Allee Willis

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Allee Willis
Birth nameAlta Sherral Willis
Born(1947-11-10)November 10, 1947
multimedia artist, art director, collector
Websitealleewillis.com

Alta Sherral "Allee" Willis (November 10, 1947 – December 24, 2019) was an American songwriter, multi-media artist, collector, and art director. Willis co-wrote hit songs including "

Emmy Award for "I'll Be There for You", which was used as the theme song for the sitcom Friends. Her compositions sold over 60 million records and she was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame
in 2018 as the only woman to be inducted that year.

Early life

Willis was born and grew up in Detroit, Michigan, where she attended Mumford High School.[1] Her parents were Jewish.[2][3] Her father, Nathan, was a scrapyard dealer. Her mother, Rose, an elementary school teacher, died suddenly while Willis was a teenager. Willis had a sister, Marlen Frost, and a brother, Kent Willis.[4][3]

Willis's love of

Motown Records to listen to the music coming through the walls. Although she loved her father, race was an issue that sometimes came between them. When she left for college, he wrote, "Stay away from Black culture." Her last words to him were, "I just got the gig to write The Color Purple."[3]

She attended the

copywriter, writing liner notes and advertising material,[1] before turning to songwriting and performing.[5]

Career

Her only album, Childstar, in 1974, did not sell well, and she stopped performing because she did not enjoy it. However, the album attracted the interest of Bonnie Raitt, who became the first musician to record one of her songs. After moving to Los Angeles, she worked as a songwriter at A&M Records from 1977,[5] and also wrote songs with, and for, Patti LaBelle and Herbie Hancock.[1]

She worked at a comedy club and hung posters for four years. A mutual friend introduced her to Verdine White, and in turn to Maurice White of Earth, Wind & Fire. In the late 1970s she worked with Maurice White on the lyrics for her first big hit, "September",[4] among other songs, and then co-wrote "Boogie Wonderland" with Jon Lind and "In the Stone" with Maurice White and David Foster.[6]

Willis also wrote songs for artists including

Emmy-nominated for "I'll Be There for You".[10]

In the 1980s, after starting to paint and make motorized sculptures, she became an

Grammy-winning[11] Broadway musical The Color Purple, first performed in 2005. As of 2018, a major motion picture based on the musical was in the early stages of development, being produced by Steven Spielberg, Oprah Winfrey, Quincy Jones, and Scott Sanders.[12]

Willis continued to work as an art director and set designer, and in 2008 won awards for her work with musician

marching bands, in support of the city.[5]

In 2015, Willis appeared as a kitsch expert on episodes of the A&E reality television show Storage Wars assisting Mary Padian.[14]

On September 28, 2017, Willis premiered "The D", a passion project she wrote, recorded, and produced for her hometown of Detroit, at the Detroit Institute of Arts.[15]

She was the only woman in the year 2018 to be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Her compositions are reported to have sold over 60 million records.[3][5]

Before her death in 2019, she made an appearance on the game show To Tell the Truth. The episode aired on June 18, 2020.

Personal life

Willis was noted for hosting spectacular parties at her home just outside Hollywood. She said: "I always had a music career, an art career, set designer, film and video, technology. The parties really became the only place I could combine everything."[3]

From 1992 until her death, Willis was in a relationship with Prudence Fenton, an animator and producer.[4][16]

Willis died in Los Angeles on December 24, 2019, at the age of 72. The cause of death was cardiac arrest.[17]

Accolades

Grammy Awards

The

National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States. Willis won two Grammys from three nominations.[18]

Year Nominee / work Award Result
1986 "Beverly Hills Cop" Best Soundtrack Album Background Score from a Motion Picture or Television Won
2006 "The Color Purple"
Best Musical Show Album
 Nominated
2016 "The Color Purple" Best Musical Theatre Album Won

Tony Awards

Willis was also nominated for a

Tony Award.[19]

Year Category Nominated work Result
2006 Original Musical Score "Color Purple" Nominated

Emmy Awards

Willis was also nominated for an

Emmy Award.[10]

Year Category Nominated work Result
1995 Outstanding Individual Achievement in Main Title Theme Music "
Friends
" 		Nominated

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "Gary James' Interview With Songwriter Allee Willis", ClassicBands.com. Retrieved December 25, 2019
  2. ^ "Allee Willis, 'Friends' theme songwriter, dies at 72". The Times of Israel. December 25, 2019. Retrieved December 26, 2019.
  3. ^ a b c d e Schneier, Matthew (June 7, 2018). "A Queen of Kitsch Who Made the Whole World Sing". New York Times. Retrieved December 26, 2019.
  4. ^ a b c d Caryn Ganz and Katharine Q. Seelye (December 25, 2019). "Allee Willis, 72, Dies; 'Friends' Theme and 'September' Songwriter". New York Times.
  5. ^ a b c d e f "Allee Willis: A prolific and versatile songstress whose compositions have sold over 60 million records". Songwriters Hall of Fame. Retrieved December 26, 2019.
  6. ^ Cary O'Dell, "Forever 'September': An Interview with Allee Willis", Library of Congress, April 24, 2019. Retrieved December 26, 2019
  7. Allmusic
    .
  8. ^ "Allee Willis". Songfacts.com.
  9. ISSN 0261-3077
    . Retrieved December 25, 2019.
  10. ^ a b "Allee Willis". Emmys.com.
  11. ^ 59th Annual Grammy Awards Winners and Nominees. Retrieved December 27, 2019
  12. ^ "Spielberg, Oprah Bringing 'Color Purple' to Big Screen". The Hollywood Reporter. November 2, 2018. Retrieved November 6, 2018.
  13. ^ "Allee Willis, songwriter famous for 'September,' 'Friends' theme, dies at 72". Daily News. December 25, 2019. Retrieved February 14, 2024.
  14. ^ "Allee Willis' Tweet - November 18, 2015". Retrieved October 21, 2020.
  15. ^ "Thousands celebrate new Detroit anthem "The D" at the DIA". Oakland Press. September 28, 2017. Retrieved October 5, 2017.
  16. ^ Zonkel, Phillip (December 25, 2019). "Allee Willis, songwriter who wrote 'Friends' theme, dies". Q Voice News. Retrieved December 28, 2019.
  17. ^ Willman, Chris (December 25, 2019). "Allee Willis, 'September' and 'Friends' Theme Songwriter, Dies at 72". Variety.com.
  18. ^ "Allee Willis". Grammy.com. November 23, 2020.
  19. ^ "Allee Willis". Tonyawards.com. Archived from the original on October 20, 2018. Retrieved October 20, 2018.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Allee_Willis&oldid=1214406122"