William Stevenson

Songwriter, Lyricist

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Who is William Stevenson?

William "Mickey" Stevenson is a former songwriter and record producer for the Motown Records group of labels from the early days of Berry Gordy's company until 1967, when he and his then-wife, singer Kim Weston, left for MGM.

Stevenson was head of the A&R department at Motown during the company's "glory" years of the mid-1960s when artists such as the Supremes, Marvin Gaye, the Temptations, Four Tops, Stevie Wonder and Martha & the Vandellas came to the fore. He was also responsible for organizing and establishing the company's in-house studio band, which came to be known as The Funk Brothers.

He wrote and produced many hit records for Motown, some with co-writer and producer Ivy Jo Hunter. They included his biggest success, "Dancing in the Street",which he co-wrote with Hunter and Marvin Gaye; "It Takes Two", "Ask the Lonely" for the Four Tops, Jimmy Ruffin's "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted", "My Baby Loves Me", "Can You Jerk Like Me" by the Contours, "Uptight" for Stevie Wonder and Gaye's "Stubborn Kind of Fellow". He also wrote "Devil with the Blue Dress On" in 1964 with Shorty Long, which became a hit for Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels in 1966.

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Also known as
  • William \"Mickey\" Stevenson
  • William "Mickey" Stevenson
Spouses
Nationality
  • United States of America
Profession

Submitted
on July 23, 2013

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"William Stevenson." Biographies.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Mar. 2024. <https://www.biographies.net/people/en/william_mickey_stevenson>.

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