James Anthony Carmichael (born September 14, 1941) is an American

Grammy The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

-winning musician, arranger, and

record producer A record producer is a recording project's creative and technical leader, commanding studio time and coaching artists, and in popular genres typically creates the song's very sound and structure. Virgil Moorefield"Introduction" ''The Producer as ...

. At first he started off in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

as an arranger and producer for

Motown Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau of ''mot ...

acts like

The Temptations The Temptations are an American vocal group from Detroit, Michigan, who released a series of successful singles and albums with Motown Records during the 1960s and 1970s. The group's work with producer Norman Whitfield, beginning with the Top ...

and the

Jackson 5 The Jackson 5 (sometimes stylized as the Jackson 5ive, also known as the Jacksons) are an American pop band composed of members of the Jackson family. The group was founded in 1964 in Gary, Indiana, and for most o ...

. Carmichael went on to attain fame in arranging and producing artists such as

the Commodores Commodores are an American funk and soul band, which were at their peak in the late 1970s through the mid 1980s. The members of the group met as mostly freshmen at Tuskegee Institute (now Tuskegee University) in 1968, and signed with Motown ...

Atlantic Starr Atlantic Starr is an American band based in White Plains, New York. They are best known for the hits " Always", " Secret Lovers", "Send for Me", "Circles", "Silver Shadow" and "Masterpiece". History Atlantic Starr began in Greenburgh, New York ...

Diana Ross Diana Ross (born March 26, 1944) is an American singer and actress. She rose to fame as the lead singer of the vocal group the Supremes, who became Motown's most successful act during the 1960s and one of the world's best-selling girl groups o ...

and

Lionel Richie Lionel Brockman Richie Jr. (born June 20, 1949) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and television personality. He rose to fame in the 1970s as a songwriter and the co-lead singer of funk band the Commodores; writing and recordi ...

Biography

Carmichael grew up in

Gadsden, Alabama Gadsden is a city in and the county seat of Etowah County in the U.S. state of Alabama. It is located on the Coosa River about northeast of Birmingham and southwest of Chattanooga, Tennessee. It is the primary city of the Gadsden Metropolita ...

, and learned piano as a child. He played

tuba The tuba (; ) is the lowest-pitched musical instrument in the brass family. As with all brass instruments, the sound is produced by lip vibrationa buzzinto a mouthpiece. It first appeared in the mid-19th century, making it one of the ne ...

in the Carver High School band, and graduated from there in 1959. He enrolled at the

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California ...

, with the intention of becoming a doctor, but his plans changed and he studied music at

Los Angeles City College Los Angeles City College (LACC) is a public community college in East Hollywood, Los Angeles, California. A part of the Los Angeles Community College District, it is located on Vermont Avenue south of Santa Monica Boulevard on the former campu ...

while developing a reputation as a

session musician Session musicians, studio musicians, or backing musicians are musicians hired to perform in recording sessions or live performances. The term sideman is also used in the case of live performances, such as accompanying a recording artist on a t ...

. Lynda Cardwell, "Local man producer for Richie", ''Gadsden Times'', January 20, 1984, p.5
/ref> By 1966, he had started working with producer

Fred Sledge Smith Fred Sledge Smith (May 18, 1933 – July 29, 2005), often credited as Fred Smith, was an American R&B songwriter and record producer, who worked in particular with The Olympics, Bob & Earl, Bill Cosby, and the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band. ...

Mirwood Records Mirwood Records was an American record label founded by former Vee-Jay executive Randy Wood in Los Angeles in 1965. The Mirwood label was a sister label to Mira Records. It primarily released rhythm and blues and jazz recordings, ...

, with musicians including

The Olympics The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a vari ...

(who had previously had hits with "

Western Movies The Western is a genre set in the American frontier and commonly associated with folk tales of the Western United States, particularly the Southwestern United States, as well as Northern Mexico and Western Canada. It is commonly referr ...

", "

Hully Gully The Hully Gully is a type of unstructured line dance often considered to have originated in the 1960s, but is also mentioned some forty years earlier as a dance common in the black juke joints in the first part of the twentieth century. In its mo ...

" and others),

Bob & Earl Bob & Earl were an American music singing duo in the 1960s, best known for writing and recording the original version of " Harlem Shuffle". Career The original duo were Bobby Byrd and Earl Nelson. They had both been members of The Hollywood Fla ...

