Steve Cohen: “This past week, the city of Memphis and the world lost a great musical producer and musical icon, Willie Mitchell.…”

“This past week, the city of Memphis and the world lost a great musical producer and musical icon, Willie Mitchell. Willie Mitchell was laid to rest today in Memphis, Tennessee. He produced a sound that included O.V. Wright, Syl Johnson, and Ann Peebles; but his most famous find was Al Green. A great horn player and a great musician, Willie Mitchell was in Texas and Al Green was on the bill. He told Al Green, Come back to Memphis, and I will make you a star, and he did that. It happened so much in Memphis: Come to Memphis, and I will make you a star, and it happened. Willie Mitchell was part of that great Memphis legend and soul music. He was loved by people in the studio and by his family. He received the Trustees Award from the Grammys in 2008 for a lifetime of achievement. He gave people lots of love and happiness and reasons to stay together, he and Al Green. He leaves two wonderful daughters, two grandsons who became his sons, a stepson, a musical history and a musical tradition that will live on forever. We will all miss Willie Mitchell and appreciate the fact that he came our way and helped produce the Memphis sound.”