Leon Ware

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Leon Ware was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, the youngest of eleven children. At age five, a slingshot accident left him temporarily blind for two years, during which he attended the Michigan School for the Blind in Lansing. In the mid-1950s, he became a key member of the vocal group the Romeos alongside Lamont Dozier and Ty Hunter. By the late 1960s, he worked at ABC Records as an arranger and songwriter before joining Motown as a staff member. His first gold record came from a co-composition for the Isley Brothers. In 1971, he collaborated with Ike & Tina Turner, co-writing six songs on their album 'Nuff Said, which reached number 21 on the Billboard R&B chart. In 1972, Ware co-wrote "I Wanna Be Where You Are" with Arthur "T-Boy" Ross for Michael Jackson; the single reached number two on the R&B charts and peaked at number 16 on the Billboard Hot 100. In 1974, Quincy Jones booked Ware as songwriter and performer for two songs on Jones' Body Heat album. Ware worked with Minnie Riperton on Jones' album and later co-wrote several tracks on Riperton's Adventures in Paradise, including the R&B hit "Inside My Love." In 1975, Ware and Ross worked on demos that led to Marvin Gaye's album I Want You, released in March 1976. The title track hit number one, the album peaked at number one on the R&B chart, reached the Top Ten of the Billboard 200, and sold over a million copies. Ware's own solo album Musical Massage was released in September 1976 but suffered commercially due to poor promotion. In 1979, he released Inside Is Love via Fabulous Records, which reached the charts along with its single "What's Your Name." In 1981, he signed with Elektra Records and released Rockin' You Eternally, which spawned two R&B singles. In the 1990s, his earlier work became a major source of samples in hip-hop music. He co-wrote "Sumthin' Sumthin'" on Maxwell's 1996 debut album Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite. In the 2010s, he was featured in projects by Tyler, the Creator on Cherry Bomb, Theophilus London on Vibes, and Omar on Love in Beats. His posthumous album Rainbow Deux was released in 2019.

In Their Own Story

In 1975, Leon Ware and Arthur "T-Boy" Ross were working on demos for Ware's second album and for Ross to win a deal. One of the demo recordings, "I Want You," was heard by Motown's founder Berry Gordy, who decided the song would be a good fit for Marvin Gaye. Gaye heard the other demos and decided to record much of it for his next album, I Want You, released in March 1976. Buoyed by the number one title track, the album peaked at number one on the R&B chart, reached the Top Ten of the Billboard 200 and sold over a million copies. Having given away the material for his album, Ware began again on a solo effort for Motown's Gordy label. Motown executives insisted Ware's following album should be given to Gaye. Ware protested at their suggestion, so the company responded by barely promoting his second album, Musical Massage, released in September 1976. The album suffered commercially despite its excellence in quality. Minnie Riperton lent her voice on the album, sharing vocal duties on some tracks, such as "Instant Love" and "Comfort." Retrospectively, the album gained a cult following among soul music fans and received positive reception from music critics.

Reader's Guide

Leon Ware's career spans from the mid-1950s through the 2010s, with major breakthroughs in the 1970s. For fans of Tina Turner, Ware's direct connection is his collaboration with Ike & Tina Turner in 1971, co-writing six songs on their United Artists album 'Nuff Said, which reached number 21 on the Billboard R&B chart and also appeared on the Billboard 200. Beyond that, Ware's work as a songwriter and producer for artists like Michael Jackson, Quincy Jones, Minnie Riperton, and Marvin Gaye places him at the center of the R&B and soul music scene of the 1970s. His co-write of "I Wanna Be Where You Are" for Michael Jackson in 1972 reached number two on the R&B charts and peaked at number 16 on the Billboard Hot 100. His co-production of Marvin Gaye's I Want You album in 1976 produced a number one title track and an album that sold over a million copies. In the 1990s, his work was heavily sampled in hip-hop, and he co-wrote "Sumthin' Sumthin'" on Maxwell's landmark neo-soul album Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite. Ware continued releasing albums into the 2000s, including Candlelight (2001), Love's Drippin' (2003), Deeper (2004), A Kiss in the Sand (2004), and Moon Ride (2008). In the 2010s, he was featured on projects by Tyler, the Creator, Theophilus London, and Omar. He died on February 23, 2017, from complications of prostate cancer at age 77.

Did You Know?

• At age five, a slingshot accident left Leon Ware temporarily blind for two years, during which he attended the Michigan School for the Blind in Lansing.
• Ware was the youngest of eleven children; his mother was a beautician and minister, and his father worked on the assembly line at Ford Motor Company.
• Ware co-wrote six songs on Ike & Tina Turner's 1971 album 'Nuff Said, which reached number 21 on the Billboard R&B chart.
• His co-write with Arthur 'T-Boy' Ross, 'I Wanna Be Where You Are,' was recorded by Michael Jackson in 1972 and reached number two on the R&B charts.
• Ware's demo recording 'I Want You' was heard by Berry Gordy, who gave it to Marvin Gaye; the resulting album sold over a million copies.