Memphis producer and musician Willie Mitchell has died at the age of 81, MSNBC is reporting. Though a notable trumpeter and bandleader, Mitchell is best known as the in-house producer for the Hi label, which jumped from strength to strength in the 1970s thanks to hits by Mitchell-produced soul artists like Ann Peebles, Syl Johnson and, most famously, Al Green. Mitchell remained active into the '00s, reuniting with Green for a pair of albums and working with John Mayer, Anthony Hamilton and others.
Here's a clip by which to remember the lush, direct Mitchell sound:
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