Nearly one week after the death of influential drummer Clyde Stubblefield, the passing of another soul music great, whose work would gain new life through it's sampling on Hip Hop records, was announced on Thursday, February 23.
Leon Ware was an old school Detroit native who entered the music business with Berry Gordy as a Motown original. He would release 11 studio albums throughout his five decades in the business but was most noted for his contributions behind the scenes, as a songwriter for such artists as Michael Jackson and Marvin Gaye.
Ware got his early credits as one of Gordy's in-house writers. The position allowed him to work intimately with Motown's legendary roster of artists, including Diana Ross and The Isley Brothers, for whom he wrote the 1967 track "Got to Have You Back." Throughout the late 60's he made some contributions to efforts by flagship artist, Gaye, but it was in 1976 that they connected to put out his most substantial project with Gaye when the r&b king dropped I Want You, which Ware co-wrote every track of. By that time Ware had already been reputed across the industry for his hit making ability, having been tapped by Quincy Jones for his 1974 album Body Heat, and written one of Michael's debut hits, after leaving the Jackson 5, "I wanna Be Where You Are."
Ware would go on to work with other greats throughout the 1970's, including Donny Hathaway, Minnie Riperton and the Miracles. But his contributions didn't stop there, as his indirect impact would go on to spawn modern hits through sampling by such acts as Tupac, Jay-Z and A Tribe Called Quest.
The cause of his death is still yet confirmed, although he had lived his final days suffering from prostate cancer. He was 77 years old.
Source: msn.com
