Leon Haywood

by Richie Unterberger
Soul/funk journeyman Leon Haywood periodically dented the charts in the 1970s with hits that tapped into the grooves and musical hooks of the days trends. An accomplished songwriter and arranger, Haywood never pretended to be an innovator, and his hits are cheerful derivations of 70s midtempo funk and romantic ballads, usually embellished by smooth string charts. His best material recalled the late-60s/early-70s Motown sound; on the slower material in particular, his vocals bore a resemblance to those of Marvin Gaye.
Haywoods roots extend way further back than the 70s; he toured and recorded with R&B saxophonist Big Jay McNeelys band (which also backed Sam Cooke on the road) in the early 60s. In the mid-60s, he had his first chart entry with Shes with Her Other Love on Imperial. In 1967, he had a solid R&B hit (and small pop one) with Its Got to Be Mellow, whose commercial soul sound betrayed his Motown influence.
He didnt come into his own as a solo artist until the mid-70s, when he had big R&B hits with Strokin, Come and Get Yourself Some, and Keep It in the Family. His biggest single, I WantA Do Something Freaky to You (with orgasmic female gasps and moans that made it pretty clear what freaky really meant), crossed over to the Top Twenty pop listings. The discoish Dont Push It Dont Force It was his biggest splash, making #2 R&B in 1980. After the mid-80s, he eased out of the record business into business ventures; in the 1990s, he produced blues albums by Jimmy McCracklin and others on his own EveJim label.