As a teen in the sixties, Allee Willis hung out on the lawn of Motown Records in Detroit, eagerly absorbing the soulful melodies from legends inside. Despite her dad’s warning to steer clear of Black culture when she headed to college, she dove in headfirst, later gifting us with timeless hits like “September” and “Boogie Wonderland.” Remarkably, she achieved songwriting greatness without the ability to read or write music. It was there on Motown’s lawn as a teenager that she learned to hear and “worship” (her words) every single note in her head.
📷: Decades later, with over 60 million records sold, Allee revisited Motown in 2013, now the Motown Museum, on a special invite from its legendary producer Paul Riser—a truly full-circle moment!
