Willie Hutch Article in the Dallas Observer

He'll be there

Willie Hutch wrote one of the greatest songs ever, but he ain't done yet

By Robert Wilonsky

Published: Thursday, October 29, 1998

.....Willie Hutch's studio sits along a desolate stretch of Highway 67 in Cedar Hill. It is just off the highway, not far from an exit no one seems to use very much--unless, perhaps, they are in need of used tires, which are sold at the establishment sitting next to the brown box that houses Hutch's recording facility. The building itself isn't so much run-down as it is forgotten; above the two-story facility hangs a sign advertising space for rent, and it looks as though it has been hanging there forever, ignored. Hutch's studio isn't even marked on its exterior. There is only the address and a single, struggling light bulb over the doorway. To call it modest would be overstating the point. You only rent here when you're out of options, or on the run.....

..............in 1964 or '65--Hutch isn't exactly sure of the date--Smokey Robinson went to L.A. to ask Hutch about coming to Motown as both a writer and producer. Back then, no aspiring songwriter could have asked for more; it was heaven on a stick, the chance to work with Marvin Gaye and the Supremes and the Four Tops when they were at the top of their games. Hutch told Marc Gordon about Robinson's impending visit, to which Gordon responded that if he didn't sign with Johnny Rivers immediately, then Rivers wouldn't sign the Fifth Dimension or singer Al Wilson to Soul City. "I kinda felt rained on a little bit," Hutch says. But he stuck with the Fifth, if only out of loyalty. "I got a heart." He smiles. Hutch called producer Hal Davis at Motown and told him to extend his thanks--and his regrets--to Smokey.............

the full lengthy worthwhile article can be found here

lnk updated Oct 2015

http://www.dallasobserver.com/music/hell-be-there-6397998