." Donny Edward Hathaway (October 1, 1945 – January 13, 1979) was an Grammy Award-winning American soul musician. Hathaway gimė Čikagoje, Ilinojaus valstijoje. 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. Donny Hathaway (October 18, 1945 – January 13, 1979), the grandson of gospel singer Martha Crumwell, was born in Chicago and reared in St. Louis by her. On January 13, Hathaway began a recording session with producers/musicians Eric Mercury and James Mtume. 1", which he co-wrote with former Howard roommate Leroy Hutson, who became a performer, writer, and producer with Curtom. Roberta Flack (born February 10, 1937) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician who is notabl In 1999, she collaborated with Joe Sample on the album The Song Lives On.After a five-year hiatus, she returned with her fourth album, Outrun the Sky. The album was both a critical and commercial success, including the Ralph 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. [14] In the mid-1970s, he also produced albums for other artists including Cold Blood, where he expanded the musical range of lead singer Lydia Pense. Raised in St. Louis and reared in the church, Hathaway was a child prodigy, singing and playing piano at a very young age, and achieving notoriety as "America's youngest Gospel singer" at age four. ... an apparent suicide at age 33. Born October 1, 1945, Donny Hathaway was raised in St. Louis by his grandmother.He started playing piano at age 4 and toured the local gospel circuit with her as a child. Jaunystė. Age 33 years (age at death) old. Scales is the astrological symbol and The Seventh House is the ruling house of Libra. See full bio » Donny Hathaway Biography by Steve Huey + Follow Artist. "This Christmas" has been covered by numerous artists across diverse musical genres, including The 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 and Mary J. Blige (A Mary Christmas), Seal, Train and CeeLo Green, among other artists. At first, Hathaway worked as songwriter, session musician and producer. He also composed and conducted music for the 1972 soundtrack of the movie Come Back Charleston Blue. 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 sound. He graduated from Vashon High School in 1963. Born “Donny Edward Hathaway” into a poor household in Chicago, Illinois in 1945, he belonged to a musical family. Atlantic then put out another solo single, "You Were Meant For Me" shortly before his sudden death. His third album Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway was an album of duets with former Howard University associate and label mate Roberta Flack that established him, especially on the pop charts. He also recorded an album of duets with former Howard University classmate and label mate Roberta Flack. Hathaway then signed to Atco Records, which released his first single of note, "The Ghetto". Most Popular #31271. His grandmother, Martha Pitts, was a professional gospel singer. A gospel singer at age 10, he went on to become a talented pop songwriter and hitmaker, notably through memorable duets with Roberta Flack. Added the writer, "He declined to give one particular influence or inspiration but said that Ravel, Debussy and Stravinsky were amongst whom he studied."[15]. b. Donny Edward Hathaway, 1st October 1945, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A.. d. 13th January 1979, Essex House Hotel, New York City, New York, U.S.A. Donny Hathaway hailed from Chicago, Illinois, although he grew up in St. Louis with his grandmother, Martha Cromwell, who was a … About. Hathaway followed this flurry of work with some contributions to soundtracks, along with his recording of the theme song to the TV series Maude. Born: 1-Oct-1945 Birthplace: Chicago, IL Died: 13-Jan-1979 Location of death: New York City Cause of death: Suicide Remains: Buried, Lake Charles Park Cemetery, Bel-Nor, MO. The critic later regarded him as "a synthesizer of limitless cultural aspiration" who "conveyed a sense of roots" and was never content with "the classbound pop fantasies of Ashford & Simpson", but mused that "the idealistic credulousness of a project that incorporated pop, jazz, a little blues, lots of gospel, and the conservatory into an all-over black style is linked to the floridity that mars much of his work. Other articles where Hathaway, Donny is discussed: soul music: …City—notably by Aretha Franklin and Donny Hathaway; Wonder and the Jackson 5 created some of the era’s great soul records in Los Angeles; and in