Dale Warren

Dale Warren
Birth name	Dale Ossman Warren
Born	1940 Detroit, Michigan, US
Died	February 3, 1994 Gwinnett County, Georgia, US
Genres	R&B, soul, classical
Occupation(s)	Arranger, songwriter, record producer
Instruments	Violin
Years active	1961–1990s
Labels	Motown Shrine Stax
Associated acts	Isaac Hayes 24-Carat Black

Dale Ossman Warren (1940 - February 3, 1994) was an American musician, who was best known for his work as an arranger for Motown Records in the early 1960s, and later for the Stax label where he worked with Isaac Hayes among many others. He was also primarily responsible for writing, arranging and producing the influential 1973 funk concept album Ghetto: Misfortune's Wealth by 24-Carat Black.

He was born in Detroit, Michigan, and was the nephew of Berry Gordy's second wife, Raynoma, often known as "Miss Ray". He was an accomplished conservatory-trained violinist, and in 1961 was recruited by his aunt to work as a strings arranger for Motown Records. There, he worked with The Supremes, among others, and also worked in the early 1960s as a freelance arranger with other Detroit record labels. He arranged Bettye LaVette's "Let Me Down Easy", released on the Calla label in 1965, and wrote and arranged tracks by Ronnie and Robyn on the Sidra label. Also in 1965, he began working in Washington, D.C. as an arranger for Shrine Records, a company established by Raynoma Gordy and her then husband, songwriter Eddie Singleton.

After the Shrine label folded in the late 1960s, Warren worked as an arranger at Stax Records, composing scores for such musicians as Billy Eckstine, Eddie Floyd, Isaac Hayes, The Bar-Kays, Albert King and The Staple Singers. He orchestrated Isaac Hayes' version of "Walk On By" on his classic 1969 album Hot Buttered Soul, and was also responsible for the arrangements on Hayes' follow-up albums, The Isaac Hayes Movement and ...To Be Continued the following year. In 1972, Warren was featured as a composer and conductor at the Wattstax concert, leading the "Wattstax '72 Orchestra" and writing the extended instrumental piece that opened the event, "Salvation Symphony".

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