Michael Lovesmith (born Michael Larry Smith, 1953) is an American R&B singer, songwriter, musician, record producer and executive. He has sometimes been credited as Michael L. Smith.

Life and career

Born in

St Louis, Missouri St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Miss ...

, he wrote songs for

Isaac Hayes Isaac Lee Hayes Jr. (August 20, 1942 – August 10, 2008) was an American singer, songwriter, composer, and actor. He was one of the creative forces behind the Southern soul music label Stax Records in the 1960s, serving as an in-house songwr ...

and

The Isley Brothers The Isley Brothers ( ) are an American soul group originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, that began as a vocal trio consisting of the brothers O'Kelly Isley Jr., Rudolph Isley and Ronald Isley in the 1950s. With a career spanning over seven decades, ...

, and formed a group with his brothers Danny and Louis Smith, the Smith Connection. They moved to

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, where they recorded for the Music Merchant label set up by Holland, Dozier and Holland as an offshoot of

Invictus Records Invictus Records was an American record label based in Detroit, Michigan. It was created by former top Motown producers Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier and Edward Holland, Jr. (known collectively as Holland–Dozier–Holland). It was the sister l ...

. They recorded the album ''Under My Wings'' (1972), and had a number 28 R&B hit in 1973 with "(I've Been a Winner, I've Been a Loser) I've Been in Love". Biography by Ed Hogan, ''Allmusic''
Retrieved 11 August 2022
Retrieved 11 August 2022 Using the name Michael Lovesmith for some credits, he also began working on record production with the vocal trio Honey Cone. He was signed by

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 ...

as a songwriter, and with Brian Holland co-wrote " All I Do Is Think of You" for the Jackson 5. The recording reached number 50 on the

R&B chart The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...

in 1975. The song was revived in 1990 by the band

Troop A troop is a military sub-subunit, originally a small formation of cavalry, subordinate to a squadron. In many armies a troop is the equivalent element to the infantry section or platoon. Exceptions are the US Cavalry and the King's Troo ...

, and reached number one on the R&B chart. Lovesmith also worked as a writer, arranger and co-producer of Jermaine Jackson's 1976 album '' My Name Is Jermaine'', and co-wrote the album's most successful single, "Let's Be Young Tonight", which reached number 19 on the R&B chart. He co-wrote and produced the title track of Thelma Houston's 1976 album, ''Any Way You Like It'', and, in 1977, wrote and produced the album ''Rich Love, Poor Love'' by Syreeta and G.C. Cameron. He also featured as a singer on the 1981 album by

Ozone Ozone () (or trioxygen) is an Inorganic compound, inorganic molecule with the chemical formula . It is a pale blue gas with a distinctively pungent smell. It is an allotrope of oxygen that is much less stable than the diatomic allotrope , break ...

, ''Jump On It''. In 1981, with his brothers Danny, Louis and Aaron Smith, he recorded the album ''Lovesmith'', released by Motown and executive produced by Jermaine Jackson. He then recorded as a solo artist, releasing the albums ''I Can Make It Happen'' (1983), ''Diamond in the Raw'' (1984), and ''Rhymes of Passion'' (1985). Two singles reached the lower reaches of the R&B charts: "Baby I Will" (#80, 1983) and "Break the Ice" (#82, 1985). Lovesmith also sang background vocals on

Luther Vandross Luther Ronzoni Vandross Jr. (April 20, 1951 – July 1, 2005) was an American Soul music, soul and Contemporary R&B, R&B singer, songwriter, and record producer. Over his career, he achieved eleven consecutive RIAA certification, RIAA-certified ...

' 1988 album '' Any Love'', and wrote and produced the 1995 debut albums by Motown groups Mind, Heart & Soul, and Harem. In the 1990s, Lovesmith moved into management as an executive at Jobete Music. He later became President of West Grand Media Inc., which manages many of Motown's assets. He was also executive producer of the traveling show '' Motown: The Musical''. Carmel Thomason, "Michael Lovesmith and Charles Randolph-Wright on creating Motown The Musical", ''Quays Life'', 10 September 2018
Retrieved 11 August 2022

Discography

Albums

The Smith Connection *''Under My Wings'' (1972) Lovesmith *''Lovesmith'' (1981) Michael Lovesmith *''I Can Make It Happen'' (1983) *''Diamond in the Raw'' (1984) *''Rhymes of Passion'' (1985)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lovesmith, Michael 1953 births Living people African-American record producers African-American songwriters American male singer-songwriters American music industry executives Motown artists