Willie Mitchell died

Legendary Memphis producer Willie Mitchell died yesterday at the age of 82.

Mitchell guided Hi Records through the 1970s, developing a signature sound for artists including Ann Peebles, O.V. Wright and, perhaps most famously, Al Green. Berry Gordy sent engineers to Mitchell's Memphis studios during the height of Hi's run, looking to reverse engineer the distinctive feel of Mitchell's recordings. Mitchell was cagy about his secret sauce, refusing even as late as 2004, to divulge any of the tricks of his trade, though many people suspected it had something to do with the way the drums sounded. Whatever it was, it worked, and over his career, Mitchell presided over more than 100 records that went either gold or platinum, including this one, co-written with the Reverend...



what a great song.