Do you remember the 21st night of September? Chances are, you do. It’s the opening line to one of the most recognizable songs in music history, “September” by Earth, Wind and Fire, and just one of a multitude of feathers in the cap of legendary songwriter, Allee Willis.
Willis, as a human being, is equally as recognizable. An established artist, set designer, director, kitsch-art collector and party-thrower extraordinaire, her cherry-red lips, trademark asymmetrical hair and bright vintage wardrobe perfectly match her personality – colorful, playful, vibrant and loud.
And with over 60 million records sold worldwide, Willis’s legacy is nothing short of remarkable. Additional writing credits in her catalogue of over 900 songs include such beloved tunes as “Neutron Dance” by the Pointer Sisters; “I’ll Be There For You” by The Rembrandts, also known as the theme song from the well-known comedy TV hit Friends; “Boogie Wonderland” also by Earth, Wind & Fire; and co-writing credit for both the music and lyrics for the Broadway musical The Color Purple. Given the depth and breath of her work, it is no surprise that this Grammy, Emmy, and Tony award-winning and nominated musician was recently inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
By her own account, however, this self-taught innovator has functioned entirely as an outsider in the music industry. “I am completely untrained, but I believe that can either be an obstacle or it can be your hook. And I wanted to do it so badly that I just decided it was my hook.” she says.
As a teen growing up in Detroit, music was her passion. Her formative years were spent lounging on the front lawn of Motown Records, watching musicians walk in and out, and listening to their music as it permeated the walls of the freshly-formed studio.
“That began my obsession with music, specifically black music. Radio stations in Detroit were incredible. Record labels in Detroit were incredible.”
After graduating from the University of Wisconsin, class of ’69, with a major in Journalism and a minor in Advertising, she made her way to New York. There she found a job as a junior copywriter at Columbia and Epic Records, and recalls clearly the day in 1972 when inspiration struck.
“There was a song out called “Alone Again, (Naturally)” by Gilbert O’Sullivan. It was the #1 record of the year. A ballad. I was on a bus coming down Amsterdam Ave. and just started writing my own lyrics to it.”
Within a few weeks, she had added two more songs to her repertoire, which she then took to her boss. He removed her name from the trio of tracks, averting a conflict of interest, and passed them up the chain of command, where they landed on the desk of the then- President of Columbia Records, Clive Davis. Davis signed Willis immediately, without ever knowing that she was an employee of the company.
Her initial ten songs were on her first and only album, the 1974-release Childstar. But when it came to touring, things didn’t go as smoothly.
“My first gig was opening for a folk singer in front of ten thousand people. I had an all-black band dressed as sequined vegetables. I spent all my time on the costumes and sets, and did anything I could not to rehearse, because it terrified me.”
Overcome by the constant sense of fear and anxiety, she jumped off the stage in the middle of her fourth performance and made a beeline through the crowd, directly out the front door. As a result, her label dropped her.
Reflecting back, she realizes that it just wasn’t the right fit for her at the time. And, as fate would have it, she would not have to wait long for her next big break.
“The night that I was dropped, one of my best friends had a recording session and said ‘You shouldn’t be alone. Come with me.’”
The friend was Sharon Redd, a background singer and one of Bette Midler’s Harlettes. Accompanying her, Willis met Bonnie Raitt and, as luck would have it, Bonnie was a huge Allee Willis fan.
“She took one look at me, ran over, dropped to her knees, started bowing at my feet, and said ‘What are you doing here? Go home and write me a song.’ I called a friend to come over at midnight. We stayed up and wrote three songs. The next day I had my first cover.”
As word of Willis’s talent got out, she slowly but surely became high in demand.
“I wrote songs for Patti LaBelle and Herbie Hancock. A friend of mine started to have sex with someone in Earth, Wind & Fire, which lead to me writing for Earth, Wind & Fire and then the whole thing exploded. So in the beginning of 1978, I was on food stamps and medical assistance. By the end of 1978, I’d sold 10 million records.
“Then friends would say ‘Have you ever designed a set? Have you ever blah blah blah…?’ And so all of a sudden I was designing sets. I did Debbie Harry first, and then The Cars. It just kind of took off. Then the very first clip show on MTV called “Just Say Julie” with Uptown Julie Brown, and for that, I literally just brought my house to the set.”
Her personal philosophy is simple and to the point. Figure yourself out. “Everything around you is a canvas for expression. So whether it’s your front lawn, your house, your body, your hair, your car, whatever it is, put yourself into it and basically stake your claim. In my case, it probably took 50 years to feel secure in that, but I’m so glad because I feel that people now give me freedom because I’ve demanded it.”
As far as what the future holds? A whole lot more performing. It’s what she loves. It’s what she has the most fun with. Her parties have kicked into high gear again.
“I’m also writing more now than I have in years. It’s time for me to slam one outta the park. And especially with the Hall of Fame happening this year, that’s elevated things to where I can meet people who I didn’t feel I had access to before. So it’s been a pretty thrilling year. And then also way more stuff in Detroit,” she relates.
“Overall, I’m very proud that some of my songs have not died. I mean, you could not kill September if you ran it over with twelve trucks. You know, it’s not going away. That makes me incredibly happy.”
The song is here to stay, and so is Willis.
— Written by Heidi Miller
— 35mm photography by Ashley Guo
— Installation by Farida Amar and Andru Perez
— First published in [ Issue 3 ]
“Everything around you is a canvas for expression. So whether it’s your front lawn, your house, your body, your hair, your car, whatever it is, put yourself into it and basically stake your claim.”— Allee Willis