Philadelphia, Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff virtually reinvented the genre with the O’Jays and Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes. First Name Donny #4. I hoped that at some point he would be released from all that he was going through. Her parents are Donny and Eulaulah Hathaway. Rapper Scarface mentions Hathaway in his song "Still Here" off of the "Emeritus" album released. In 1967, Hathaway married Eulaulah Vann. Donny Edward Hathaway (October 1, 1945 – January 13, 1979) was an American jazz, blues, soul, and gospel vocalist and musician. Talib Kweli mentions Hathaway in his song "The Beautiful Struggle" 2008, Ed Pavlic published "Winners Have Yet To Be Announced" (University of Georgia Press), poems reimagining the life of Donny Hathaway. Deleted user After becoming a "house producer" at Curtom, he also started recording there. Lalah was born Eulaulah Hathaway in Chicago, Illinois, into a family for whom music was their first language. In November 2008 the famous Dutch singer, Gordon Heuckeroth, made an album, called: A Song For You, with several songs by Hathaway. In the 2001 hit by Jay-Z "Girls,Girls,Girls" Donny Hathaway's song "Love,Love,Love" is sampled. Donny Hathaway was a famous American singer-songwriter, pianist, and producer, who was born on October 1, 1945.As a person born on this date, Donny Hathaway is listed in our database as the 48th most popular celebrity for the day (October 1) and the 71st most popular for the year (1945). He was married to Eulaulah Hathaway. On January 13, 1979, his body was found outside the luxury hotel Essex House in New York City; his death was ruled a suicide. [8] Hathaway then studied music on a fine arts scholarship at Howard University in Washington, D.C., where he met Roberta Flack. By the time he was a student at Vashon High School, he was known as a piano prodigy, which earned him a fine-arts scholarship to Howard University in 1964 where he was initiated into Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity. A new version of Last.fm is available, to keep everything running smoothly, please reload the site. Hathaway, the son of Drusella Huntley, was born in Chicago, but spent most of his youth in St. Louis. Hathaway worked as a songwriter, session musician, and producer for Curtis Mayfield's Curtom Records in Chicago. Factory to Reissue Two Acclaimed Donny Hathaway Live Albums July 17", "Recording Academy™ to Honor Special Merit Awards Recipients With GRAMMY Salute to Music Legends™ on May 11", "Mister Soul – A Story About Donny Hathaway", "Music - Review of Donny Hathaway - Live", "Features | The Quietus Writers' 40 Favourite Live Albums", "Donny Hathaway: Reassessing His Musical Life", "Donny Hathaway's Daughter Lalah Is Finally Ready to Honor Him in Concert", "Eulaulah Hathaway on Her Musical Marriage to Donny Hathaway", "Donny Hathaway: Neglected Heart Of Soul", "Island Records to release new Amy Winehouse album", "Donny Hathaway US certification history", "Donny Hathaway US singles chart history", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Donny_Hathaway&oldid=994995307, American rhythm and blues singer-songwriters, Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award winners, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles needing additional references from November 2019, All articles needing additional references, Articles needing additional references from August 2015, Wikipedia articles with MusicBrainz identifiers, Wikipedia articles with SUDOC identifiers, Wikipedia articles with WORLDCATID identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, "—" denotes the album failed to chart or was not certified, "—" denotes the single failed to chart or was not certified. Hathaway received so many job offers that he left Howard without a degree in 1967. [9] 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.[9]. Iconic singer Donny Hathaway has a daughter who developed an interest in singing at a young age. The glass had been neatly removed from the window and there were no signs of a struggle, leading investigators to rule that Hathaway's death was a suicide. First Name Donny #4. Donny Hathaway was born on October 1, 1945 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He also played the ukulele and, fascinated by Liberace, began studying piano as a child. [17] Hathaway had a third daughter, Donnita, with a woman named Charlotte with whom he had a relationship while separated from his wife.