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Biography
Infobox musical artist | name = Leon Ware| image =| caption =| image_size =| background = solo_singer| birth_name = Leon Ware| alias =| birth_date = birth date and age|1940|2|16|birth_place = Detroit, Michigan|Detroit , Michigan , United States|U.S. | death_date =| origin = Detroit, Michigan|Detroit , Michigan , United States|U.S. | genre = R& B , Dance music|Dance , Soul music|Soul , Disco music|Disco , Funk music|Funk , Jazz music|Jazz | instrument = Vocal s| occupation = Singer, Songwriter, Producer| years_active = 1967–present| label = Motown Records United Artists Records Elektra Records Expansion Records Stax Records | associated_acts = Marvin Gaye , Minnie Riperton , Quincy Jones | website = http://www.leonware.com| current_members =| past_members =| notable_instruments = Leon Ware is a soul music singer , songwriter and Record producer|producer . Best known for crafting the chart-topper|hit album , I Want You (Marvin Gaye album)|I Want You , originally recorded for Ware, until friend and Motown icon Marvin Gaye was assigned to the album in 1976. Ware also is notable for writing the Billboard magazine|Top 5 Rhythm and blues|R& B single (music)|single , " I Wanna Be Where You Are ", for a young Michael Jackson in 1972, and creating the Body Heat (Quincy Jones album)|Body Heat album along with Quincy Jones . He also collaborated with Maxwell (musician)|Maxwell on his debut album '' Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite .
Biography
Leon Ware started his career as a songwriter in the spring of 1967 as a songwriter. He co-wrote along with Ivy Hunter and Steve Bowden for the Isley Brothers recording of "Got to Have You Back," In 1971, Leon would collaborate with Ike & Tina Turner, co-writing six songs on their United Artists Records|United Artist album called Nuff Said. Released Fall 1971, the album reached the Top 40 of the R& B charts and also appeared in the pop charts. Later that year, Ware began collaborating with Arthur "T-Boy" Ross , the younger brother of Diana Ross . One of the songs they wrote was ' I Wanna Be Where You Are '. Recorded by Michael Jackson in November, 1971 for his 1972 Got to Be There|Got To Be There album. The single exploded in the spring of 1972 peaking at number two on the R& B charts and number 16 on the pop charts. This success would lead to a record contract with United Artists Records with the release of his self-titled debut album ' Leon Ware (album)|Leon Ware . By 1973 Leon had songwriting credits on albums by the Donny Hathaway , Jackson 5 , Average White Band , The Miracles and others. In the spring of 1974. Quincy Jones tapped Leon as songwriter and performer for two songs on his Body Heat (Quincy Jones album)|Body Heat album. The single "If I Ever Lose This Heaven," which he co wrote with Pam Sawyer and also sang on the album with Minnie Riperton and Al Jarreau , was an R& B singles chart entry in September. Nearly a year later, it was covered by the Average White Band reaching the Top 40 of both the pop and R& B charts in 1975. Ware collaborated again with Minnie Riperton on two songs for her Adventures in Paradise (Minnie Riperton album)|Adventures in Paradise album "Inside My Love," released as a single in the summer of 1975. The song became a Top 40 R& B hit and also reached the pop charts. Also in 1975, Ware and T-Boy Ross had started working on demos for Ware's second album to be released on Motown Records|Motown and a demo to secure T-Boy Ross a record deal. One of those demo recordings, " I Want You (Marvin Gaye song)|I Want You was heard by Motown boss Berry Gordy decided it would be a good fit for Marvin Gaye . Gaye would hear the rest of the demo of the demo tracks for what would become Gaye's album I Want You (Marvin Gaye album)|I Want You . Ware would co produce and co write the album along with T-Boy Ross. Released in March 1976, the album exploded on the charts going number one on the R& B charts and the Top Ten of the pop charts. Having given away the material for his album, Ware began again on a solo effort for Motown. The result would be Ware's second album, " Musical Massage . Released in September 1976, it did not chart at all due to no promotion by Motown Records|Motown .
For the rest of the 70's into the 1990s, Ware would continue writing songs for others such as Teena Marie , Jeffrey Osborne , Loose Ends , James Ingram , Melissa Manchester , Bobby Womack and Lulu (singer)|Lulu . He would also release nine solo albums between 1979 and 2008 with varying degrees of success. By the late '80s and 1990s, Ware continued to work on various sessions as a musician, arranger, and producer. One of his co-written songs, "Independence", the title track of a 1993 album by Lulu (singer)|Lulu was a hit, particularly in Europe. Another session was Maxwell (musician)|Maxwell 's debut album, Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite which was one of the first albums to usher in New Soul genre. Also, his work was discovered as a source of sampling by rappers and hip-hop artists.
As of 2009, Ware was recovering from treatment for prostate cancer , and credited his friend and fellow songwriter Adrienne Anderson with directing him to appropriate medical care. http://www.soulandjazzandfunk.com/news.asp? pNum=35 Interview With Leon Ware: "Still Riding High", published March 6, 2009; www.souljazzandfunk.com.
Ware is featured on the debut album of Irish electo band Zombie Computer (Band)|Zombie Computer . He features on the title track “Indian Summer” with a beautifully written and performed spoken word piece which is complemented by Zombie Computer’s melodic & rhythmic sensibilities. http://www.breakingtunes.com/zombiecomputer
Allmusic|class=artist|id=p168077|pure_url=yes at Allmusic
http://www.soulwalking.co.uk/Leon%20Ware.html Artist page at Soul Walking
http://www.larasaintpaul.com/eHits.html Saffo Music produced by Leon Ware at http://www.larasaintpaul.com www.larasaintpaul.com
http://www.sixmillionsteps.com/drupal/node/908 - 75 minute audio mix with dialogue
http://www.soulwalking.co.uk/Leon%20Ware.html Brief profile of Leon Ware mentions childhood blindness and attending same school as Stevie Wonder
http://www.soulinterviews.com/leon-ware-2012/ Leon Ware 2012 Interview at Soulinterviews.com
Video links
http://www.redbullmusicacademy.com/video-archive/lectures/leon_ware__come_with_me_angels Leon Ware RBMA video lecture session
Stax Records Persondata | NAME = Ware, Leon | ALTERNATIVE NAMES = | SHORT DESCRIPTION = American musician | DATE OF BIRTH = 6 February 1940 | PLACE OF BIRTH = Detroit, Michigan|Detroit , Michigan , United States|U.S. | DATE OF DEATH = | PLACE OF DEATH = DEFAULTSORT:Ware, Leon Category:1940 births Category:Living people Category:People from Detroit, Michigan Category:Musicians from Michigan Category:American soul musicians Category:American rhythm and blues musicians Category:Songwriters from Michigan Category:American record producers
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