Harold Edward "Hal" Davis (February 8, 1933 — November 18, 1998) was an African American songwriter and record producer. He is best known as the key figure in the latter part of the Motown career of The Jackson 5.
Davis was the co-writer and producer of Jackson 5 hits such as "I'll Be There" and "Dancing Machine," and Eddie Kendricks' "Can I." Davis also produced for Bette Midler (her Motown record of 1975, produced by Davis, was never released), Bobby Taylor & the Vancouvers, The Supremes, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Brenda Holloway, Thelma Houston, Joy Holden, Diana Ross, Florence Ballard, Mary Wilson, Marvin Gaye, Little Stevie Wonder, Four Tops, Junior Walker, and The Miracles.
Hal Davis was a producer and writer for Motown Records for nearly thirty years. He and Marc Gordon opened Mowest, Motown's west coast office division, in the late 1960s. He first had some regional hits with "Do The Del Viking" by Patrice Holloway and "Moment to Remember" by Jenell Hawkins on his own label.
Berry Gordy, Jr. (born November 28, 1929) is an American record producer, and the founder of the Motown record label, as well as its many subsidiaries.
Berry Gordy, Jr. (born in Detroit, Michigan) was the seventh of eight children (Fuller, Esther, Anna, Loucye, George, Gwen, Berry and Robert), born to the middle-class family of Berry Gordy II (a.k.a. Berry Gordy, Sr.) and Bertha Fuller Gordy (1899–1975), who had relocated to Detroit from Milledgeville, Georgia, in 1922. Gordy was brought up in a tight-knit family with strong morals.[citation needed] Berry Gordy II (1888–1978) was the son of Berry Gordy I and a woman named Lucy Hellum. Berry Gordy I was the son of James Thomas Gordy, a white plantation owner in Georgia, and his female slave Esther Johnson. Berry Gordy, Jr. is distantly related to former president Jimmy Carter through Carter's mother, Bessie Lillian Gordy.
Berry Gordy II was lured to Detroit by the many job opportunities for black people offered by booming automotive businesses.
Bob West (born June 25, 1956) is an American television actor best known as the voice of Barney in the hit children's show Barney & Friends. He has also appeared in several Barney-related shows such as concert tours.
As Barney, West's voice was used on the television series, in a 70 market radio show, on Multi-Platinum and Multi-Gold albums, for a feature film, for CBS and NBC primetime specials, for touring performances, as a Daytime Emmy presenter, for toys, for educational games, and for "personal appearances". He also voiced interviews on The Today Show, Live With Regis & Kathy Lee, Oprah, The Phil Donahue Show, John & Leeza, Marilu, and appearances around the world.
In 2000, West retired from the role and was temporarily replaced by voice actor Duncan Brannan, who met him through their affiliation as the voices of Chuck E. Cheese and Tim Dever. In 2002, Dean Wendt replaced Brannan and Dever as the purple dinosaur's voice and Carey Stinson replace David Joyner as the dino's body performer. However, West's pre-recorded voice can still be heard in A Day In The Park With Barney at Universal Studios Florida, as it was recorded in 1995.
William McKinley Hutchison, known professionally as Willie Hutch (December 6, 1944 — September 19, 2005) was an American singer, songwriter as well as a record producer and recording artist for the Motown record label during the 1970s and 1980s.
Born William McKinley Hutchinson in 1944 in Los Angeles, California, Hutch was raised in Dallas, Texas and joined a doo-wop group, The Ambassadors, as a teenager. After graduating from Booker T. Washington High, Hutch shortened his last name as he started his music career in 1964 on the Soul City label with the song, "Love Has Put Me Down."
Moving to Los Angeles, his music eventually caught the eye of the mentor for pop/soul quintet The 5th Dimension, and Hutch was soon writing, producing, and arranging songs for the group. In 1969, he signed with RCA Records and put out two albums before he was spotted by Motown producer Hal Davis, who wanted lyrics to his musical composition "I'll Be There," which was to be for The Jackson 5. The song was recorded by the group the next morning after Hutch received the call. Motown CEO Berry Gordy signed Hutch to be a staff writer, arranger, producer, and musician shortly there afterward.