Ivy Jo Hunter  

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Ivy Jo Hunter (1940 – 2022) was an American songwriter, record producer and singer, best known for co-writing "Dancing in the Street" (1964). In 1970, he played keyboards on Funkadelic's "Mommy, What's A Funkadelic?" (1970) on that band's eponymous first album.

Life and career

Raised in Detroit, Michigan, Hunter was trained in orchestral music — primarily trumpet and keyboards. After a stint in the United States Army, Hunter began performing as a singer in the proto-soul venues around Detroit, where he became friends with songwriter Hank Cosby. Cosby introduced him to Motown's first A&R man, William "Mickey" Stevenson. Hunter played keyboards on Motown sessions before Stevenson began working with him as a songwriter. He became a principal in the Motown Records house band, and began to write some of the most significant hits of the early Motown years.

Hunter's songs included The Spinners' "Truly Yours" and "Sweet Thing"; The Temptations' "Sorry Is a Sorry Word"; The Isley Brothers' "Behind a Painted Smile" and "My Love Is Your Love (Forever)"; and "Ask the Lonely" and "Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever" for the Four Tops. With Marvin Gaye and Stevenson, he co-wrote the Martha and the Vandellas hit "Dancing in the Street" which, in the fall of 1964, provided an American counterpart to the British Invasion. Hunter also produced and wrote songs for Motown artists like The Velvelettes (their single "That's a Funny Way"), The Contours (their 1964 hit, "Can You Jerk Like Me"), The Marvelettes (their hits "Danger Heartbreak Dead Ahead" and "I'll Keep Holding On"), Gladys Knight & the Pips (the album track "The Stranger") and Gaye, for whom he produced the Top 40 hit single "You" in 1968.

Hunter continued to write, produce, serve as session musician, and perform. As a vocalist he recorded a great deal of material with Motown during the 1960s, including demos of his own compositions, but nothing was released until 1970, when Motown issued an Ivy Jo single on their soon to be discontinued VIP label entitled "I Remember When (Dedicated to Beverly)". The following year another single on VIP was issued entitled "I'd Still Love You". An album was also planned with the title Ivy Jo is in this Bag, but was shelved. Shortly after this he left Motown.

In 1970, he contributed to Funkadelic's "Mommy, What's A Funkadelic?" on that band's eponymous first album. He also co-produced an album for Wee Gee (William Howard), the former lead singer of The Dramatics, which included the hit "Hold On (To Your Dream)", which has become a favorite in graduation ceremonies. In 2009, he took part in celebrations to mark Motown's 50th anniversary.

Hunter died on October 6, 2022. No cause or location of death was given.

