Henry Cosby

Henry R. Cosby (1928-2002) was a behind-the-scenes musician who was heavily involved with Motown during the 1960s, i.e. the label’s formative and arguably signature decade.  The artist he, alongside Sylvia Moy, worked with the most was Stevie Wonder.  In other words, Cosby produced:

  • The Jazz Soul of Little Stevie Wonder (1962), Stevie’s first studio album
  • Tribute to Uncle Ray (1962), Stevie’s second studio album
  • Up-Tight (1966), Stevie’s fifth studio album
  • I Was Made to Love Her (1967), Stevie’s seventh studio album
  • Eivets Rednow (1968), Stevie’s ninth studio album
  • For Once in My Life (1968), Stevie’s 10th studio album
  • My Cherie Amour (1969), Stevie’s 11th studio album, and
  • Signed, Sealed & Delivered (1970), Stevie’s 12th studio album

Henry Cosby also worked with other Motown musicians of the day, including The Supremes and The Temptations.  By the looks of things, the biggest hit he was involved in creating was The Tears of a Clown (1967) by Smokey Robinson & the Miracles, which reached number one in the US and UK.

Cosby eventually left Motown during the early 1970s.  It was afterwards that Stevie Wonder, now as a full-fledged adult with greater control over his music, would go on to achieve his greatest musical successes.  However, it can be gleaned that the transition wasn’t easy.  That’s to say that first album Stevie produced on his own, 1971’s Where I’m Coming From, is a largely forgotten and critically-panned entry in his discography.  But its follow-up, Music of My Mind (1972), is a lot more memorable, and after that Stevie would go on to drop a string of albums that are considered some of the greatest in music history.

As for Henry Cosby, he never went on to achieve the same type of successes he experienced working for Motown and with Stevie Wonder.  And he eventually passed away in 2022, being 72 years old at the time.

TRIVIA

  • Henry Cosby was enshrined in the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2006, as was his regular songwriting partner, Sylvia Moy.
  • According to the Songwriters Hall of Fame website, the most notable song Cosby wrote for Stevie Wonder would be My Cherie Amour (1969).
  • Cosby was active in the US Army during the Korean War and served as a military saxophonist therein.
  • Henry Cosby was one of the original members of The Funk Brothers (then known as The Joe Hunter Band), a group of sessions’ instrumentalists who were very-heavily involved with Motown during the 1960s.
  • Henry Cosby is not related to legendary African-American comedian Bill Cosby.  But to note, Bill did parody Stevie Wonder’s Uptight (Everything’s Alright) (1965) via a track he dropped in 1967 titled Lilttle Ole Man (Upright, Evyerhting’s Alright) which, to note, unexpectedly hit.  As such, since Henry Cosby co-wrote the original song, he also received songwriting credit for Bill Cosby’s parody.
  • Henry Cosby’s nickname was “Hank”.
  • Hank Cosby was born in Detroit and also died in Michigan, in the city of Royal Oak, at William Beaumont Hospital.

SOURCES

Henry Cosby.  Wikipedia.  Last edited on 21 September 2023. 

Category:Albums Produced by Henry Cosby.  Wikipedia.  Last edited on 23 March 2023.

Henry Cosby.  Songwriters Hall of Fame.  Accessed on 30 December 2023.

The Funk Brothers.  Wikipedia.  Last edited on 31 December 2023.

Where I’m Coming From.  Wikipedia.  Last edited on 27 July 2023.

Little Ole Man (Uptight, Everything’s Alright).  Wikipedia.  Last edited on 9 August 2023.