Will Downing: Will Power by David Nathan

                                            WILL DOWNING: WILL POWER
                                                           By David Nathan

I’m sure my longtime pal Will Downing will be cool with the title I gave this article. He
and I have known each other for a good seventeen years from the time I was fortunate
to be assigned to write the bio for his 1990 career breakthrough album, “A Dream
Fulfilled.” There has barely been a time when Mr. Downing has been in Los Angeles
when we haven’t gotten together for breakfast and I still recall with much joy, the time
we were driving down La Cienega Boulevard and I put him on the phone with one of
his musical heroes, the late Luther Vandross. It was a moment of real happiness for
Will since he had long admired and been inspired by Luther’s music. Bottom line, Will
and I have had many a great conversation on all manner of subjects, sharing about our
favorite soul music tunes, laughing about some of the artists he’s worked with and
their antics!

It was with a sense of real shock that I learned of his recent health challenges. In fact,
it was an e-mail from a recording artist that prompted me to ask questions.
Unbeknownst to me, since the end of 2006, Will had been dealing for months with a
debilitating viral condition known as polymyositis which results in loss of muscular
control. In a recent interview celebrating the release of “After Tonight,” his first Peak
Records album, Will explained, “I was doing my usual Christmas shows at the end of
2006, I got on the plane and noticed I was having a hard time trying to put computer in
the overhead bin. I started walking slower and slower and I thought of everything
under the sun other than the possibility of being sick. Then, I was taking my wife and
daughter to the movies and I didn’t have the strength to turn the steering wheel. My
wife rushed me to the hospital and I stayed there for about three months. To begin
with, the doctors didn’t know what it was. Then, it was diagnosed as polymyositis, a
viral disease that affects about 50,000 people…and no one knows what kicks it off.
The closest I can compare its’ symptoms is to bells palsy. It takes away all your
muscle functions and you can’t do anything…”

Needless to say, for a man like Will who has always been active and who always puts a
good deal of energy and love into his onstage performances, the experience was
“tough, very humbling. Of course, I went through a whole ‘why me?’ stage but you
gotta wake up everyday and you gotta fight back. I would say, ‘Maybe I’ll do
something today that I couldn’t tomorrow,’ and I finally came out of the hospital…I was
out for about a month and then I got pneumonia so I was back in there. I really thought
I was outta here: I got down to about 115lbs. During the time I was in hospital, I didn’t
do that much listening but I did a lot of reading. I read The Bible more than anything…”

Prior to his first hospital stay, Will had begun work on his new album by recording four
songs, there original tunes, (“After Tonight”), “Fantasy (Spending Time With You),”
“All I Need Is You” and a cover of “No One Can Love You More,” the Skip Scarborough
song first recorded by the late Phyllis Hyman (with whom Will toured during the ‘90s)
on her debut Buddah album 1977. “I’m a real music lover and this is one of my all time
favorite songs…and a friend of mine suggested I record it. “Fantasy” has what I call
that ‘Marvin [Gaye]’ flavor lyrically and “After Tonight” is a nice, radio-friendly jam with
that ‘I’m the best one for you’ line that every guy has! “All I Need Is You” (which
features saxman Kirk Whalum) was written by one of my band members, Michael
Logan and myself.”

Unbelievably, much of the “After Tonight” album was recorded during Will’s time in
hospital, with longtime producer Rex Rideout setting up a studio there so that Will
could work: “I literally did some of my vocals from the hospital bed. I recorded the Bill
Withers’ song “You Just Can’t Smile It Away” – which is a deep song that I’ve loved for
years – lying flat on my back from 2am-7am in the morning. I think that was the
hardest thing I ever did in my life.” To keep himself active, Will says he worked every
day, writing and recording, resuming recording for the album in his home studio in
July and August from a wheelchair (which he refers to as his ‘black chair’) with tracks
that producer Rideout had cut in Los Angeles and using the modern technology to ‘fly’
them into Will’s computer.

Other key cuts on “After Tonight” include “Satisfy You,” based on a song which
singer/producer Danny Madden “had written about twenty years ago,” Will recalls;
while “Will’s Groove” had its genesis in the method that Will and Rex used to write
together: “We’ll start out with him humming to me or vice-versa. Rex had this idea, he
put it on tape and sent it to me and I thought it would make a good intro song for the
album.” Another Downing-Rideout collaboration, “Lover’s Melody” was the last song
Will recorded for the project: “I was physically worn out by the time we got to that
song,” Will says. “Just as we got to the last note on that song, my voice started to
go…we put Roy Ayers on there as a way of taking the pressure off me. Overall, the
record is a testament, my willingess and faith to make it happen and [many times] I had
to say, ‘if this ain’t God working, I don’t know what is.”

Expressing that sentiment is the song “God Is So Amazing,” written by Will with his
wife Audrey Wheeler and Noel Goring (the musical director at Will’s church): “I wanted
to do a gospel song, particularly because my mother has been on me for years to
record one…and she now wants me to do a whole gospel album! Well, you never
know!” Making this album under such challenging circumstances was indeed
amazing and says Will, “It demonstrated the trust everyone had and how all the pieces
fit together…and I’m ecstatic over what we’ve done...”

Noticeable on “After Tonight”: Will’s voice seems a little higher than usual. He
chuckles in response, “Well, I always wanted that!   When I was in high school, I used
to be a real tenor, singing along with Peabo Bryson and Donny Hathaway. I remember
one year, I realized my voice had changed. I was singing along with Peabo’s
“Reaching For The Sky” and I wasn’t hitting the notes!”

As it is, Will’s soothing baritone has been a staple on quiet storm and urban radio in
the U.S. for well over a decade and although he describes his new record as “full of
good grooves,” he notes, “The musical climate is very strange these days. What with
bootlegging and downloading, it’s hard to get a sale out here and this is still a
‘numbers’ business. I’m interested in seeing if people will really support the record
and if real music can still stand up. Certainly, the older you are, the tougher it gets in
today’s marketplace.”

Will has nothing but praise for his new record label, Peak Records – known more as a
jazz-oriented imprint: “They have been excellent. They’re very enthusiastic about
getting into the R&B world and with this record, I tried to give them an opportunity to
be competitive and they are making a concerted effort with it.” In the past, Will would
hit the record just prior to the release of a new album and continue touring for some
time after; still working on gaining back his strength every day, he predicts that he will
be back onstage “around Valentine’s Day, 2008.” Meanwhile, in the spirit of
entrepreneurship (which has included the publication of his first book of photography,
2005’s “Unveiled Series I, Photography of Will Downing and Fine Art by New and
Emerging African American Artists”), Will is the promoter of a series of Christmas
shows which starts at the end of November with a package of Freddie Jackson, Ledisi,
Najee and Norman Brown. “I’ve been promoting these kind of shows for the last three
years. Hey, man, in this business you’ve got to diversify!”

Acknowledging that it’s “all about pacing,” Will says he’s “ready to get back to work!
And until then, all I can say to all my folks is ‘go get the record!’” Not just because it’s
an amazing demonstration of his personal fortitude and faith but because Will
Downing, one of soul music’s enduring artists, has - once again - delivered a record
that is musically sound and emotionally satisfying, “After Tonight” indeed deserves
the support of everyone who appreciates solid good music. Like the man said, go get
it!

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