Luther Dixon (August 7, 1931 – October 22, 2009) was an American

songwriter A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music ...

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 ...

, and

singer Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or withou ...

. Dixon's songs achieved their greatest success in the 1950s and 1960s, and were recorded by

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the " King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. His ener ...

the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

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 ...

, B.B. King,

Jerry Lee Lewis Jerry Lee Lewis (September 29, 1935October 28, 2022) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Nicknamed "The Killer", he was described as " rock & roll's first great wild man". A pioneer of rock and roll and rockabilly music, Lewis mad ...

Dusty Springfield Mary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O'Brien (16 April 1939 – 2 March 1999), known professionally as Dusty Springfield, was an English singer. With her distinctive mezzo-soprano sound, she was a popular singer of blue-eyed soul, pop and dram ...

Jimmy Reed Mathis James Reed (September 6, 1925 – August 29, 1976) was an American blues musician and songwriter. His particular style of electric blues was popular with blues as well as non-blues audiences. Reed's songs such as "Honest I Do" (1957), " ...

and others. As a producer, Dixon helped create the signature sound of the girl group

the Shirelles The Shirelles were an American girl group formed in Passaic, New Jersey in 1957. They consisted of schoolmates Shirley Owens (later Shirley Alston Reeves), Doris Coley (later Doris Kenner-Jackson), Addie "Micki" Harris (later Addie Harris McFad ...

Early life

Dixon was born in Jacksonville, Florida, but his family moved to

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, New York, when he was young. He learned to sing in church.

Career

Dixon began his professional career in 1954 with

the Four Buddies The Four Buddies were an American doo-wop group, based in Baltimore, Maryland. They recorded in the early to mid-1950s, and focused on melodious and laid-back ballads. Their biggest hit was "I Will Wait", and they recorded for Savoy Records ...

, a

doo-wop Doo-wop (also spelled doowop and doo wop) is a genre of rhythm and blues music that originated in African-American communities during the 1940s, mainly in the large cities of the United States, including New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Chica ...

group led by Larry Harrison, in which Dixon sang

baritone A baritone is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the bass and the tenor voice-types. The term originates from the Greek (), meaning "heavy sounding". Composers typically write music for this voice in the ...

and occasionally played guitar. The Four Buddies recorded for

Savoy Records Savoy Records is an American record company and label established by Herman Lubinsky in 1942 in Newark, New Jersey. Savoy specialized in jazz, rhythm and blues, and gospel music. In September 2017, Savoy was acquired by Concord Bicycle Music. ...

, but also as the Barons for

Decca Records Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934 by Lewis, Jack Kapp, American Decca's first president, and Milton Rackmil, who later became American Decca's president. ...

and as The Buddies for

Glory Records Glory may refer to: Honor and renown * Glory (honor), high renown, praise, and honor obtained by notable achievements * ''Kleos'', the Greek word for "glory", often translated to "renown" (what others hear about you) Arts and entertainment Ficti ...

. The group disbanded in 1955, but Dixon and Harrison continued writing songs together. Their biggest hit was " Why Baby Why", recorded by

Pat Boone Patrick Charles Eugene Boone (born June 1, 1934) is an American singer and actor. He was a successful pop singer in the United States during the 1950s and early 1960s. He sold more than 45 million records, had 38 Top 40 hits, and appeared in mo ...

, which peaked at #5 in 1957. Dixon and Billy Dawn Smith wrote the 1957

Perry Como Pierino Ronald "Perry" Como (; May 18, 1912 – May 12, 2001) was an Italian-American singer, actor and television personality. During a career spanning more than half a century, he recorded exclusively for RCA Victor for 44 years, after signin ...

song "Just Born (To Be Your Baby)", which reached #12. In 1958,

Bobby Darin Bobby Darin (born Walden Robert Cassotto; May 14, 1936 – December 20, 1973) was an American musician and actor. He performed jazz, pop, rock and roll, folk, swing, and country music. He started his career as a songwriter for Connie ...

recorded "All the Way Home", written by Dixon and

Otis Blackwell Otis Blackwell (February 16, 1931 – May 6, 2002) was an American songwriter whose work influenced rock and roll. His compositions include " Fever" (recorded by Little Willie John), " Great Balls of Fire" and " Breathless" (recorded by Jerr ...

