Willie “Pops” Mitchell Dies at 81

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Everyone here at Ardent is sorry to hear the news of the passing of Willie “Pops” Mitchell on January 5th, 2010. Mitchell was a key figure in the history of Memphis music, starting as a trumpet player and moving his way to engineer, producer, talent scout and label executive at Hi Records. He championed the careers of Ann Peebles, Otis Clay and Al Green, to name a few. Some words from Ardent Studios’ founder and owner John Fry on his memories of Pops:

“My early memories of Willie Mitchell are of those occasions that he would bring something to the old Ardent Studio on National Street for me to mix. I was a 22 year-old kid, but I quickly picked up on the idea that this signaled danger. If he brought me something, there was a problem; otherwise he would have mixed it himself. He would usually be accompanied by Joe Cuoghi , one of the owners of HI Records and Poplar Tunes Record Shop.

Joe and Willie would sit at the back of the control room; Joe smoking cigars and drinking coffee that looked like asphalt.

The material was always 4 track, or in some cases 3 track, analog.

On the fateful day, they showed up with an Al Green tape. I think it was Let’s Stay Together, but I’m not certain. When I played it there was this beautiful vocal performance which just pinned the VU meter and was totally distorted.

I glanced around at Willie and Joe and thought “Oh my God, these people think I am going to fix that”.

Then I had one of my few good thoughts. My Scully tape machine was different than Willie’s Ampex. On the Scully, the playback level alignment control was the very first thing in the circuit before the signal on tape ever reached any amplifiers. Suppose the recording was not total distortion, and the Ampex just could not handle the elevated level on playback.

So I said forget “proper” alignment, put my little screwdriver on the control for the vocal track, and turned it down. The distortion magically went away, and the beautiful vocal performance remained. Everyone left with smiles on their faces.

Over almost four decades, we did a number sessions with “Pops” at Ardent, and everyone one of them was fun. He was a kind and gracious man and is sorely missed.”

Heart of Soul: Music Mourns R&B Innovator Willie Mitchell (by Bob Mehr, from The Commercial Appeal)

Facebook Group – In Memoriam: “Poppa” Willie Mitchell

R.I.P. Soul Producer Willie Mitchell – (pitchfork.com)

In the picture: Willie Mitchell works on horn arrangements at Royal Studios c. 1998.