Detroit-born R&B singer/songwriter/pianist/record producer Leon Ware
(1940-2017) left an indelible mark in soul music.
He is particularly remembered for his work with Marvin Gaye, the superbly talented and enduringly popular
soul singer who took Leon’s midtempo conga-driven disco-styled I WANT YOU to the top of the R&B charts in 1976.
The captivating ballad was originally intended for Diana Ross’s younger brother Arthur ‘T-Boy’ Ross
but when Motown boss Berry Gordy heard Leon’s demo, he fell in love with the song and immediately
earmarked it for Marvin. The resulting collaboration between Marvin and Leon resulted in Leon
co-writing and producing an entire Marvin album also titled “I Want You”
which reached #4 on the Billboard 200.
Marvin and Leon shared a unique bond both of friendship and musical compatibility
and following the success of I WANT YOU, they also triumphed with a further superlative Marvin single
which they wrote together namely AFTER THE DANCE.
As particularly evidenced in I WANT YOU, a number of Leon’s compositions
resulted in sensual romantic ballads.
Jazz was also a major influence in Leon’s musical make-up and he told columnist
Marc Myers ‘What you hear on I WANT YOU are jazz chords against R&B flavors.’
You can also witness formidable jazz inflections in a song he wrote with Motown’s Pam Sawyer
called IF I EVER LOSE THIS HEAVEN which he recorded with Quincy Jones it’s among
Leon’s most recorded copyrights of which other artists such as
Nancy Wilson, Sergio Mendes and Maxine Nightingale
cut their own versions.
An earlier Leon Ware composition from his Motown days was I WANNA BE WHERE YOU ARE
which he co-authored with‘T-Boy’ Ross and which became a #2 R&B hit in ’72 by Michael Jackson.
During his career, Leon collaborated and worked with a broad spectrum of other musicians
ranging from Brazilian singer/songwriter Marcus Valle, Janis Siegel of Manhattan Transfer,
Syreeta, Norman Connors, El DeBarge, Marty & David Paich, Bonnie Bramlett
and jazz pianist Don Grusin through to jazz guitarist Sandro Albert who co-produced
Leon’s 2004 album “A Kiss In The Sand”.
Leon also co-wrote and sang backup vocals on Teena Marie’s Marvin Gaye tribute song
MY DEAR MR. GAYE on her 1984 Epic album “Starchild”.
Here’s an alphabetical list of Leon’s charted compositions…
AFTER THE DANCE
(Leon Ware/Marvin Gaye)
by Marvin Gaye
Arr: Coleridge Taylor Perkinson
Pro: Leon Ware
(Tamla: 1976) US #14 R&B, #74 Pop
BABY DON’T STOP ME (Leon Ware/Peter Cetera/Marcus Valle)
by Leon Ware
Pro: Leon Ware (Elektra: 1981) US #66 R&B
by Quest For Life
Pro: Burt Conrad (Sea Bright: 1986) US #20 Dance
BODY HEAT (Leon Ware/Quincy Jones/Bruce Fisher/Stan Richardson)
by Quincy Jones Feat. Leon Ware
Pro: Quincy Jones & Ray Brown (A&M: 1974) US #85 R&B in ’75
FANTASY IS REALITY (Leon Ware/George Clinton/Bernie Worrell)
by Parliament
Pro: George Clinton (Casablanca: 1977) US #54 R&B
GIVE ME JUST ANOTHER DAY (Leon Ware)
by The Miracles/Arr: James Carmichael
Pro: Hal Davis (Tamla: 1973) US #47 R&B
GOT TO HAVE YOU BACK (Leon Ware/Steve Bowden/Ivy Hunter)
by The Isley Brothers
Pro: Ivy Hunter (Tamla: 1967) US #47 R&B, #93 Pop
HOT CITY (Leon Ware/Willie Beck/James Williams/Clarence Willis)
by Shadow
Pro: Leon Ware (Elektra: 1980) US #75 R&B
HOW DEEP DOES IT GO (Leon Ware/John Barnes)
by Carl Anderson
Pro: Russ Freeman (GRP: 1990) US #30 R&B
I WANNA BE WHERE YOU ARE (Leon Ware/Arthur ‘T-Boy’ Ross)
by Michael Jackson
Arr: James Carmichael
Pro: Hal Davis (Motown: 1972) US #2 R&B, #16 Pop
by Jose Feliciano
Arr: McKinley Terrell Jackson
Pro: Berry Gordy & Suzee Ikeda (Motown: 1981) US #63 R&B in ‘82
by Sybil
Pro: Howie Hersh & Nephie Centeno (Next Plateau: 1990) US #86 R&B
As WANNA BE WHERE YOU ARE:
by Zulema
Pro: Beau Ray Fleming (RCA: 1974) US #58 R&B in ‘75
I WANT YOU
(Leon Ware/Arthur ‘T-Boy’ Ross)
by Marvin Gaye
Arr: Coleridge Taylor Perkinson
Pro: Leon Ware & T-Boy Ross
(Tamla: 1976) US #1 R&B, #15 Pop
by Tamiko Jones
Arr: Elgin Wells
Pro: Tamiko Jones
(Sutra: 1986)
US #81 R&B
by Marc Nelson
Pro: Kenni Hairston/Trevor Gale
(Capitol: 1991)
US #26 R&B
by Robert Palmer
(in a medley with “Mercy Mercy Me”)
Pro: Teo Macero/Co-Prod: Robert Palmer
(EMI: 1991) US #16 Pop, #90 R&B
.
