1945 – 1979

Donny Hathaway

American singer-songwriter and musician (1945-1979)

soul musicianmusiciansinger-songwriterpianistrecord producer

Born

1945-10-01, Chicago

Died

1979-01-13

Birthplace state

Illinois

Biography

Donny Edward Hathaway was an American soul singer, keyboardist, songwriter, backing vocalist, and arranger who Rolling Stone described as a "soul legend". His most popular songs include "The Ghetto", "This Christmas", "Someday We'll All Be Free", and "Little Ghetto Boy". Hathaway is also renowned for his renditions of "A Song for You", "For All We Know", "Jealous Guy" and "I Love You More Than You'll Ever Know", along with "Where Is the Love" and "The Closer I Get to You", two of many collaborations with Roberta Flack. He has been inducted into the St. Louis Walk of Fame and won one Grammy Award from four nominations. Hathaway was also posthumously honored with a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019. Dutch director David Kleijwegt made a documentary called Mister Soul – A Story About Donny Hathaway, which premiered at the International Film Festival Rotterdam on January 28, 2020.

Occupation

Donny Hathaway is recorded as a soul musician, a musician, a singer-songwriter, a pianist, a record producer, a conductor, a singer and a composer, born in Illinois (1945–1979).

Connections to Illinois

Donny Hathaway was born in Chicago, Illinois in 1945. Explore other notable figures from Illinois, historic sites connected to this era, and the full colonial and statehood history of the state using the links below.

Other notable figures from Illinois›Illinoishistory ›Historic sites in Illinois›

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More notable figures from Illinois

Other historical figures born in Illinois, ranked by historical prominence.

Ronald Reagan

president of the United States from 1981 to 1989 and actor (1911-2004)

Walt Disney

American animator, producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor and entrepreneur, founder of The Walt Disney Company (1901–1966)

Ernest Hemingway

American author and journalist (1899–1961)

Robin Williams

American actor and comedian (1951–2014)

Ray Bradbury

American author and screenwriter (1920–2012)

Bobby Fischer

American chess player (1943–2008)

James Watson

American molecular biologist, geneticist, zoologist and Nobel Laureate (1928–2025)

Frequently asked about Donny Hathaway

Who was Donny Hathaway?

Donny Hathaway was American singer-songwriter and musician (1945-1979), born in Illinois (1945 – 1979).

When and where was Donny Hathaway born?

Donny Hathaway was born on 1945-10-01 in Chicago.

When did Donny Hathaway die?

Donny died on 1979-01-13.

What was Donny Hathaway known for?

Donny Hathaway is recorded as a soul musician, a musician, a singer-songwriter, a pianist, a record producer, a conductor, a singer and a composer.

Source

Biographical content adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Source: Wikipedia.

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