Donald Charles Baldwin

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Donald Charles Baldwin (born 20 April 1953) is an American musician, arranger, and composer. He achieved significant commercial success with recordings he wrote, arranged, and performed for

Holland-Dozier-Holland and Jeffrey Bowen
.

Early life

Donald Charles Baldwin was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan. During his school years, he learned to play the clarinet, bass clarinet, saxophone, oboe, English horn, and bassoon while studying composition. After writing his first Concerto for Strings and Horns in 1969, Baldwin formed a contemporary style band, "Jasmine", in which he composed the music, played the piano, and sang. Jasmine performed locally in and around the Detroit area, including performances held at Wayne State University as part of the nationwide Moratorium to End the War in Vietnam.

Career

Jasmine and career beginnings

Jasmine was discovered by

Detroit Symphony's 1st violinist - Felix Resnick, who at the time contracted and led many string sessions for Motown and Invictus. Bowen was impressed enough by Baldwin's band to arrange for Jasmine to rehearse with Ruth Copeland, a British singer/songwriter who was signed to Invictus. In June 1970, Donald and Ruth co-wrote "The Medal",[3] the opening cut from Copeland's second Invictus LP, I Am What I Am,[4] a recording that features Ruth, backed by the members of Funkadelic along with guitarist Ray Monette of Rare Earth. Within a few months, Baldwin signed a contract with Invictus Records
(owned by Holland–Dozier–Holland)) and Gold Forever Music as an artist, songwriter, and arranger.

Ruth Copeland and Holland–Dozier–Holland

After several rehearsals, the original members of

100 Proof Aged in Soul, The Jones Girls and Honey Cone. In late 1970, the group began backing Ruth exclusively, as they became the opening act for Sly and the Family Stone throughout 1971-1972,[5] including a couple of gigs at Madison Square Garden
.

In 1972, Baldwin wrote and conducted the rhythm, string, and horn arrangements for three tracks produced by

chairman of the board
, another Holland-Dozier-Holland/Invictus act.

Late in 1972, Jeffrey Bowen began producing the Skin I'm In album

General Johnson).[3]
In the fall of 1973, the band (Baldwin, Bernie, Billy, Eddie, and Tiki) toured England with the Chairmen of the Board, where they received a heroes welcome. By the time the group left the UK, "Finders Keepers" was England's #1 hit.

Motown records

In 1974, Baldwin was signed to

A Song For You (January 1975).[13] Often credited with updating the Temptations Norman Whitfield sound, this #1 R&B LP (#13 Pop)[14] featured Baldwin, as well as Funkadelics Nelson and Hazel[15] as its musicians. The lead-off single, "Happy People" (co-written by Donald Baldwin-Jeffery Bowen-Lionel Richie),[3] reached #1 on the R&B charts on 8 February 1975,[16] and was the first of three top-40 pop hits culled from the LP. "Shakey Ground" (written by Eddie Hazel, Al Boyd, and Jeffrey Bowen) became the album's second single to reach #1 on the R&B chart (26 April 1975)[17] and featured a soprano sax solo by Donald Baldwin. "Glasshouse" became the album's third Top-10 R&B single,[2] as well as a top-10 hit on the Disco/Dance chart.[18] In addition to co-writing "Happy People", Baldwin co-wrote the quiet storm classic "Memories"[12] with Bowen and Kathy Wakefield, a song which features a standout lead vocal by Dennis Edwards
.

Baldwin contributed to a variety of tracks produced by Jeffrey Bowen on several Motown artists for albums recorded and released between 1974 and 1980. These albums, for which Baldwin shared writers and/or performance/arranger credits were: Wings of Love

Temptations Wings of Love LP (March 1976); "You Cannot Laugh Alone" (another "quiet storm" classic) and "If You Want My Love" (both written by Baldwin and Bowen);[3] featured on Smokey Robinson's Deep in My Soul LP (January 1977); "I Love to Sing to You", "I Wanna Make it in Your World", "More and More" and "My Everything" (all four by Baldwin and Bowen);[3] from Bonnie Pointer's "Red" LP (October 1978); And one from Bonnie Pointer's "Purple" LP (November 1979) titled "Deep Inside My Soul" (by Donald Baldwin and Bonnie Pointer).[21][22]

While with Motown, Baldwin worked on a number of unreleased recordings produced by Bowen on

Main Ingredient). The material intended for Marvin Gaye featured Baldwin along with Billy Bass Nelson, Eddie Hazel, Bernie Worrell, and drummer Ollie Brown
. Baldwin left Motown around 1980 when his contract with the label expired.

As an independent artist

As an independent artist, Baldwin wrote and performed in numerous local bands throughout the Los Angeles area from 1981 through 1997. During this time, a third Bonnie Pointer album titled If The Price Is Right, (released in mid-1984 on the Private I label) featured a new composition by Baldwin and Bonnie Pointer titled "There's Nobody Quite Like You".[3] A song titled "Xanadu II", originally written in 1976 by Baldwin and Emmy-nominated Frankie Blue, was used in 2001 as incidental background music in one of the episodes for "The Huntress", a syndicated TV show (USA Network), that starred Annette O'Toole.

Baldwin remains musically active, working on a variety of projects including studio work by the Baldwin/Larsen Project and live work with the reggae artist

Tony Newton
, the live and session bassist with Motown and founding member of the HDH/Invictus group 8th Day, on a DVD profiling Newton's musical career.

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Whitburn, Joel (1999) Top R&B Albums 1965-1998
  2. ^ a b c Whitburn, Joel (1996) Top R&B Singles 1942-1995
  3. ^ a b c d e f g BMI Repertoire: Songwriter/Composer: Baldwin, Donald C CAE/IPI#86581050
  4. ^ Liner notes to Ruth Copeland featuring Parliament's Self Portrait/I Am What I Am CD by Howard Priestly (1997)
  5. ^ Rolling Stone 23 December 1971 - Ruth Copeland by Timothy Ferres
  6. ^ Album jacket credits for Freda Payne's Reaching Out LP (1973),
  7. ^ Fusion Magazine; January 1973 - "David Bowie Gimme Your Hands" by Tim Jurgens
  8. ^ New Music. 7 October 1972 "Ziggy Stardust Outshines Bolan" by Linda Solomon
  9. ^ Liner notes to the Chairmen of the Board's Bittersweet and Skin I'm in CD by Howard Priestly (1998)
  10. ^ a b Whitburn, Joel (1996) Top R&B Singles 1942–1995
  11. ^ Liner Notes to Invictus Club Classics CD by Dean Rudland (July 1999)
  12. ^ a b Repertoire: Songwriter/Composer: Baldwin, Donald C CAE/IPI#86581050
  13. ^ Liner notes to The Temptations A Song for You(1975)
  14. ^ Whitburn, Joel (1999) Top R&B Albums 1965–1998
  15. ^ Soul Magazine 9 June 1975 by Archie Ivy
  16. ^ Bronson, Fred & White, Adam (1993) The Billboard Book of Number One Rhythm & Blues Hits: Page 155
  17. ^ Bronson, Fred & White, Adam (1993) The Billboard Book of Number One Rhythm & Blues Hits: Page 162-163
  18. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004) Hot Dance/Disco 1974–2003
  19. ^ Album jacket credits for Temptations Wings of Love LP (1976)
  20. ^ Liner notes to Bonnie Pointer's eponymous debut LP (1978) M7-911R1
  21. ^ BMIRepertoire: Songwriter/Composer: Baldwin, Donald C CAE/IPI#86581050
  22. ^ Liner notes to Bonnie Pointer's sophomore LP (1979) M7-929R1

External links

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