A SONG FOR YOU

A Song for You (Excerpt from Love Songs)
(1972)
Choreography: Alvin Ailey
Music composed by: Leon Russell
Music performed by: Donny Hathaway

Love Songs, a three-part technical and dramatic tour-de-force originally created for the legendary Dudley Williams, is often viewed as the male counterpart to Cry.  This lyrical solo offers an emotional journey through love and longing, set to a suite of songs recorded by Donny Hathaway and Nina Simone.

Donny Hathaway

Donny Hathaway was one of the brightest new voices in soul music in the 1970s, and possessed a smooth, gospel inflected romantic croon that was also at home on fiery protest material. Hathaway achieved his greatest commercial success as Roberta Flack’s duet partner of choice. He was born October 1, 1945, in Chicago, but moved to St. Louis when he was very young, and began singing in church with his grandmother at age three. He began playing piano at a young age, and was awarded a scholarship to Howard University to study music in 1964. He left school after three years to pursue job opportunities in the record industry. Hathaway first worked behind the scenes as a producer, arranger, songwriter, and session pianist/keyboardist. He sang backup for the likes of Aretha Franklin, Jerry Butler, and the Staple Singers, among many others, and joined the Mayfield Singers, a studio backing group that supported Curtis Mayfield’s Impressions. Hathaway enjoyed R&B chart success in the early 1970s with several singles and formed his own independent production company. Prior to his untimely death in 1979, he had released five solo albums in addition to his discs with Flack.

Tickets

FRI, MAR 21 | 7:30PM PROGRAM A
SAT, MAR 22 | 8:00PM PROGRAM B

Mahalia Jackson Theater
New Orleans, Louisiana