Deke Richards was born Dennis Lussier in Los Angeles on April 8, 1944, the son of screenwriter Dane Lussier, and the hosts tie his sense of song structure to growing up around three-act storytelling. He appeared as a background musician in the 1962 low-budget film Eegah, credited as Deke Lussier, then played in Debbie Dean’s backing band and wrote a song for her. In 1966, while the Supremes were at the Hollywood Palace, he crossed paths with Berry Gordy, who signed him as a songwriter and producer.
When Holland-Dozier-Holland left Motown in 1968 over a financial dispute, Richards was assigned to the Supremes and co-wrote Love Child, a No. 1 hit in the United States with heavier social themes. He wrote I’m Still Waiting, a UK No. 1 for Diana Ross. He then worked inside the production teams The Clan and The Corporation, which wrote and produced the Jackson 5’s early hits. Richards died of esophageal cancer in Bellingham, Washington, on March 24, 2013, at 68.
- Richards adopted the stage name Deke Richards after his early Hollywood work.
- He also wrote or produced for Bobby Darin, Martha and the Vandellas, the Blackberries and Stacey Johnson.
- The Corporation name stripped individual credit from the writers in favor of a team product.
- With co-writer Sherlie Matthews he assembled the vocal sextet Celebration for Motown’s MoWest label.
- Celebration was built to win a share of the vocal group market dominated by the Fifth Dimension.
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