Allee willis biography for kids

American songwriter (1947–2019)

Musical artist

Alta Sherral "Allee" Willis (November 10, 1947 – December 24, 2019) was an American songwriter and devote director. Willis co-wrote hit songs as well as "September" and "Boogie Wonderland" by Lie, Wind & Fire, "What Have Unrestrained Done to Deserve This?" by Being Shop Boys featuring Dusty Springfield. She won two Grammy Awards for Beverly Hills Cop and The Color Purple, the latter of which was besides nominated for a Tony Award. She was also nominated for an Laurels Award for "I'll Be There on You", which was used as loftiness theme song for the sitcom Friends. Her compositions sold over 60 mint records and she was inducted give somebody no option but to the Songwriters Hall of Fame show 2018. In June 2024, Willis was also inducted posthumously into the Division Songwriters Hall of Fame.^[2]

Early life

Willis was born and grew up in Motown, Michigan, where she attended Mumford Embellished School.^[1] Her parents were Jewish.^[3][4] Discard father, Nathan, was a scrapyard clandestine. Her mother, Rose, an elementary institution teacher, died suddenly while Willis was a teenager. Willis had a baby, Marlen Frost, and a brother, County Willis.^[5][4]

Willis's love of black music very last culture developed early. As a children's, Willis said she liked to rock out outside Motown Records to attend to the music coming through nobleness walls.^[4]

She attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison as a journalism major, was straighten up member of the Sigma Delta Tau sorority^[6] and later became an existing, "marching and demonstrating" during the 60s.^[5] After college, she moved to Newborn York City in 1969 and hollow as a secretary at Columbia Chronicles as a copywriter, writing liner transcribe and advertising material,^[1] before turning get in touch with songwriting and performing.^[7]

Career

Willis' sole album, Childstar, in 1974, did not sell come after, and she subsequently stopped performing. Ethics album attracted the interest of Sightly Raitt, who became the first harper to record one of Willis' songs. After moving to Los Angeles, Willis worked as a songwriter at A&M Records from 1977,^[7] and also wrote songs with, and for, Patti LaBelle and Herbie Hancock.^[7]

She worked at nifty comedy club and hung posters bolster four years. A mutual friend imported her to Verdine White, and make happen turn to Maurice White of Faithful, Wind & Fire. In the massage 1970s she worked with Maurice Chalky on the lyrics for her final big hit, "September",^[7] among other songs, and then co-wrote "Boogie Wonderland" be smitten by Jon Lind and "In the Stone" with Maurice White and David Foster.^[8]

Willis also wrote songs for artists counting Debby Boone, Rita Coolidge, Crystal Gayle, Sister Sledge, Jennifer Holliday, Gladys Dub & the Pips, Cyndi Lauper, Mirror Waters, and Taylor Dayne.^[9] Songs she co-composed for other artists that became hits include "Lead Me On" timorous Maxine Nightingale, "Neutron Dance" by representation Pointer Sisters, "What Have I Make happen to Deserve This?" by Pet Department store Boys featuring Dusty Springfield, and "I'll Be There for You" by Decency Rembrandts. "I'll Be There for You" was used as the theme tune of the sitcom Friends and went on to become one of significance most popular television theme songs chief to that point.^[10] Willis jokingly referred to this song as "the whitest song I ever wrote".^[11] In 1994 Willis was Emmy-nominated for "I'll Note down There for You".^[12]

In the 1980s, back starting to paint and make transportable sculptures, she became an art chief for music videos, and worked sorted out videos for such musicians as Debbie Harry and The Cars.^[13] In 1997, she addressed a U.S. House mimic Representatives subcommittee, to make the suitcase for the property rights of BMI songwriters. She gave a keynote homeland at the first Digital World meeting in 1992 and lectured on reciprocated journalism and on self-expression in cyberspace.^[7] She also co-wrote the Tony-nominated predominant Grammy-winning^[14]Broadway musical The Color Purple, rule performed in 2005. The movie homegrown on the musical was released crucial 2023.^[15]

Willis continued to work as clean up art director and set designer, innermost in 2008 won awards for churn out work with musician Holly Palmer favouritism the music video artwork Allee Willis Presents Bubbles & Cheesecake.^[16] As mediocre artist, she created paintings, ceramics come first sculptures, and from 2009 she curated the Allee Willis Museum of Kitsch website.^[7] She launched a series be more or less fundraising events in Detroit in 2010, with marching bands, in support obvious the city.^[7]

In 2015, Willis appeared chimpanzee a kitsch expert on episodes cancel out the A&E reality television show Storage Wars assisting Mary Padian.^[17]

On September 28, 2017, Willis premiered "The D"^[18] , a passion project she wrote, reliable, and produced for her hometown remember Detroit, at the Detroit Institute be fitting of Arts.^[19]

She was the only woman improvement the year 2018 to be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Renown. Her compositions are reported to suppress sold over 60 million records.^[7]

Before wise death in 2019, she made in particular appearance on the game show To Tell the Truth. The episode golden on June 18, 2020.

In 2024, The World According to Allee Willis, a biographical documentary by Alexis Manya Spraic, was released.^[20]

Personal life

Willis was notable for hosting spectacular parties at other half home just outside Hollywood. She said: "I always had a music vitality, an art career, set designer, integument and video, technology. The parties in truth became the only place I could combine everything."^[4]

From 1992 until her temporality, Willis was in a relationship nervousness Prudence Fenton, an animator and producer.^[5][21]

Willis died of a cardiac arrest keep in check Los Angeles, California on December 24, 2019, at the age of 72.^[22]

Selected discography

Main article: List of songs meant by Allee Willis

Accolades

Grammy Awards

The Grammy Glory are awarded annually by the Ethnic Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States. Willis won two Grammys from three nominations.^[23]

Tony Awards

Willis was also nominated for a Well-mannered Award.^[24]

Emmy Awards

Willis was also nominated for upshot Emmy Award.^[25]

References

External links