Very happy to be officially included in the NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants) archives! This chunk of my interview is about my love of Motown and how it influenced me to become a songwriter.
I was totally exhausted after 36 hours of birthday festivities over the weekend but had enough left in me for one final bday blow with Beatie Wolfe who, along with Chef Nick, treated me and the lovely Prudence Fenton to a traditional English tea, much needed after the voluminous amounts of birthday cake and candy consumed in the previous 36.
Celebrated part of my birthday at the opening of The Color Purple Musical at the Greenway Court Theatre in LA Saturday night. Show was great but my favorite part was when the cast serenaded me with Happy Birthday. Thank you Celie, Shug, Sofia, Harpo, Mister, Church Ladies and the whole TCP community! It was a great place to be as another year gets ripped off the calendar. Quick songwriter alert: I was thrilled to have Mike Stoller, one of the greatest songwriters of all time, at the show and staying for cake (bottom right). (“Stand By Me, ”Hound Dog,” “On Broadway,” “Spanish Harlem,” and a zilllllllion more.)
FINALLY it has been announced that Steven Allan Spielberg, Oprah Winfrey, Quincy Jones, and Scott Sanders will be producing the movie version of The Color Purple Musical I co-wrote with Brenda Russell, Stephen Bray, and Marsha Norman! We are very excited!! More details soon. #ImHere#TheColorPurple The Hollywood Reporter
Only thing I like as much as writing songs is collecting kitsch. Here’s a new interview that just came out about my obsession: https://bit.ly/2Dhna0L #kitsch#largestcollectorofkitsch #WillisWonderland #hitsongs #songwriter#iwritethehits
I’m on today’s “TUESDAY on “Life With Ryan” 12-2PM PST. LIVE STREAMING on https://outnow.radio.com/ or on Out Now Radio on your App Store! “Grammy-winning superstar songwriter of Broadway’s The Color Purple Musical;” Earth, Wind & Fire’s “September” & the hit t.v. show “Friends” theme song, Allee Willis! PLUS as always, do it yourself projects for the home with D.I.RY. , Recipes with Ry, Life Hacks for the home and everyone’s favorite game What Would Oprah Do?! Check it out on 97.1 AMP Radio (KAMP) in Los Angeles. The station is also available on sister stations in four additional cities including Mix 94.1 HD2 (KMXB-FM) in Las Vegas, ALT 94.7 HD2 (KKDO-FM) in Sacramento, Sunny 98.1 HD3 (KXSN-FM) in San Diego and [email protected] HD2 (KLLC-FM) in San Francisco.
In 2007, with two of my musical idols and collaborators – Nick Ashford, half of Ashford & Simpson, one of the first songwriting teams who made me conscious of the fact that there ain’t no great record without a great song, – can you say “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” and a zillion others! – and Maurice White, the man who changed my life by asking me to write for the group he founded, Earth, Wind & Fire.
I had as great a time as it sounds like everyone else did at University of Southern California a couple weeks ago when Patrice “Forget Me Nots” Rushen interviewed me in front of students enrolled in the music program and their elders who were visiting for Parents Weekend. Thank you Songwriters Hall of Fame and USC’s Popular Music Program at the USC Thornton School of Music, and, of course Patrice, now their professor (these are very lucky students!) who orchestrated the whole thing – the program, the interview, and the arrangements for the medleys of my songs ‘September”, “Boogie Wonderland,” “Neutron Dance,” and “I’ll Be There For You (the FRIENDS theme)” which the students performed brilliantly. You can read more about the festivities here:
“The D” is done!! Hard to believe, but following a thrilling, harrowing, joyous, traumatic + every other polar opposite e
