Ivy Jo Hunter obit

Motown great Ivy Joe Hunter dies at age 82

 

He was not on the list.

For those of us who grew up on the iconic music of Motown, the last few years have brought us news of too many deaths of friends. And tonight, we mourn that passing of Motown singer, songwriter and producer, the great Ivy Jo Hunter. He was 82.

The Detroit-raised Hunter was a prodigy, graduating from famed Cass Tech high school and adept at both keyboards and trumpet. He was playing around Detroit when star Motown A&R man Mickey Stevenson discovered him and signed him to the label. Hunter played on several early Motown hits, and then developed into one of the label's key songwriters and producers (with Stevenson sometimes getting dubious co-writing credits). Such Motown smashes as the Four Tops' "Ask The Lonely" and "Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever," Martha Reeves and the Vandellas' "Dancing In The Street," The Contours' "Can You Jerk Like Me" and more were all part of the dozens of compositions that Hunter wrote or produced.

Hunter's time at Motown wasn't all sunshine and roses. He possessed a powerful, expressive voice, and recorded several sessions for the label that were unfortunately shelved, only legitimately hitting the streets in compilations decades later. And even with his success as a songwriter, he was often assigned less established artists on the label, as Motown often "graduated" artists to the likes of Holland-Dozier-Holland and Norman Whitfield once they had had success, even if that initial success came from writers like Hunter.

When Motown moved to California, Hunter parted ways with the label, and continued to work in Detroit. He teamed on some songs for P-Funk, and also wrote the now-classic, anthemic "Hold On To Your Dreams" for former Dramatics singer Wee Gee, a song that has grown in gravitas over the years and has been successfully remade by The Chi-Lites and Living Proof.

Hunter remained a legend in his hometown, and was generous with his time and his talent over the years. He will be missed by the entire music world.

fter 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 Marvin 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, at the age of 82.[ He is sometimes confused with blues singer and pianist Ivory Joe Hunter (1914–1974), or with Motown pianist Joe Hunter who was leader of the label's house band The Funk Brothers from 1959 to 1964.