Willie Mitchell, often credited with being the creator of the oft-copied and instantly recognizable Hi sound, was playing the clubs when the MGs were still in high school.

Local Legend
Willie Mitchell (photo right courtesy of Stax Museum) was born on March 23, 1928, in Ashland, Mississippi, and was raised in Memphis, Tennessee. Mitchell began studying music and arranging at an early age, taking up the trumpet at the age of eight and learning from pianist Ozie Horn (as well as drawing from such influences as Roy Eldridge and Harry James). After he was discharged from the Army in 1954, Mitchell moved back to Memphis, where he soon became a popular, local trumpet-playing bandleader playing in local roadhouses and blues clubs. He was in demand--evidenced by Elvis Presley's hiring of his big band to play several private parties-and he was good. Although chances are he did not know it, nor would he most likely take credit for it, Mitchell’s music was already inspiring the next generation of soul artists, for some of his biggest fans were Don Nix, Donald “Duck” Dunn, Steve Cropper and Packy Axton.

Soulsville’s Hi Records
By 1959, Mitchell turned his attention to studio work and signed on with Hi Records in Memphis, located around the corner from Stax Records, in the neighborhood that would become known as Soulsville. Throughout the 60's, Mitchell was a popular concert attraction on U.S. college campuses and scored several moderately successful soul/dance hit singles, issuing a steady stream of solo releases for the Hi label. Willie Mitchell is often credited with being the creator of the oft-copied and instantly recognizable Hi sound (churning organ fills, sturdy horn arrangements, a steady 4/4 drumbeat, etc.).

The Great Al Green
When the founder of Hi Records, Joe Cuoghi, died in 1970, Mitchell suddenly found himself in charge of the label. What could have been a turbulent transition turned out to be a smooth one: A year before Cuoghi's passing, Mitchell had signed an up-and-coming soul singer named Al Green to the label. Under the guidance of Mitchell, Green's career would soon skyrocket and Green would become one of the '70s top soul artists. Mitchell co-produced and engineered all of Green's albums from 1970 through 1976 (the singer's most successful period), as well as such classic Top Ten hit singles as "Tired of Being Alone," "Call Me (Come Back Home)," "I'm Still in Love With You," "Here I Am (Come and Take Me)," "Let's Stay Together," "You Ought to Be With Me," "Look at What You Done for Me," "Let's Get Married," and others.

Royal Recording Studio
Through his career Mitchell has produced recordings for Ann Peeples, Syl Johnson, Otis Clay and Preston Shannon, to name a few. In addition to his own many musical accomplishments, Mitchell also owns and continues to operate the Royal Recording Studio in Memphis, Tennessee.