Van McCoy
Van Allen Clinton McCoy was an American record producer, arranger, songwriter and singer. He is known for his 1975 internationally successful hit "The Hustle". He has approximately 700 song copyrights to his credit, and produced songs by such recording artists as Brenda & the Tabulations, David Ruffin, The Stylistics, The Presidents, Faith, Hope & Charity, New Censation, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Aretha Franklin, Peaches & Herb, Lesley Gore, and Stacy Lattisaw.
Childhood, family and education
Van McCoy was born on January 6, 1940, in Washington, D.C., the second child of Norman S. McCoy, Sr. and Lillian Ray. He learned to play piano at a young age and sang with the Metropolitan Baptist Church choir as a youngster.In September 1958, McCoy entered Howard University and studied psychology, but he left school two years later in order to resume his musical career.
Career
During his youth
By the age of 12, he had begun writing his own songs, in addition to performing in local amateur shows alongside his older brother, Norman Jr. The two brothers formed a doo-wop combo named the Starlighters with two friends while in Theodore Roosevelt High School. In 1956, they recorded a single, "The Birdland", a novelty dance record. It gained some interest, resulting in a tour with saxophonist Vi Burnside. In 1959, the Starlighters produced three singles for End Records that included "I Cried". Marriage and other commitments eventually caused the group to disband during the mid-1950s. Van also sang with a group the Marylanders.As an adult
McCoy relocated to Philadelphia after leaving Howard University. He formed his own recording company, Rockin' Records, releasing his first single, "Hey Mr. D.J.", in 1959. This single gained the attention of Scepter Records owner Florence Greenberg, who hired McCoy as a staff writer and A&R representative for the label. As a writer there, McCoy composed his first success, "Stop the Music", for the popular female vocal group The Shirelles in 1962, who he also arranged for. He was co-owner of Vando Records with Philly D.J. Jocko Henderson. He owned the Share record label and co-owned the Maxx record label in the mid-1960s, supervising such artists as Gladys Knight & the Pips, Chris Bartley and The Ad Libs.McCoy came into his own after first working for top producers Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller as a writer, and then signing with the major April-Blackwood music publishing concern, connected with Columbia Records. He began writing a string of hits as the 1960s progressed. He penned "Giving Up" for Gladys Knight & the Pips, "The Sweetest Thing This Side of Heaven" for Chris Bartley, "When You're Young and in Love" for Ruby & the Romantics, "Right on the Tip of My Tongue" for Brenda & the Tabulations, "Baby I'm Yours" for Barbara Lewis, "Getting Mighty Crowded" for Betty Everett, "Abracadabra" for Erma Franklin, "You're Gonna Make Me Love You" for Sandi Sheldon, and "I Get the Sweetest Feeling" for Jackie Wilson.
Joe Cobb was a songwriting partner of Van McCoy. The duo composed at least eighteen chart hits, including "So Much Love" by Faith, Hope & Charity, "Triangle Of Love " by The Presidents , "Right on the Tip of My Tongue" by Brenda & the Tabulations, and "Come Back and Finish What You Started" by Gladys Knight & the Pips.
Composition and production
Late 1950s to late 1960s
Cash Box reported in the June 13, 1964, issue that McCoy was appointed to the position of staff writer for the music publishing company April-Blackwood Music. He was working under Jerry Teifer. His duties included writing music and lyrics for all their labels, major and independent labels. He also had the responsibility to maintain the liaison with artists and producers. At that time, McCoy's composition "Giving Up" by Gladys Knight & the Pips was doing well in the charts. It was at no. 56 in the Cash Box Top 100 and no. 10 in the Cash Box Top 50 in R&B Locations chart.In 1965, Barbara Lewis had the Van McCoy-composed "Baby I'm Yours" released. She was originally reluctant to record it. It went to no. 11 that year.
;Daedalus Productions – VMP Productions
By July 1965, McCoy and David Kapralik had formed Daedalus Productions. Their first production was to be a release by The Spellbinders. At the time, McCoy's composition "Before and After" by Chad and Jeremy and "Baby I'm Yours" by Barbara Lewis were both in the Cash Box Top 100.
Around 1965, McCoy was promoting the Sweet Things, a female vocal outfit. Walking into a Washington, D.C., record store one day, he was roped into giving a young salesman there an audition in the storeroom. Soon he had an idea that he could put the salesman, Herb Fame, together with the Sweet Things lead singer Francine Barker, and they would be a duo. And that was the beginning of Peaches & Herb. He ended up arranging and co-producing their first hit, "Let's Fall in Love", for the Columbia subsidiary Date in 1966.
In 1966, he started his own short-lived label, Vando.
By March 11, 1967, McCoy had left Daedalus Productions and had started his own production company, VMP. The new company formed new labels and distributed the product via independents. It also produced artists for various labels. Already by then a Daedalus production that McCoy had arranged, produced and conducted, "Let's Fall in Love" by Peaches & Herb was in the charts. Also the previous week, a Sandi Sheldon record had been released by Okeh Records. It was done under the banner of Soul Sound Productions.
