NEW YORK (CelebrityAccess) — Downtown Music Publishing has acquired the rights to the catalog of legendary Motown songwriter and producer William “Mickey” Stevenson.
Stevenson, who served as head of Motown Records A&R, signed artists such as Martha Reeves, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder and The Four Tops, to the label, and assembled Motown’s noted studio band.
As well, he wrote hits for artists such as Eddie Holland, Gaye, Kim Weston, The Supremes, The Temptations, among others, including “Dancing In The Streets” which he co-wrote with Gaye and Ivy Jo Hunter.
The catalog acquisition also included material by Andre Williams, Carolyn Crawford, The Contours, Cornell Blakely, Debbie Dean, Don McKenzie, The Equadors, Gino Parks, Hattie Littles, Herman Griffin, Jimmy Ruffin, Lee & The Leopards, Mable John, The Marvelettes, Mary Wells, Mike & The Modifiers, The Miracles, The Morrocco Muzik Makers, The Mysterions, Sammy Ward, Shorty Long, The Spinners, Tommy Good and the Velvelettes, among others, Downtown said.
“Opportunities to work with a catalog of this caliber don’t come around that often. It is a genuine privilege to work with someone like Mickey, who is not only an important songwriter, but a pivotal figure in the musical legacy of Motown. Beyond songwriting, Mickey’s contributions as the head of Motown A&R in the 1960s and his establishment of Motown’s studio band, The Funk Brothers, helped to cultivate the ‘Motown Sound’ that is foundational to pop music,” said Mike Smith, Global President of Downtown Music Publishing.