F I EVER LOSE THIS HEAVEN
(Leon Ware/Pam Sawyer)
by Quincy Jones,
Vocals by Minnie Riperton, Leon Ware & Al Jarreau
Arr: Quincy Jones, Tom Bahler & Dave Blumberg
Pro: Quincy Jones & Tom Bahler
(A&M: 1974)
US #71 R&B
by Average White Band
Pro: Arif Mardin
(Atlantic: 1975)
US #25 R&B, #39 Pop
INDEPENDENCE
(Leon Ware/Winston Sela)
by Lulu
Pro: Mike Ward, Cary Baylis, Eliot Kennedy
(Dome/SBK: 1993)
US #3 Dance, UK #11
INSIDE MY LOVE
(Leon Ware/Minnie Riperton/Richard Rudolph)
by Minnie Riperton
Pro: Stewart Levine, Minnie Riperton & Richard Rudolph
(Epic: 1975)
US #26 R&B, #76 Pop
INSTANT LOVE
(Leon Ware/Jacqueline Hilliard)
by The Main Ingredient feat. Cub Gooding
Orchestrations: Gene Page
Pro & Arr: Simmons & Gooding
(RCA: 1976) US #96 R&B
LOOKING UP TO YOU (Leon Ware/Zane Grey)
by Michael Wycoff
Pro: Webster Lewis
(RCA: 1982) US #47 R&B
LOVERS AFTER ALL
(Leon Ware/Melissa Manchester)
by Melissa Manchester & Peabo Bryson
Pro: Steve Buckingham
(Arista: 1981)
US #34 R&B, #54 Pop, #25 AC
MYSTERY DANCER
(Leon Ware/Billy Beck/James Williams/Clarence Willis)
by Shadow
Pro: Leon Ware
(Elektra: 1980)
US #68 R&B
ROCKIN’ YOU ETERNALLY
(Leon Ware/Marcus Valle)
by Leon Ware
Pro: Leon Ware
(Elektra: 1981) US #74 R&B
ROLLING DOWN A MOUNTAINSIDE
(Leon Ware/Jacqueline Hilliard)
by The Main Ingredient
Arr: Rene Hall
Pro: Gooding & Simmons
(RCA: 1975)
US #7 R&B, #92 Pop
SUMTHIN' SUMTHIN'
(Leon Ware/Maxwell Rivera)
by Maxwell
Pro: Maxwell
(Columbia: 1997)
US #23 R&B, UK#27 (The Mantra)
TRUST YOUR HEART
(Leon Ware/Bobby Womack/Don Davis)
by Bobby Womack
Arr: Rudy Robinson & Wade Marcus
Pro: Don Davis
(Columbia: 1978) US #47 R&B
UP IN HEAH
(Leon Ware/Tina Turner)
by Ike & Tina Turner
Pro: Gerhard Augustin
(United Artists: 1972)
US #47 R&B, #83 Pop
WHAT’S YOUR NAME
(Leon Ware)
by Leon Ware
Pro: Leon Ware
(Fabulous: 1979)
US #42
R&B in ‘80
Among the later R&B chart songs that sampled Leon Ware’s compositions…
HEY MR. D.J.
by Zhane
(Flavor Unit: 1993)
sampled LOOKING UP TO YOU by Michael Wycoff.
HOW DO U WANT IT
by 2Pac Feat. KC & JoJo
(Death Row: 1996)
sampled BODY HEAT by Quincy Jones.
POOR GEORGIE
by MC Lyte
(First Priority: 1992)
sampled I WANNA BE WHERE YOU ARE by Michael Jackson.
SMILE by G-Unit
(G-Unit: 2003)
sampled I TOO AM WANTING
(Leon Ware/Syreeta Wright/Curtis Robertson).
WANNA GET TO KNOW YOU
by G-Unit Feat. Joe
(G-Unit: 2003)
sampled COME LIVE WITH ME ANGEL
(Leon Ware/Jacqueline Hillard)
by Marvin Gaye.
WHAT CAN I DO
by Ice Cube (Priority: 1993)
sampled I WANT YOU by Marvin Gaye.
WHEN YOU GET HOME
by Montell Jordan
(Def Jam: 1999)
sampled I WANT YOU by Marvin Gaye.
WHERE YOU ARE
by Cali Swag District
(Capitol: 2010)
sampled I WANNA BE WHERE YOU ARE by Michael Jackson.
In addition, the Soulchild remix of Brandy’s 2002 hit FULL MOON
used an extract of LOOKING UP TO YOU by Michael Wycoff.
US Chart positions quoted above are as published originally in Billboard magazines;
researched and compiledby Joel Whitburn in his series
of Chart Books published by Record Research Inc.
His books are available thru their website
Additional songwriter lists appear in the following previous editions of "The Door To Yesterday":
Nickolas Ashford & Valerie Simpson: Vol.3, No.3
Dave Bartholomew: Vol.2, No.19
Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil: Vol.2, No.6
Please send any comments or
suggestions to
Rock on.
Alan Warne