He was born William Stevenson and, after spending his formative years recording
doowop and gospel music, joined Tamla/Motown in 1959, the year it was founded. He was head of the
A&R department there during the company's "glory" years of the mid-1960s when artists such as
the Supremes,
Marvin Gaye,
the Temptations,
Four Tops,
Stevie Wonder and
Martha and the Vandellas came to the fore. Stevenson was also responsible for organizing and establishing the company's in-house
studio band, which came to be known as
the Funk Brothers. In recent years, Stevenson has largely been involved in
producing stage
musicals. The latter include
Swann,
Showgirls,
Wings and Things,
The Gospel Truth,
TKO, and
Chocolate City. He married Michelle Stevenson on November 11, 2021.
Legacy He was referenced in a
Smokey Robinson and
the Miracles 1963 hit song, "Mickey's Monkey," "A cat named Mickey from out of town" (William "Mickey" Stevenson). ==Chart hits and other notable songs written by William “Mickey” Stevenson==