Songwriters & Catalogs

Over the course of four decades in the music business, it can be argued that Eugene McDaniels has enjoyed at least four distinct careers; as a prodigal vocalist, a hugely successful recording artist, a hit pop and R&B songwriter and a record producer. Soon after leaving the Midwest for Los Angeles in the early 1960's, a young Gene McDaniels earned a vocalist’s baptism of fire, as he was invited to sing with jazz icon Miles Davis. Soon he was offered a recording contract with Liberty Records, releasing a series of albums which yielded a staggering 8 charted hits from 1961-1963, including Top 10’s “A Hundred Pounds Of Clay,” “Tower Of Strength,” and “Chip Chip.” By the mid 1960's, Gene was busy writing songs for other artists, contributing jazz standard “Compared To What” to Les McCann and more than 15 titles for soul songstress Roberta Flack, including worldwide #1 smash “Feel Like Making Love,” covered, again, several years ago, by R&B crooner D’Angelo, as well as “Feelin’ That Glow,” “The River” and Reverend Lee.” McDaniels later wrote and produced two critically acclaimed solo CD’s for Atlantic Records, Outlaw and Headless Heroes Of The Apocalypse, whose titles are still actively sampled by modern day hip-hoppers, and went on to produce tracks for such respected vocalists as Nancy Wilson, Phyllis Hyman, Dee Dee Bridgewater and The Floaters. Spirit placed “Compared To What” in a new version performed by Mya, along with rapper Common in the recent global branding for the Coca Cola company. “Feel Like Making Love” was also featured in Universal’s Starsky & Hutch while “Compared To What” was showcased in a recent episode of ABC’s Lost. Gene’s work remains much adored by the hip-hop community, with recent samples by artists as diverse as Common and Jim Jones.