William "Mickey" Stevenson (born January 4, 1937) is an American former songwriter and record producer for the Motown group of labels from the early days of Berry Gordy's company until 1967.
Life and career
He was born William Stevenson and, after spending his formative years recording doowop and gospel music, joined Tamla/Motown in 1959, the year it was founded. He was head of the A&R department there during the company's "glory" years of the mid-1960s when artists such as the Supremes, Marvin Gaye, the Temptations, Four Tops, Stevie Wonder and Martha and the Vandellas came to the fore. Stevenson was also responsible for organizing and establishing the company's in-house studio band, which came to be known as the Funk Brothers.
In recent years, Stevenson has largely been involved in producing stage musicals. The latter include Swann, Showgirls, Wings and Things, The Gospel Truth, TKO, and Chocolate City. He married Michelle Stevenson on November 11, 2021.
Legacy
He was referenced in a Smokey Robinson and the Miracles 1963 hit song, "Mickey's Monkey," "A cat named Mickey from out of town" (William "Mickey" Stevenson).
Chart hits and other notable songs written by William “Mickey” Stevenson
{| class="wikitable"
!Year
!width="260"|Song
!width="180"|Original artist
!width="40"|<sup>U.S. Pop</sup>
!width="40"|<sup>U.S. R&B</sup>
!width="40"|<sup>UK Singles Chart</sup>
!Other charting versions, and notes
|-
|rowspan="2"| 1961
| "Twistin’ Postman"
| The Marvelettes
|align="center"|34
|align="center"|13
|align="center"|-
| Written by Stevenson (as Stevens), Bateman, and Holland
|-
| "Jamie"
| Eddie Holland
|align="center"|30
|align="center"|6
|align="center"|-
|Written by Stevenson, and Barrett Strong
|-
|rowspan="3"| 1962
| "Playboy"
| The Marvelettes
|align="center"|7
|align="center"|4
|align="center"|-
| Written by Stevenson, Bateman, Holland, and Horton
|-
| "Beechwood 4-5789"
| The Marvelettes
|align="center"|17
|align="center"|7
|align="center"|-
|Written by Stevenson, Gaye, and Gordy
|-
| "Hitch Hike"
| Marvin Gaye
|align="center"|30
|align="center"|12
|align="center"|-
|Written by Stevenson, Paul, and Gaye
|-
|rowspan="3"| 1963
| "Love Me All the Way"
| Kim Weston
|align="center"|88
|align="center"|24
|align="center"|-
| Written by Stevenson
|-
| "Pride and Joy"
| Marvin Gaye
|align="center"|10
|align="center"|2
|align="center"|-
|Written by Stevenson, Marvin Gaye, and Norman Whitfield
|-
| "Dancing in the Street"
| Martha and the Vandellas
|align="center"|2
|align="center"|8
|align="center"|4
|Written by Stevenson, and Marvin Gaye
|-
|rowspan="5"| 1964
| "Devil with the Blue Dress"
| Shorty Long
|align="center"|-
|align="center"|-
|align="center"|-
| Written by Stevenson, and Frederick “Shorty” Long
|-
| "What Good Am I Without You"
| Marvin Gaye and Kim Weston
|align="center"|61
|align="center"|28
|align="center"|-
|Written by Stevenson, and Higdon
|-
| "Needle in a Haystack"
| The Velvelettes
|align="center"|45
|align="center"|31 (C)
|align="center"|-
|Written by Stevenson, and Norman Whitfield
|-
| "He Was Really Sayin' Somethin'"
| The Velvelettes
|align="center"|64
|align="center"|21
|align="center"|-
|Written by Stevenson, Holland, and Norman Whitfield
|-
| "What's the Matter with You Baby"
| Mary Wells and Marvin Gaye
|align="center"|17
|align="center"|2 (C)
|align="center"|-
|Written by Stevenson, and Paul
|-
|rowspan="2"| 1965
| "My Smile is Just a Frown (Turned Upside Down)"
| Carolyn Crawford
|align="center"|-
|align="center"|39
|align="center"|-
| Written by Stevenson, Smokey Robinson, and Bradford
|-
| "Can You Jerk Like Me"
| The Contours
|align="center"|47
|align="center"|15
|align="center"|-
|Written by Stevenson, and Hunter
|-
|rowspan="4"| 1966
| "Nothing’s Too Good For My Baby"
| Stevie Wonder
|align="center"|20
|align="center"|4
|align="center"|-
| Written by Stevenson, Hank Cosby, and Sylvia Moy
|-
| "My Baby Loves Me"
| Martha and the Vandellas
|align="center"|22
|align="center"|3
|align="center"|-
|Written by Stevenson, Ivy Jo Hunter, and Sylvia Moy
|-
| "What am I Going to Do Without Your Love?"
| Martha and the Vandellas
|align="center"|71
|align="center"|-
|align="center"|-
| Written by Stevenson, and Sylvia Moy
|-
| "It Takes Two"
| Marvin Gaye and Kim Weston
|align="center"|14
|align="center"|4
|align="center"|16
| Written by Stevenson, and Sylvia Moy
|-
|rowspan="2"| 1967
| "I Got What You Need"
| Kim Weston
|align="center"|99
|align="center"|-
|align="center"|-
|Written by Stevenson, and Doug Brown
|-
| "Stranded in the Middle of Noplace"
| The Righteous Brothers
|align="center"|72
|align="center"|-
|align="center"|-
| Written by Stevenson
|-
|rowspan="1"| 1970
| "She Said Yes"
| Wilson Pickett
|align="center"|68
|align="center"|20
|align="center"|-
| Written by Stevenson, Pickett, Covay, and Nash
|-
|rowspan="1"| 1974
| "Loving You"
| Johnny Nash
|align="center"|91
|align="center"|40
|align="center"|-
| Written by Stevenson
|-
|rowspan="1"| 1977
| "Try and Understand"
| Jaisun
|align="center"|-
|align="center"|?
|align="center"|-
| Written by Stevenson
|-
|}