Donny Hathaway: The Versatile Musician

Donny Hathaway released only three complete albums before his untimely death in 1979. However he will always be remembered as one of the most influential soul artists of his time.

A versatile musician, Hathaway was not only a singer and songwriter but also a formidable song stylist and producer. The music industry continues to speculate how much stronger his influence on R&B would have been had he lived longer.

Born in October 1945, Hathaway spent his formative years in St. Louis with his grandmother, a respected soul singer. A child prodigy, Hathaway started singing and playing the piano at a young age, sowing his musical roots in gospel. In 1964 Hathaway’s talent attracted a fine arts scholarship to study musical theory at Howard University. While there, he performed with the cocktail jazz group Pic Powell Trio and also met fellow student Roberta Flack, who became his duet partner in later years.

During the early years in the music industry Hathaway mainly worked behind the scenes, supporting artists like Aretha Franklin, Jerry Butler and the Staple Singers. Eventually he joined Curtis Mayfield’s Curtom Records as a producer. Here Hathaway released his first single, I Thank You Baby, a duet with June Conquest in 1969, followed by The Ghetto from the Atco label later that year.

1970 saw Hathaway’s debut album Everything is Everything with Atlantic Records, showcasing his unusual arrangements, strong writing talent and unique song selection. In 1971 Hathaway released a compilation of cover versions including Leon Russell’s A Song For You and Van McCoy’s Giving Up. Once again his song selection and ability as a musical interpreter were brought to the fore.

In 1972, Hathaway joined Roberta Flack to record Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway, an album of duets. The magical blending of the two powerful voices helped the album go gold. The cover of James Taylor’s You’ve Got A Friend was a smash hit. The follow up Where Is The Love not only topped the R&B charts but also went to No. 5 on the pop charts, eventually winning the duo a Grammy.

The same year, Hathaway also started exploring soundtrack work. He scored the film Come Back Charleston Blue and recorded the theme song for the TV series Maude.

In 1973 Hathaway released what was to be his last solo album. Extensions Of A Man was a powerful album where Hathaway demonstrated his versatility by exploring beyond the boundaries of pop and soul. It included the track Someday We’ll All be Free, which became one of soul’s classics, later to be covered by Alicia Keys for the 9/11 special concert.

Hathaway reunited with Roberta Flack in 1977 to sing The Closer I Get To You .The single topped the R&B charts and reached No. 2 on the pop charts in 1978. The duo was working on a reunion album at the time of Hathaway’s death. Two completed tracks were later released as part of Flack’s own album titled Roberta Flack featuring Donny Hathaway in 1980. A posthumously released Donny Hathaway Collection gives a beautiful overview of his music

Danny Hathaway passed away in January 1979. For many years he had been struggling with deep depression and had been hospitalized several times for it. He was found dead on the sidewalk below the window of his 15th floor hotel room. The conclusion was suicide.

Donny Hathaway was survived by his wife and children, one of whom is Lalah Hathaway, who became a formidable singer of jazz and soul in the nineties.

Although his musical career was brief, Hathaway has influenced soul artists down the years. The music of artists like India Arie, Frank McComb, Alicia Keys and Kenny Lattimore continue to reflect Hathaway’s legacy.

TJ Grooves - Soul Music TV & Rare Soul Grooves.com