, and the Soul Runners, who later became the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band. Carmichael also worked with other Mirwood musicians whose recordings later became popular as part of the Northern soul scene in Britain. Reviewer Jason Ankeny at AllMusic stated that Smith and Carmichael together honed "a distinctive style all their own, creating soul music that was both relentlessly energetic and sweetly sophisticated, topped off by trademark vibes that evoked the otherworldly beauty of a Pacific Ocean sunset." One of Smith and Carmichael's most successful records as an arrangement and production team was the 1967 album '' Silver Throat: Bill Cosby Sings'', which included Cosby's #4 US pop hit "

Little Ole Man (Uptight, Everything's Alright) "Little Ole Man (Uptight, Everything's Alright)" is the debut single by comedian Bill Cosby, released in 1967 from the entertainer's first musical comedy album, '' Silver Throat: Bill Cosby Sings''. On the 1968 album ''200 M.P.H.'', Cosby states t ...

". In the late 1960s, Carmichael began working on a

freelance ''Freelance'' (sometimes spelled ''free-lance'' or ''free lance''), ''freelancer'', or ''freelance worker'', are terms commonly used for a person who is self-employed and not necessarily committed to a particular employer long-term. Freelance w ...

basis with

artists in Los Angeles, including

the Four Tops ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

the Miracles The Miracles (also known as Smokey Robinson and the Miracles from 1965 to 1972) were an American vocal group that was the first successful recording act for Berry Gordy's Motown Records, and one of the most important and most influential groups ...

, and

the Supremes The Supremes were an American girl group and a premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s. Founded as the Primettes in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959, the Supremes were the most commercially successful of Motown's acts and the most successful ...

. He was soon signed up by the company to work exclusively for them as an arranger, and worked on that basis with the Miracles,

the Jackson 5 The Jackson 5 (sometimes stylized as the Jackson 5ive, also known as the Jacksons) are an American pop band composed of members of the Jackson family. The group was founded in 1964 in Gary, Indiana, and for most o ...

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the " King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over ...

Marvin Gaye Marvin Pentz Gay Jr., who also spelled his surname as Gaye (April 2, 1939 – April 1, 1984), was an American singer and songwriter. He helped to shape the sound of Motown in the 1960s, first as an in-house session player and later as a solo ar ...

Gladys Knight Gladys Maria Knight (born May 28, 1944), known as the "Empress of Soul", is an American singer, actress and businesswoman. A seven-time Grammy Award-winner, Knight recorded hits through the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s with her family group Gladys Kn ...

Eddie Kendricks Edward James Kendrick (December 17, 1939 – October 5, 1992), better known as Eddie Kendricks, was an American singer and songwriter. Noted for his distinctive falsetto singing style, Kendricks co-founded the Motown singing group the Temptation ...

, and others. His greatest successes came after he was approached in 1974 to work with

, and agreed to do so after receiving assurances that he would be given production responsibilities on their recordings. He encouraged the group to record their own material, and produced their first hit, the instrumental "Machine Gun", as well as the album of the same name. Ed Hogan, "James Anthony Carmichael", ''AllMusic.com''
Retrieved September 24, 2015 He stayed working with the Commodores for the next seven years, co-producing with the band their successful albums '' Caught in the Act'', '' Movin' On'' (both 1975), '' Hot on the Tracks'' (1976), ''

Commodores Commodores are an American funk and soul band, which were at their peak in the late 1970s through the mid 1980s. The members of the group met as mostly freshmen at Tuskegee Institute (now Tuskegee University) in 1968, and signed with Motown in ...

'' (1977), '' Natural High'' (1978), '' Midnight Magic'' (1979), ''

Heroes Heroes or Héroes may refer to: * Hero, one who displays courage and self-sacrifice for the greater good Film * ''Heroes'' (1977 film), an American drama * ''Heroes'' (2008 film), an Indian Hindi film Gaming * ''Heroes of Might and Magic'' ...

'' (1980), and '' In the Pocket'' (1981). Featuring their lead vocalist

, the band had a long series of hit singles, again co-produced by Carmichael, over the period, including "

Slippery When Wet ''Slippery When Wet'' is the third studio album by American rock band Bon Jovi. It was released on August 18, 1986, by Mercury Records in North America and Vertigo Records internationally. It was produced by Bruce Fairbairn, with recording sess ...

