Leroy Hutson (June 4th, 1945) is an American vocalist, keyboardist, songwriter, and producer. Born in Newark, New Jersey, Hutson was involved with creating his own music during his formative years. He formed the un-recorded four-man vocal group The Nu-Tones as a teenager. Even after winning several talent shows as part of the group, he decided to go to Washington D.C.’s esteemed Howard University to study dentistry instead. While attending the university, his roommate was non other than future star Donny Hathaway. Hutson ended up co-writing the 1970 hit “The Ghetto” with Hathaway, the latter of whom would leave college early in order to be Curtis Mayfield’s musical director.

After his success success with his Hathaway, Hutson decided to switch his major to be in music theory and composition. Curtis Mayfield would later return to request the service of Hutson is a major way: asking him to be his replacement in The Impressions! After accepting, his transition was as smooth as even fitting into Mayfield’s uniform. He would work with the remaining Impressions Sam Gooden and Fred Cash for two and a half years, but only ended up recording one album with them (“Times Have Changed”). Hutson began to work on material that would end up forming his first solo album “Love Oh Love” in 1972 before he even told Gooden and Cash he was leaving the group.

“Love Oh Love” would be released in the summer of 1973, the album received heavy airplay on soul music record stations all across the United States. Unfortunately it did not receive the national reception that his record label (Curtis Mayfield’s Curtom Records) has been hoping for. Nevertheless, Hutson put his talents to work by producing tracks for the self-titled album by The Voices Of East Harlem and the west coast group the Natural Four. Ultimately he would create seven albums for the Curtom label, but unforutnately these did not receive the major success that many of his fans believe he should have obtained during that period.

Hutson would release one last album in 1982 for Elektra (“Paradise”), and quitely leave the music industry. His fanbase would only continue to grow over the next two decades thanks to the Rare Groove record collecting movement in the United Kindgom and the United States. Not to mention being sampled by the likes of The Notorious B.I.G., Erykah Badu and Pete Rock, to name a few.

In addition to influencing generations of future artists and producers alike, Leroy became the father of JR Hutson, an accomplished writer and producer in his own right. Hutson would later return to releasing material in 2009 with “Soothe You Groove You” and making a comeback on European stages shortly after that. Acid Jazz Records would later work with Hutson to reissue all of his studio albums on Curtom starting in 2017. He continues to tour to this day.