January 5 – We’ve been informed by our friends at Thompkins Marketing that legendary soul music producer Willie Mitchell has died in his hometown of Memphis. Mitchell was best known as a trumpeter and producer at Hi Records, where he helped to create the sound that catapulted Al Green to the top of the soul and pop charts. Together, Green and Mitchell created a series of some of the greatest soul music songs of the 70s, from "Call Me" to "Let’s Stay Together." The two reunited in 2003 for Green’s return to R&B, Can’t Stop. Mitchell also worked on John Mayer’s Grammy winning 2006 album, Continuum.
He will be missed, but his music will live on.
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