, which was released on Darin's 1960 album ''For Teenagers Only''. Dixon and

Clyde Otis Clyde Lovern Otis (September 11, 1924 – January 8, 2008), was an American songwriter and record producer, best known for his collaboration with singer Brook Benton, and for being one of the first African-American A&R executives at a major label. ...

wrote the song "Doncha' Think It's Time", recorded by

in 1958 and included on his famous 1959 album, ''

50,000,000 Elvis Fans Can't Be Wrong ''50,000,000 Elvis Fans Can't Be Wrong: Elvis' Gold Records, Volume 2'' (or simply known as ''Elvis' Gold Records, Volume 2)'' is the fourth compilation album by American singer and musician Elvis Presley, issued by RCA Victor in November 1959 ...

''. Also in 1958, Dixon and Allyson Khent wrote "

16 Candles ''Sixteen Candles'' is a 1984 American coming-of-age comedy film starring Molly Ringwald, Michael Schoeffling, and Anthony Michael Hall. Written and directed by John Hughes in his directorial debut, it was the first in a string of films Hughe ...

", which was recorded by

the Crests The Crests were an American doo-wop group, formed by bass vocalist J.T. Carter in the mid 1950s. The group had several Top 40 hits in the late 1950s and early 1960s on Coed Records. Their most popular song, "16 Candles", rose to #2 on the '' ...

and reached #2. They also co-wrote ' Lovin' Up A Storm', which, when recorded by

, reached No. 29 in the UK charts in 1959, (

Official Chart Company The Official Charts (legal name: The Official UK Charts Company Limited) is a British inter-professional organization that compiles various "official" record charts in the United Kingdom, Ireland and France. In the United Kingdom, its charts ...

). In 1960, after being approached by

Florence Greenberg Florence Greenberg (September 16, 1913 – November 2, 1995) was an American record label owner, music executive, and record producer. Greenberg was the founder and owner of Tiara Records, Scepter Records, Hob Records, and Wand Records. She is ...

of Scepter Records, Dixon began working with

. The first song Dixon produced with the Shirelles was " Tonight's the Night", co-written by the group's lead singer Shirley Owens. The song reached #39 in 1960, and another recording of the song by the Chiffons reached #76. The Shirelles then reached #1 with " Will You Love Me Tomorrow" (written by

Carole King Carole King Klein (born Carol Joan Klein; February 9, 1942) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician who has been active since 1958, initially as one of the staff songwriters at 1650 Broadway and later as a solo artist. Regarded as one ...

and

Gerry Goffin Gerald Goffin (February 11, 1939 – June 19, 2014) was an American lyricist. Collaborating initially with his first wife, Carole King, he co-wrote many international pop hits of the early and mid-1960s, including the US No.1 hits " Will You Lo ...

). Dixon wrote the B-side to that single, "

Boys A boy is a young male human. The term is commonly used for a child or an adolescent. When a male human reaches adulthood, he is described as a man. Definition, etymology, and use According to the ''Merriam-Webster Dictionary'', a boy is "a ...

". The Shirelles' 1961 song " Baby It's You", co-written by Dixon under the pseudonym "Barney Williams",

Burt Bacharach Burt Freeman Bacharach ( ; born May 12, 1928) is an American composer, songwriter, record producer and pianist who composed hundreds of pop songs from the late 1950s through the 1980s, many in collaboration with lyricist Hal David. A six-time Gr ...

, and

Mack David Mack David (July 5, 1912 – December 30, 1993) was an American lyricist and songwriter, best known for his work in film and television, with a career spanning the period between the early 1940s and the early 1970s. David was credited with writing ...

, reached #8. Both "Boys" and "Baby It's You" were later recorded by

on their debut LP, '' Please Please Me''. The Shirelles' 1962 song "

Soldier Boy Soldier Boy is the name of three superhero characters in the comic book series '' Herogasm'' and '' The Boys'', created by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson. The first character introduced (the second successor to the mantle, made by Vought along ...

", written by Dixon and Florence Greenberg, was their final song to reach #1. Greenberg started a second record company, Wand Records, in 1961. Dixon wrote and produced many songs for the Wand and Scepter labels, including the 1961

Chuck Jackson Chuck Jackson (born July 22, 1937) is an American R&B singer who was one of the first artists to record material by Burt Bacharach and Hal David successfully. He has performed with moderate success since 1961. His hits include "I Don't Want to ...

single " I Don't Want to Cry", co-written by Jackson himself, which reached #36.