1970s
One outfit Van wrote or produced most consistently for was The Presidents, who had the hit "5-10-15-20 ".In the early 1970s, McCoy had begun a long, acclaimed collaboration with songwriter/producer Charles Kipps, and arranged several hits for the soul group The Stylistics etc.
McCoy also had success with David Ruffin's comeback album, Who I Am, featuring "Walk Away from Love", in the US and a UK top 10 success. He went on to produce the next two albums for Ruffin, which spawned further successes. His early discovery, Faith, Hope And Charity, had major success in 1975 with "To Each His Own". It was another R&B chart-topper. Also in 1975, he arranged two of his compositions, "My Heart's Too Big for My Head" and "You've Got to Tell Her", for the Asha Puthli album She Loves to Hear the Music.
An example of multiple McCoy compositions in the same chart was for the week ending November 15, 1975, in the Billboard Hot Soul Singles Chart. In addition to his hit "Change with the Times", which at week 6 was at no. 8, there was "To each His Own" by Faith Hope & Charity at no. 10 at week 14, "When You're Young and in Love" by Choice Four at no. 71 at week 11 and "I Destroyed "Your Love" by Special Delivery at no. 71 at week 5.
For the week ending May 8, 1976, McCoy had four of his compositions in the Billboard Hot Soul Singles Chart. At week ten, "Heavy Love" by David Ruffin was at no. 17, and "This is It" by Melba Moore at week six was at no. 29. His own single, "Night Walk" was on its fourth week at no 52, and "Hey What's that Dance You're Doing" by The Choice Four on week five was at no. 60.
Also in 1976, McCoy produced Melba Moore's "This Is It" and "Lean on Me".
Having changed the name of their production company Whitehouse Productions to McCoy-Kipps Productions in early 1976, McCoy and Charles Kipps had entered a new venture towards the end of that year. They had entered a production agreement to produce two albums of new R&B acts. A McCoy-Kipps Productions bio sheet for Kipps indicated that one of the artists could be actress Tamara Dobson. Dobson had signed with MCA sometime in the later part of 1976. Confirmation of things in motion appeared in the November 27 issue of Billboard. Dobson was the first artist to have a release scheduled for early 1977. Prior to that, in 1975 and 1976 McCoy had been seen escorting Dobson as well as dancing with her various venues.
During 1977, he produced Gladys Knight & the Pips' Still Together LP.
Recording career
1950s
McCoy along with brother Norman and two schoolmates, Freddy Smith and Paul Comedy formed The Starlighters. He was still at Dunbar High School at the time. It was then after he had transferred to Roosevelt High School in D.C. that "The Birdland" was recorded in 1956. The group later recorded "I Cried" which was released on the End Records label in 1959.1960s
; First solo hit, Mr. DJOn July 8, his single "Mr. D. J." entered the Cash Box Looking Ahead chart at no. 42, then peaking at no. 5 on August 19. It would also get to No. 101 on the Billboard chart.
;Further activities
Making note of McCoy's success with "Mr. D. J.", Cash Box reviewed his single "Girls are Sentimental" / "Baby Don't Tease Me". In the Pick of The Week section, the reviewer gave the A-side love ballad beat song and the B-side cha-cha beat romance song national potential.
Having met Kendra Spotswood, who lived near his family in 1961, she became his romantic interest, and they became an item. For the next five years, they would sing and record music together professionally. Their relationship ended when McCoy delayed their wedding plans because of a work contract he had signed with Columbia Records.
;Solo career on Columbia
By 1965, Columbia Records had recently acquired Van McCoy. McCoy's history as a songwriter was known in the industry. Managed at the time by David Kapralik, it was Kapralik who made McCoy known to Columbia vice-president, William P. Gallagher. Columbia wanted to push him as a recording artist. An article in the October 2 issue of Billboard wrote that the label was using its muscle in a promotion strategy to pitch him via a coast-to-coast tour of radio stations, extensive trade advertising, and promotional mailing to disk jockeys etc. Amongst this, there was to be a cover story about McCoy on the record company's nationally distributed company magazine, Insight.
The first single for the label consisted of two McCoy originals, "Butterfly" and "Keep Loving Me". The single at the time had "Keep Loving Me" as the A-side. Backed with "Butterfly", it was arranged by Gary Sherman, and was released on Columbia 43415. The October 2 issue of Billboard had it in the Pop Spotlights Top 60 section, a record predicted to reach the top 60 of the HOT 100 Chart. The following week, Billboard ran a picture of McCoy seated, signing his contract with Columbia vice-president William P. Gallgaher and manager Dave Kapralik looking on. A full page advert for the single with McCoy pictured appeared on page 5 of the same issue.
It charted in Canada, making its debut in the R. P. M. Play Sheet chart at no. 36 on the week of October 25. In her New York column, Harriet Wasser mentioned that McCoy singing on "Butterfly" sounded a bit like Nat King Cole and Johnny Mathis. With the magazine now calling itself, R. P. M. Music Weekly the single peaked at no. 10 on the week of December 6.
In 1966, McCoy recorded a solo LP for Columbia entitled Night Time Is Lonely Time. It was produced by Mitch Miller.