Hathaway, the son of Drusella Huntley, was born in Chicago, but spent most of his youth in St. Louis. He lived with his grandmother, Martha Pitts, also known as Martha Crumwell, in the Carr Square housing project. Hathaway began singing in a church choir with his grandmother, a professional gospel singer, at the age of 3. He also played the ukulele and, fascinated by Liberace, began studying piano as a child. Hathaway began singing professionally as "Donny Pitts, The Nation's Youngest Gospel Singer". By the time he was a student at Vashon High School, he was known as a piano prodigy, which earned him a fine-arts scholarship to Howard University in 1964 where he was initiated into Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity. He attended Howard for three years and performed with The Ric Powell Trio, a jazz trio. Hathaway received so many job offers that he left Howard without a degree in 1967.
At first, Hathaway worked as songwriter, session musician and producer. Working first at Chicago's Twinight Records, he later did the arrangements for The Unifics ("Court of Love" and "The Beginning Of My End") and participated in projects by The Staple Singers, Jerry Butler and Aretha Franklin, as well as with Curtis Mayfield. After becoming a "house producer" at Mayfield's label, Curtom Records, he recorded his first single in 1969, a duet with singer June Conquest called "I Thank You Baby".
Hathaway then signed to Atco Records, which released his first single of note, "The Ghetto". His debut LP was Everything Is Everything (1970), which was critically acclaimed. His second album, Donny Hathaway, was a major hit. He also recorded an album of duets with former Howard University classmate and label mate Roberta Flack. The album was both a critical and commercial success, including the Ralph MacDonald-penned track "Where Is The Love", which proved to be not only an R&B hit, but also went Top Five on the pop charts. The album also included a number of other covers, including versions of Carole King's "You've Got a Friend" and "Baby I Love You", originally a hit for Aretha Franklin.
Hathaway followed this flurry of work with some contributions to soundtracks, along with his recording of the theme song to the TV series Maude. He also composed and conducted music for the 1972 soundtrack of the movie Come Back Charleston Blue.
In the mid-1970s he also produced albums for other artists including Cold Blood, where he expanded the musical range of lead singer Lydia Pense.
At the height of his career, Hathaway began to suffer from severe bouts of depression. It was found that he was suffering from paranoid schizophrenia and was known to have taken up to 14 pills two to three times a day to control this disease. This condition wreaked havoc on his life and led to several hospitalizations.
The effects of Hathaway's deep depression also drove a wedge into Flack and Hathaway's friendship; they did not reconcile for several years, and did not release additional music until the 1978 release of "The Closer I Get To You". The single became a pop and R&B hit, and Flack and Hathaway returned to the studios to record a second album of duets thereafter.
On January 13, 1979, Hathaway was found dead on the sidewalk in front of the Essex House in New York City, where he had been living. His body showed no signs of struggle, and the glass from the window in Hathaway's room had been removed; investigators determined Hathaway had committed suicide. Friends, fans, and the media were mystified at his death, since his career and his partnership with Flack were on an upswing. Flack was devastated by his death, and included the few duet tracks they had finished on her next album. The Reverend Jesse Jackson conducted Hathaway's funeral, which was attended by many notable people including Roberta Flack and Stevie Wonder. He was buried in Lake Charles Cemetery in Bel-Nor, Missouri.
Hathaway met his wife, Eulaulah, at Howard University. They had two daughters, Eulaulah Donyll (Lalah Hathaway) and Kenya Canelibra. Lalah has enjoyed a successful solo career, while Kenya is one of the three backing vocalists on the hit TV program American Idol.
While separated from Eulaulah, Hathaway had another daughter named Donnita Hathaway.
Legacy
Donny Hathaway Live, which featured noted R&B musicians Willie Weeks (bass guitar) and Cornell Dupree (guitar), has been cited as an influence by numerous artists including George Benson, India.Arie and Stevie Wonder, Brian McKnight, Anthony Hamilton, and Frank McComb are among the contemporary artists whose work echoes Hathaway's. His use of the Rhodes Piano on his early Atco R&B recordings has also influenced many Neo Soul artists & producers.
Hathaway was considered an eccentric by many. He cultivated many unusual interests, and was a devotee of mid-20th century French classical composers. Several anecdotes about Hathaway are contained in Jerry Wexler's book Rhythm And The Blues.
On soul group The Whispers' 1980 self-titled album, the group paid homage with "A Song for Donny," written by fellow soul singer Carrie Lucas. The song was set to the melody of Hathaway's "This Christmas."
On Jim Jones's song "Certified Gangstas", rapper The Game refers to Donny Hathaway with the lines "blowin in the crowd like Don Hathaway"
He was a major influence on the singing style of singer-guitarist George Benson.