's 1961 hit "

Big Boss Man Ray Washington Traylor Jr. (May 2, 1963 – September 22, 2004) was an American professional wrestler best known for his appearances with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) under the ring name Big Boss Man, as well as for his appearances wit ...

" was written by Dixon and Al Smith. This song was listed by the

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), sometimes simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum and hall of fame located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States, on the shore of Lake Erie. The museum documents the history of rock music and ...

as one of the 500 "Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll". With these successes, Dixon was approached by

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of not ...

to set up his own record label, Ludix Records, but Ludix was unsuccessful. In 1966, Dixon was producing

the Platters The Platters was an American vocal group formed in 1952. They are one of the most successful vocal groups of the early rock and roll era. Their distinctive sound bridges the pre-rock Tin Pan Alley tradition and the new burgeoning genre. The a ...

for Musicor Records. Their songs " I Love You 1000 Times" (#31, 1966) and " With This Ring" (#14, 1967)—their biggest hits since leaving

Mercury Records Mercury Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group. It had significant success as an independent operation in the 1940s and 1950s. Smash Records and Fontana Records were sub labels of Mercury. In the United States, it ...

—were both produced and co-written by Dixon. By the late 1960s, Dixon's style of music had greatly faded from popular music charts. He received a surge of popularity after "16 Candles" was used in the 1973

George Lucas George Walton Lucas Jr. (born May 14, 1944) is an American filmmaker. Lucas is best known for creating the '' Star Wars'' and '' Indiana Jones'' franchises and founding Lucasfilm, LucasArts, Industrial Light & Magic and THX. He served as c ...

film ''

American Graffiti ''American Graffiti'' is a 1973 American coming-of-age comedy-drama film directed by George Lucas, produced by Francis Ford Coppola, written by Willard Huyck, Gloria Katz and Lucas, and starring Richard Dreyfuss, Ron Howard (billed as Ronny ...

'', and again when the 1984 John Hughes film ''

Sixteen Candles ''Sixteen Candles'' is a 1984 American coming-of-age comedy film starring Molly Ringwald, Michael Schoeffling, and Anthony Michael Hall. Written and directed by John Hughes in his directorial debut, it was the first in a string of films Hughes ...

'' included a performance of the song by the Stray Cats. "Boys" was included in the 2009 video game '' The Beatles: Rock Band''. Dixon's song "Never Let Me Go" was performed by Jane Monheit in the

film adaptation A film adaptation is the transfer of a work or story, in whole or in part, to a feature film. Although often considered a type of derivative work, film adaptation has been conceptualized recently by academic scholars such as Robert Stam as a dia ...

Kazuo Ishiguro Sir Kazuo Ishiguro ( ; born 8 November 1954) is a British novelist, screenwriter, musician, and short-story writer. Ishiguro was born in Nagasaki, Japan, and moved to Britain in 1960 with his parents when he was five. He is one of the most cr ...

novel A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itself ...

with same title. Dixon was nominated for the

Songwriters Hall of Fame The Songwriters Hall of Fame (SHOF) is an American institution founded in 1969 by songwriter Johnny Mercer, music publisher/songwriter Abe Olman, and publisher/executive Howie Richmond to honor those whose work, represent, and maintain, the her ...

one week before he died.

Personal life

Dixon was married to soul singer

Inez Foxx Inez Foxx (September 9, 1937 – August 25, 2022) and her elder brother Charlie Foxx (October 23, 1933 – September 18, 1998) were an American rhythm and blues and soul duo from Greensboro, North Carolina. Inez sang lead vocal, while Charlie ...

, with whom he co-wrote "I Love You 1000 Times". They later divorced. Dixon died in his hometown of Jacksonville, Florida. He was also married to Sonia Dixon (Nee Francis) which also ended in divorce.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dixon, Luther 1931 births 2009 deaths African-American songwriters American music industry executives Record producers from Florida Songwriters from Florida Musicians from Florida Musicians from Jacksonville, Florida Writers from Jacksonville, Florida 20th-century American musicians 20th-century African-American musicians 21st-century African-American people