[18][9]. The album also included a number of other covers, including versions of Carole King's "You've Got a Friend" and "Baby I Love You", originally a hit for Aretha Franklin. His body showed no signs of struggle, and the glass from the window in Hathaway's room had been removed; investigators determined Hathaway had committed suicide. She has mastered the art so well that she is a brilliant and melodious singer. His nickname was Donny Pitts, Hathaway Donny Edward. Donny Hathaway is also known as the co-composer and performer of the Christmas standard, "This Christmas". All user-contributed text on this page is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. That same year, they used that tribute song's arrangement to do a cover of Hathaway's song "This Christmas", included on their Happy Holidays to You Christmas album. Donny Hathaway's height Unknown & weight Not Available right. In the 2019 song "Ladies, Ladies, Ladies", This page was last edited on 18 December 2020, at 17:06. [19] Jennifer Holliday and Aaliyah, both, covered Hathaway's single, "Giving Up." Donny Edward Hathaway was an American jazz blues soul and gospel vocalist and musician. "[23], American singer-songwriter and musician (1945–1979), Learn how and when to remove this template message, "Donny Hathaway: Two Rarities From New Anthology – Song Premiere", "Shout! Gender: Male Race or Ethnicity: Black Sexual orientation: Straight Occupation: Singer. Professional child gospel singer under name "Donny Pitts," 1950s; signed with Atlantic Records, c. 1969; released first single, "The Ghetto, Part I," 1970; released first LP, Everything Is Everything, 1970; teamed with Roberta Flack and released duet, "Where Is the Love?," 1972; most successful chart appearance was from another duet with Flack, "The Closer I Get to You," 1978, which reached number two. [11] The album also included a number of other covers, including versions of Carole King's "You've Got a Friend", "Baby I Love You", originally a hit for Aretha Franklin, and "You've Lost That Loving Feeling". The single became a pop and R&B hit, and Flack and Hathaway returned to the studios to record a second album of duets thereafter. 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. [6] Dutch director David Kleijwegt made a documentary called Mister Soul – A Story About Donny Hathaway, which premiered at the International Film Festival Rotterdam on January 28, 2020. Donny Edward Hathaway (October 1, 1945 – January 13, 1979) was an American soul singer, keyboardist, songwriter, and arranger. 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. He is known for his work on Two Weeks Notice (2002), The Intouchables (2011) and Malcolm X (1992). Featuring the sweetly infectious “Where Is the Love,” a collection of duets Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway was a hit both in the US and UK in 1972. Lalah has enjoyed a successful solo career, while Kenya is one of the three backing vocalists on the hit TV program American Idol. [21] Justin Timberlake called him "the best singer of all time. Several anecdotes about Hathaway are contained in Jerry Wexler's book Rhythm And The Blues. On soul group The Whispers' 1980 self-titled album, the group paid homage with "A Song for Donny," written by fellow soul singer Carrie Lucas. They also recorded the duet "Just Another Reason", released as the B-side. Leave feedback, Version 19, edited by Hathaway achieved his greatest commercial success as Roberta Flack's duet partner of choice, but sadly he's equally remembered for the tragic circumstances of his death -- an apparent suicide at age 33. In 2005, neo-soul singer songwriter guitarist, [artistRaul Midón (Blue Note) worked with Hathaway's longtime producer Arif Mardin (known for collaborations with The Bee Gees, Chaka Khan, Bette Midler, Norah Jones & Aretha Franklin) and created a tribute song to Hathaway called "Sittin' in the Middle." Hathaway began singing in a church choir with his grandmother, a professional gospel singer, at the age of 3. Donny Hathaway Popularity . Donny Hathaway was a gifted child prodigy. He cultivated many unusual interests, and was a devotee of mid-20th century French classical composers. It's pretty special when an artist can create something that wipes them out." Religion Not Available.. Donny Hathaway Just another Reason '', This Christmas, This is. Soul musician fine, he was prescribed various medications his career, while Kenya is one of Alpha... Soul, and was a professional gospel singer ] they had two daughters, Eulaulah, at Howard he... 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