In 2005, neo-soul singer songwriter guitarist, [artistRaul Midón (Blue Note) worked with Hathaway's longtime producer Arif Mardin (known for collaborations with The Bee Gees, Chaka Khan, Bette Midler, Norah Jones & Aretha Franklin) and created a tribute song to Hathaway called "Sittin' in the Middle."
Amy Winehouse refers to "Mr. Hathaway" in her song "Rehab" about depression and alcoholism. She also covered A Song For You, on her first posthumous album, Lioness: Hidden Treasures.
On NY artist Nas's album Hip Hop is Dead on the song "Blunt Ashes", he tells a story that includes reportedly claiming Donny Hathaway "freefell" from his balcony.
Hathaway's name is mentioned multiple times in rapper Common's lyrics. Also, Common's duet with Lauryn Hill entitled "Retrospect for Life" contains a sample from Hathaway's "Song for You".
In the 2001 hit by Jay-Z "Girls,Girls,Girls" Donny Hathaway's song "Love,Love,Love" is sampled.
Jennifer Holliday and Aaliyah, both, covered Hathaway's single, "Giving Up."
Rhymesayers artist Brother Ali mentions Donny Hathaway in his song, "Room With A View."
Soul Position mentions Hathaway in their song, "Hand-Me-Downs."
Talib Kweli mentions Hathaway in his song "The Beautiful Struggle"
2008, Ed Pavlic published "Winners Have Yet To Be Announced" (University of Georgia Press), poems reimagining the life of Donny Hathaway.
Bizzy Bone's song entitled “A Song For You,” is a poignant track that includes an interpolation of Donny Hathaways’s original recording of the same name.
The song "What a Catch, Donnie," from Fall Out Boy's fourth studio album, Folie a Deux, is named for him and mentions Roberta Flack, his writing partner.
In November 2008 the famous Dutch singer, Gordon Heuckeroth, made an album, called: A Song For You, with several songs by Hathaway.
Rapper Scarface mentions Hathaway in his song "Still Here" off of the "Emeritus" album released
For All We Know
Donny Hathaway Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We may never meet again
Before you go
Make this moment sweet again
We won't say goodnight
Until the last minute
I will hold out my hand
For all we know
This may only be a dream
We come and we go
Like the ripples of a stream
So love me
Love me tonight
Tomorrow was made for some
Tomorrow may never come
For all we know
Donny Hathaway's song "For All We Know" is a pensive ballad that speaks about the uncertainty of life and the fleeting nature of love. The lyrics express the idea that we may never meet someone again, and that we should make the most of our time with them, cherishing every moment until the end. The song embraces the idea that tomorrow is not guaranteed and that we should live and love in the present moment while we still can. The line "we come and we go like the ripples of a stream" encapsulates the theme of the song, reminding us that life is unpredictable and that our time here is brief.
Throughout the song, the singer urges his lover to be present with him, to hold out her hand and to allow her heart to be in it. This represents the idea that vulnerability is essential in love, and that it's only when we allow ourselves to be fully present that we can truly connect with another person. The title of the song, "For All We Know", is a poignant reminder that we never truly know what's around the corner, and that every moment we spend with someone we love is precious.
Overall, "For All We Know" is a beautiful, moving song that captures the delicate balance between joy and pain, love and loss, and the beauty and fragility of life itself.
Line by Line Meaning
For all we know
There are many things we don't know about life and our future
We may never meet again
It's possible that this is our final meeting
Before you go
Before you leave, let's make this moment special
Make this moment sweet again
Let's relive this moment and make it memorable
We won't say goodnight
We'll stay up all night until we have to part
Until the last minute
We'll make the best of the time we have left
I will hold out my hand
I'll be there for you till the end
And my heart will be in it
My emotions will be genuine and deep
This may only be a dream
This moment may feel surreal and fleeting
We come and we go
Our existence is fleeting and temporary
Like the ripples of a stream
Like how the stream flows in different directions, so is our journey in life
So love me
Show me your affection and care
Love me tonight
Love me in this moment and hold me close
Tomorrow was made for some
There's still hope for a better tomorrow for some people
Tomorrow may never come
We cannot always know what will happen in the future
For all we know
Our future is uncertain and we should cherish what we have today
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, CARLIN AMERICA INC, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: J Fred Coots, Samuel M Lewis
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Gamelihle Ncube
2023 and this is still so beautiful. Timeless!
Cheryl Carson
Yes
Cosmic999
🧡
Candace Mc
This song is like a spiritual hug from way beyond. 🙏🏾
Rochelle Jones
Yesssssss!!! 💜
BirdisBach_DukeisGOAT1113
2022 - still here. Still loving this guy’s voice. What a talent. Too soon taken from us.
MeezieTV
My favourite
yousexymf
Exactly
Action Partners
Will Downing Remake gives this a Run....IMO
BirdisBach_DukeisGOAT1113
@Action Partners does it? I’ll have to give it a listen! Thanks for the recommendation 🙏🏼