Van McCoy

Born Jan 6, 1944 in Washington, D.C. Died Jul 6,

Producer/composer Van McCoy had a lengthy career in R&B, soul, and dance music, although he is best known by the general public for "The Hustle." But McCoy's experiences dated back to the '50s, when he sang with both the Marylanders and in the Starlighters with his brother. The Starlighters cut three singles for End in 1959. McCoy had his own label, Rock 'N, in 1960 and became an A&R man at Scepter/Wand from 1961 to 1964. He penned numbers for Chuck Jackson, the Shirelles, Jackie Wilson ("I Get the Sweetest Feeling"), and Ruby and the Romantics ("When You're Young and in Love"), and produced sessions by the Shirelles, Gladys Knight, and the Drifters. McCoy also ran Vando and Share and owned Maxx during the '60s, supervising such artists as Chris Bartley and the Ad-Libs. He later created Van McCoy Productions in 1968, and formed Faith, Hope & Charity in the early '70s before becoming a solo artist and signing with Avco. "The Hustle" was a number one R&B and pop hit in 1975, as well as a gold single. McCoy also had a Top Ten R&B hit with "Change with the Times" that same year, also on Avco. He continued on "H&L" and MCA through 1976. McCoy wrote and produced material for Gladys Knight & the Pips, Aretha Franklin, Linda Clifford, Stacy Lattisaw, Melba Moore, and Barbara Lewis before he died in 1979.

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