Richard "Popcorn" Wylie
| Richard "Popcorn" Wylie | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Richard Wayne Wylie |
| Also known as | Popcorn Wylie |
| Born |
June 6, 1939 Detroit, Michigan, U.S. |
| Died | September 7, 2008 (aged 69) Detroit |
| Genres | R&B, Soul |
| Occupation(s) | Pianist, songwriter, record producer |
| Instruments | Piano |
| Years active | 1959–1990s |
| Labels |
Motown Epic Pameline others |
| Associated acts | Popcorn and the Mohawks |
Richard Wayne Wylie (June 6, 1939 – September 7, 2008), often known as Popcorn Wylie, was an African-American pianist, bandleader, songwriter, occasional singer, and record producer who was influential in the early years of Motown Records and was later known for his work on many records in the Northern soul genre.
Wylie was born in Detroit, Michigan, into a musical family, and learned piano. He gained the nickname "Popcorn" through his habit of popping quickly out of the football team's huddle at Northwestern High School. While at school, he formed a group, Popcorn and the Mohawks, which also included later Motown musicians James Jamerson on bass and Clifford Mack on drums. The band performed at local venues, where Wylie would front the band wearing a homemade Mohawk headdress.
In 1960 he released a solo single, "Pretty Girl", on the local Northern label. He also performed at a Detroit club, Twenty Grand, where he met fellow musician Robert Bateman who was working as an engineer at Berry Gordy's fledgling Motown label. Wylie then began recording for Motown, releasing three unsuccessful singles as Popcorn and the Mohawks: "Custer's Last Man" / "Shimmy Gully", followed by a cover of Barrett Strong's "Money (That's What I Want)", and then "Real Good Lovin'". He also recorded with Janie Bradford as a duo, Janard, and began working as a backing musician. He played piano on The Miracles' 1961 hit "Shop Around" and The Marvelettes' "Please Mr. Postman", and additionally worked with The Contours, Marvin Gaye, Marv Johnson, The Supremes, Martha & the Vandellas and Mary Wells. He was Motown's first head of A&R, and served as the band leader for the first Motortown Revue tour in 1962.
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