", " Sweet Love", " Just to Be Close to You", " Easy", " Brick House", "

Too Hot Ta Trot "Too Hot ta Trot" is a song by R&B/funk band, the Commodores. The song is written in E major. The track on their 1977 live album '' Commodores Live!'', and it spent a week at number one on the R&B singles chart and peaked at number twenty-four on ...

", and two US #1 pop hits, "

Three Times a Lady "Three Times a Lady" is a 1978 song by American soul group the Commodores for their album '' Natural High'', written by lead singer Lionel Richie. It was produced by James Anthony Carmichael and the Commodores. It was the Commodores' first num ...

" and "

Still A still is an apparatus used to distill liquid mixtures by heating to selectively boil and then cooling to condense the vapor. A still uses the same concepts as a basic distillation apparatus, but on a much larger scale. Stills have been use ...

". James Anthony Carmichael, ''Discogs.com''
Retrieved September 24, 2015 The Commodores acknowledged Carmichael's crucial role in their success. When Richie left the Commodores in 1982 for a solo career, Carmichael went with him. The pair co-produced all Richie's albums and singles over the next few years, including the albums ''

'' (1982), '' Can't Slow Down'' (1983), and ''

Dancing on the Ceiling ''Dancing on the Ceiling'' is the third solo studio album by American singer Lionel Richie, released on July 15, 1986. The album was originally to be titled ''Say You, Say Me'', after the Academy Award-winning track of the same name, but it wa ...

'' (1986). The albums featured another string of hits co-produced by Carmichael, including four US number one records on the pop charts - " Truly", "

All Night Long (All Night) "All Night Long (All Night)" is a hit single by American singer and songwriter Lionel Richie from 1983. Taken from his second solo album, '' Can't Slow Down'' (1983), it combined Richie's soulful Commodores style with Caribbean influences. This ...

", "

Hello ''Hello'' is a salutation or greeting in the English language. It is first attested in writing from 1826. Early uses ''Hello'', with that spelling, was used in publications in the U.S. as early as the 18 October 1826 edition of the '' Norwich ...

", and " Say You, Say Me". When Richie won his first American Music Award in 1984, he made a point of thanking Carmichael for his involvement. The song "All Night Long" was nominated for several

awards, and Carmichael and Richie jointly won Grammies in 1984 for the album ''Can't Slow Down'' and as producers (non-classical) of the year. Richie credited Carmichael with giving him the inspiration to write the song "Hello", saying that Carmichael had come to his house: Nick Patch, "Lionel Richie recalls early distaste for 'Hello' as hit song turns 30", ''CTV News'', May 16, 2014
Retrieved September 25, 2015

As he turned the corner to come into the room, I turned to him and said: 'Hello, is it me you're looking for?' He said: 'Finish that song.'.... I kept saying to him, 'You gotta be kidding me, right? I was just joking.' He said, 'No no, that's incredible. Give me a verse to that.' So I actually went in writing this song not liking the song, thinking that it was corny. I mean, this is REALLY corny. This is not going to do well. Then by the time I finished the verse, I fell in love with the song again.

Carmichael also produced

's albums '' Radiant'' (1981), '' Brilliance'' (1982), and '' Yours Forever'' (1983). He contributed to

Kenny Rogers Kenneth Ray Rogers (August 21, 1938 – March 20, 2020) was an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2013. Rogers was particularly popular with country audiences but also charted m ...

' album '' We've Got Tonight'', and he and Richie co-produced

' 1985 hit " Missing You", a tribute to Marvin Gaye. Carmichael also worked with the remaining Commodores on the group's 1986 album '' United''. He returned to working with Lionel Richie on the 1996 album '' Louder Than Words'', and on Richie's 1998 album ''

Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, t ...

''.

Personal life

James Anthony Carmichael continues to live in Los Angeles. He is unrelated to James Carmichael, the lead singer with disco group

Instant Funk Instant Funk were an American 1970s and 1980s disco band, best known for their disco classic, " I Got My Mind Made Up (You Can Get It Girl)". History Instant Funk came out of Trenton, New Jersey consisting of Raymond Earl, drummer Scotty Mille ...

Awards

Carmichael has won two

Grammy Awards The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

from five nominations.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Carmichael, James Anthony Living people 1941 births African-American record producers Record producers from Alabama American music arrangers Grammy Award winners Musicians from Gadsden, Alabama 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American people