Michael Lovesmith

Life and career

Michael Lovesmith got his start in St. Louis, Missouri, writing songs for Isaac Hayes and the Isley Brothers. He then formed the Smith Connection with his brothers Danny and Louis Smith. The group relocated to Los Angeles, where they recorded for Music Merchant, a label created by Holland, Dozier and Holland as a branch of Invictus Records. Their album Under My Wings came out in 1972, and the following year they scored an R&B hit with "(I've Been a Winner, I've Been a Loser) I've Been in Love," which peaked at number 28.

Under the name Michael Lovesmith for certain projects, he moved into record production, working with the vocal trio Honey Cone. Motown signed him as a songwriter, and he teamed up with Brian Holland to write "All I Do Is Think of You" for the Jackson 5. That track reached number 50 on the R&B chart in 1975, and it was revived by the band Troop in 1990, climbing to number one. Lovesmith also contributed as a writer, arranger, and co-producer to Jermaine Jackson's 1976 album My Name Is Jermaine, co-writing its biggest single, "Let's Be Young Tonight," which hit number 19 on the R&B chart.

He co-wrote and produced the title track of Thelma Houston's 1976 album Any Way You Like It, and in 1977 he wrote and produced the album Rich Love, Poor Love for Syreeta and G.C. Cameron. In 1981, he sang on Ozone's album Jump On It. That same year, he reunited with his brothers Danny, Louis, and Aaron Smith to record the album Lovesmith for Motown, with Jermaine Jackson serving as executive producer. As a solo artist, Lovesmith released three albums: I Can Make It Happen (1983), Diamond in the Raw (1984), and Rhymes of Passion (1985).

Two singles from that period made the lower end of the R&B charts: "Baby I Will" reached number 80 in 1983, and "Break the Ice" hit number 82 in 1985. He sang background vocals on Luther Vandross's 1988 album Any Love, and in 1995 he wrote and produced the debut albums for two Motown groups, Mind, Heart & Soul and Harem. During the 1990s, Lovesmith shifted into management, becoming an executive at Jobete Music. He later served as President of West Grand Media Inc., a company that oversees many of Motown's assets, and was executive producer of the touring production Motown: The Musical.