Donny Hathaway

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Chicago, United States (1945 – 1979)

Donny Edward Hathaway (October 1, 1945 – January 13, 1979) was an Grammy Award-winning American musician. He signed with Atlantic Records in 1969, and with his first single “The Ghetto” (1970), Rolling Stone magazine marked him as “a major new force in soul music.” His collaborations with Roberta Flack took him to the top of the charts and won him the Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal for the duet “Where Is The Love” in 1973. On January 13, 1979, his body was found outside the luxury hotel Essex House in New York City; his death was ruled a suicide.

Hathaway, the son of Drusella Huntley, was born in Chicago, but spent most of his youth in St. Louis. He lived with his grandmother, Martha Pitts, also known as Martha Crumwell, in the Carr Square housing project. Hathaway began singing in a church choir with his grandmother, a professional gospel singer, at the age of 3. He also played the ukulele and, fascinated by Liberace, began studying piano as a child. Hathaway began singing professionally as “Donny Pitts, The Nation’s Youngest Gospel Singer”. By the time he was a student at Vashon High School, he was known as a piano prodigy, which earned him a fine-arts scholarship to Howard University in 1964 where he was initiated into Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity. He attended Howard for three years and performed with The Ric Powell Trio, a jazz trio. Hathaway received so many job offers that he left Howard without a degree in 1967.
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  • Ulalala16

    Love, Love, Love, Flying Easy, I Know It's You are amazing songs. <3

    yesterday afternoon

  • serveles

    Someday We'll All be Free is excellent

    14 days ago

  • Flowman23

    The ghetto (live version) is amazing

    17 days ago

  • doctorjmo

    da best!!

    last month

  • PolinaWi

    What a voice! exellent!!!<3

    last month

  • soul-and-more

    Donny (RIP) is still in the top16 list (from >800) of characteristic artists from SOUL last.fm groups, changes in this week: 7 new artists entered + Curtis Mayfield had to move out of top16 list :-( see full report here: http://www.last.fm/user/soul-and-more/journal

    February 2012

  • oakesy54

    I am an old die hard soul boy and have listened to many soul voices in my time but this man's voice was one of the best, if not the best soul voice I have ever had the pleasure to listen to.. Thanks Donny..

    February 2012

  • brownbunker

    Since I got introduced to Donny's music 15 years ago, I cant get enough, really wish he had recorded more material, he only released like 3 studio records... yet what a solid piece of work he left us with. True genius!

    February 2012
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