Linking in as of 2022

2nd Time Around (album), 30 Trips Around the Sun, 56th Annual Grammy Awards, A Cellarful of Motown!, A Musical History, Across the Great Divide (album), Alive in Eighty Five, All I Need (The Temptations song), All the Leaves Are Brown, Anthology (The Supremes album), As Long as I Have You (album), As Time Goes By (The Carpenters album), Ask the Lonely, Away We a Go-Go, Barry Manilow II, BBC Sessions (The Who album), Behind a Painted Smile, Best of Bowie, Beyond Description (1973–1989), Bonnie Raitt (album), Can You Jerk Like Me, Caricatures (Donald Byrd album), Celebrate: The Three Dog Night Story, 1965–1975, Cilla (album), Clarence Paul, Cornell 5/8/77, Cream of the Crop, Crossroads 2: Live in the Seventies, Dance Party (album), Dancing in the Street (album), Dancing in the Street, Dancing in the Street: The Songs of Motown II, Dave's Picks Volume 19, Dave's Picks Volume 28, Dave's Picks Volume 29, Dave's Picks Volume 30, Dave's Picks Volume 37, Dave's Picks Volume 43, David Ruffin discography, Deaths in 2022, Diana Ross Presents The Jackson 5, Dick's Picks Volume 20, Dick's Picks Volume 21, Dick's Picks Volume 25, Dick's Picks Volume 3, Dick's Picks Volume 33, Dick's Picks Volume 4, Dick's Picks Volume 8, Diver Down, Do You Love Me (Now That I Can Dance), Double-Shot, Dream of a Lifetime, Eivets Rednow, Emperors of Soul, Eric Mercury, Everyday of My Life, Fallout from the Phil Zone, Fearless (Jazmine Sullivan album), Four Tops (album), Four Tops, Frances Nero, Gettin' Ready, Going Back (album), Gonna Take a Miracle, Grateful Dead Download Series Volume 2, Grateful Dead Download Series: Family Dog at the Great Highway, Gravity (Fred Frith album), Greatest Hits (Martha and the Vandellas album), Greatest Hits, Vol. 2 (Marvin Gaye album), Greetings! We're The Monitors, Happy Together (Leningrad Cowboys album), Happy Town (album), Harmony (Three Dog Night album), Help Wanted (The Chi-Lites album), Hitsville USA: The Motown Singles Collection 1959–1971, Hope and Desire, How Sweet It Is to Be Loved by You, Hugh Masekela's Next Album, I Never Learned to Swim: Jill Sobule 1990–2000, If You Want Me, I'll Always Love You (The Spinners song), I'll Keep Holding On, In Full Bloom (Marvelettes album), In the Groove (Marvin Gaye album), Ivory Joe Hunter, July 1978: The Complete Recordings, June 1976 (album), Just Another Lonely Night, Kinda Kinks, Legacy (The Very Best of David Bowie), Let's Dance (Nikki Webster album), List of songs recorded by David Bowie, List of songs recorded by the Jackson 5, List of songs recorded by the Rolling Stones, List of songs recorded by the Who, List of songs written by Smokey Robinson, Live at Watkins Glen, Lost and Found: You've Got to Earn It (1962–1968), Love Child (The Supremes album), Love Song (Gary Bartz album), Love Starved Heart: Rare and Unreleased, Love Will See You Through, Loving the Alien (1983–1988), Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever, Lucky, Lucky Me, M.P.G., Magic (Four Tops album), Main Street People, Make Do with What You Got, Make It Happen (Smokey Robinson and the Miracles album), Man's Best Friend (album), Martha and the Vandellas Live!, May 1977 (album), May 1977: Get Shown the Light, Milagros (album), Motorcity Records singles discography, Motorcity Records, Motown & More, Motown Two, Motown: The Musical, Music Is Our Way of Life, My Baby Loves Me (Martha and the Vandellas song), My Generation (album), My Whole World Ended, Myra (album), National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame, Nothing Has Changed, Nowhere to Run (song), On Top (album), Pam Sawyer, Perfect Timing (Kiki Dee album), Pipe Dreams (1976 film), Purple Haze (album), Right On (The Supremes album), Road Trip (Girl Authority album), Road Trips Volume 1 Number 1, Road Trips Volume 4 Number 5, Rock of Ages (The Band album), Rock'n Soul (Everly Brothers album), Senso (Stephen Cummings album), September Morn (album), Shirley Scott & the Soul Saxes, Simplicity (Tim Curry album), Songs from Ally McBeal, Sophisticated Soul, Soul Deeper... Songs from the Deep South, Soul on the Rocks, Souled and Healed, Sugar 'n' Spice (Martha Reeves and the Vandellas album), Super Hits (Marvin Gaye album), Sweet Understanding Love, Take It Easy with the Walker Brothers, Takin' My Time, Terrapin Station, The Big Chill (film), The Cat Is Out, The Collection (Atomic Kitten album), The Mamas & the Papas (album), The Original Spinners, The Price to Play, The Rock (The Frankie Miller Band album), The Sin of Pride, The Singles Collection (David Bowie album), The Soul Searchers (Canadian group), The Temptations with a Lot o' Soul, The Temptin' Temptations, The Ultimate Collection (Four Tops album), The Very Best of Marvin Gaye, The Very Best of Mick Jagger, The Who Tour 1979, The Who Tour 1980, Theater of the Mind, There's a Place for Us, These Foolish Things (album), This Old Heart of Mine (album), Thug Matrimony: Married to the Streets, Total Balalaika Show – Helsinki Concert, Truly Yours (The Spinners song), Two's Missing, Vintage Dead, War & Peace (Edwin Starr album), Watchout!, Weak in the Presence of Beauty (album), Where Did Our Love Go (album), Wild One (Martha and the Vandellas song), William "Mickey" Stevenson, Winterland June 1977: The Complete Recordings, With Everything I Feel in Me, Woodstock: Three Days of Peace and Music, Yesterday's Dreams (Four Tops album), Yesterday's Dreams (song), You (Marvin Gaye song), You, Baby, Young & Dangerous (album), You've Been in Love Too Long





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