Suzee Ikeda is an American singer who was the first Asian-American solo artist at Motown. However, she is best known for her work "behind the scenes" at Motown with such acts as Michael Jackson and The Temptations.
Suzee Ikeda | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Susan Wendy Ikeda |
| Born | August 25, 1947 |
| Origin | Chicago, Illinois, US |
| Genres | pop, disco |
| Occupation(s) | singer, producer |
| Instrument | vocals |
| Years active | 1970's–1980's |
| Labels | Motown |
Biography
editBorn Susan Wendy Ikeda on August 25, 1947, in Chicago, Illinois, the daughter of a Japanese father and an American mother.
Initially assigned to Mowest, Motown's subsidiary label, her first single was a cover version of "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah" from the Disney film, Song of the South. The single failed to chart.
In April 1973, Suzee released her first single on the Motown label, a ballad written by Charles Fox and Norman Gimbel called, "Time For Me to Go." Unfortunately, the single and her solo career went nowhere.[citation needed]
During her tenure at Motown she was described as a "creative confidant" of Michael Jackson. "Michael Jackson could make you forget he was so young," writes Suzee Ikeda, in her introductory essay to Hello World: The Complete Motown Solo Collection.[1]
Ikeda's rapport with artists soon led to a new role behind the scenes as a production executive for the company. One of her early projects was the A Song for You album by The Temptations, released in 1975.
In 1983, Ikeda became one of the principal players in Super Three, a division of Motown responsible for developing new and existing acts. Other participants in the partnership were off again-on again Motown figure Ray Singleton and Guy Costa (nephew of musician and arranger Don Costa), the latter who served as the entity's creative director.[2]
Selected credits
editSingles
editAs a recording artist
edit| Release | Single | Cat. # |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 1971 | "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah" b/w "Bah Bah Bah" | MoWest 5004[3] |
| Jun 1972 | "I Can't Give Back the Love I Feel For You" b/w "Mind, Body & Soul" | MoWest 5016[3] |
| Apr 1973 | "A Time For Me to Go" b/w "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah" | Motown 1237[4] |
Albums
editServing in various capacities
edit| Release Date | Album | Artist(s) or Group | Capacity(ies) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 1973 | Diana & Marvin | Diana Ross & Marvin Gaye | Production Coordination; Production Assistant |
| Jan 1975 | A Song for You | The Temptations | Producer |
| 1980 | Jose Feliciano | Jose Feliciano | Producer |
| 1982 | Reunion | The Temptations | Producer |
| Sep 1983 | Commodores 13 | The Commodores | Project Manager |
| 1986 | Dancing on the Ceiling | Lionel Richie | Engineer; Background vocals |
References
edit- ^ "Michael Jackson: Hello World- The Complete Motown Solo Collection". Hip-O Select. Retrieved 2009-12-10.
- ^ Gordy Singleton, Raynoma (1990). "Super Three". Berry, Me and Motown (First ed.). Chicago: Contemporary Books. pp. 297–299. ISBN 0-8092-4340-7.
Suzee had proved her stuff over the years...
- ^ a b "Motown Related Labels: MoWest". Seabear Studios. Retrieved 2009-11-02.
- ^ "Motown Related Labels: Motown 1201–1300". Seabear Studios. Retrieved 2009-11-02.
External links
edit- All Music Guide
- First Universal Network
- Suzee Ikeda discography at Discogs
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