Willie Mitchell and the Music of Royal Studios

Join the Recording Academy® Memphis Chapter, GRAMMY Museum® Mississippi and the Black Music Collective for a virtual event celebrating Willie Mitchell and the Music of Royal Studios. GRAMMY® winning writer/filmmaker Robert Gordon will interview key recording artists who have recorded at Royal Studios, including GRAMMY-winning artists Dee Dee Bridgewater, Steve Jordan and Boo Mitchell. We’ll also have a few surprises highlighting the musical creativity that continues to flow out of this historic studio, including recreations of classic recordings made at Royal Studios.

[@christhedemocrat]

R.I.P Mr. Willie Mitchell You in combination with Al Green have given so much to me personally You've fed my soul. I'm so happy you were born Glad to see you're getting your much deserved dues

[@captainkeyboard1007]

This recording studio was most accommodating to many music groups, except for its large choirs. Its size was suitable for various music groups, regardless of song format. Yes, Royal Studios were not dirty; Royal Studios were funky!🙂

[@mistercarlton]

My band used to do "Every things gonna be all right" The other side of "driving beat" but only because my other band mates wanted to do the vocal side the boy "That driving beat" has got to be to most funky and soulfull groove and the whole record in one chord F all the way..He was one of the best.."Up hard" just proves it.

[@tomriley6957]

O.V. Wright. The best voice in the universe. Thank you Willie Mitchell !

[@captainkeyboard1007]

I remember Al Green, Syl Johnson, and Willie Mitchell recorded their works on Hi record label. No matter what "color" each sound possessed; it is all soul music to me. I love it all above much of today's music.

[@brentblake8306]

Wow! This is a beautifully crafted documentary! The content certainly...but the pace, the tone... so much affection and love here. This is how to tell a story. And the performances of the singers ,musicians and engineer , wonderful and fitting to the original style. Thank you, this is a work of love.

[@lisawhite8743]

Love his collaboration with the Great Al Green.

[@dominiquejones3805]

1 of the gr8test producers of all time

[@jazzmanchgo]

Typical Willie MItchell story, courtesy of the late Denise LaSalle: "I tell you, Willie Mitchell was the kind of man that knew a hit when he heard it. Oh, he knew a record! . . . On this day I was in the studio with the band, working up the song [i.e. 'Trapped By a Thing Called Love"], letting the band get familiar with the way I’m doing it, and Willie turned the machine on and said, 'We gonna get a demo on it.' "I got to the second or third line, he said, 'Ooooh, wait a minute, y’all. Hold it! Hold it! Hold it!' He stopped everybody. He said, 'Girl, you’re in good voice today. You’re in good voice! Hold on, y’all! Just a minute!' And he turned a few knobs, said, 'Okay, y’all, go ahead.' And he sat there in that seat until we did the whole song. When we got through with the song, Willie said, 'Come in here and listen to this.' "I went in there and sat down, listened, I said, 'You taped that?' “'Yeah.' “'Oooh, Willie, I meant to go up on the end there. . . . Do you think we could-' “'I ain’t fuckin’ with that! I ain’t gonna touch it no way. Denise, you got a motherfucker. You got a smash, Denise. It’s a smash, right there. I’m not touching it.' "First take, and that was it. That’s the kind of ear he had, and that’s the kind of musicians they were. Teeny Hodges, Leroy Hodges, Charles Hodges, Howard Grimes, that’s them. The Hi Rhythm Section. All Willie had to do was add the horns to it. The background vocals, by the way, were done by a trio called Rhodes, Chalmers, and Rhodes. Donna and Sandra Rhodes were a couple of white girls Willie Mitchell had seen singing on a country music program on TV a few years earlier, and Charles Chalmers was a horn player and an arranger at Royal. Willie got him to add his voice to theirs. They did a lot of backup singing with Al Green. Really soulful vocalists, and a lot of people never guessed the truth, that they were white."

[@davidlamie7980]

Would be nice to hear more on the equipment used , mixing console tape machine Mic placement and so on, all in all this is excellent.

[@dominiquejones3805]

Damn his son sounds just like him

[@sulevisydanmaa9981]

TEMPO ONE BEAT 2 SLOW ON THE CLOSING LIVE STUDIO CUT, not correct. Try again. Feels like wobbling.