Suzee Ikeda is an American singer who was the first Asian-American solo artist at

Motown Motown is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. Founded by Berry Gordy, Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on January 12, 1959, it was incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau ...

. However, she is best known for her work "behind the scenes" at Motown with such acts as

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 Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...

and The Temptations.

Biography

Born Susan Wendy Ikeda on August 25, 1947, in Chicago, Illinois, the daughter of a Japanese father and an American mother. Initially assigned to Mowest, Motown's subsidiary label, her first single was a

cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...

of "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah" from the Disney film, ''Song of the South''. The single failed to chart. In April 1973, Suzee released her first single on the Motown label, a ballad written by Charles Fox and Norman Gimbel called, "Time For Me to Go." Unfortunately, the single and her solo career went nowhere. During her tenure at Motown she was described as a "creative confidant" of

. "Michael Jackson could make you forget he was so young," writes Suzee Ikeda, in her introductory essay to ''Hello World: The Complete Motown Solo Collection''. Ikeda's rapport with artists soon led to a new role behind the scenes as a production executive for the company. One of her early projects was the '' A Song for You'' album by The Temptations, released in 1975. In 1983, Ikeda became one of the principal players in Super Three, a division of

responsible for developing new and existing acts. Other participants in the partnership were off again-on again Motown figure Ray Singleton and Guy Costa (nephew of musician and arranger

Don Costa Dominick P. "Don" Costa (June 10, 1925 – January 19, 1983) was an American conductor and record producer. He discovered singer Paul Anka and worked on several hit albums by Frank Sinatra, including '' Sinatra and Strings'' and '' My Way'' ...

), the latter who served as the entity's creative director.

Selected credits

Singles

As a recording artist

Albums

Serving in various capacities

References

External links

* All Music Guidebr>First Universal Network
* 1947 births Living people American women pop singers Motown artists Singers from Chicago American musicians of Japanese descent 21st-century American women {{US-pop-singer-stub