Michael Masser

Songwriter/producer Michael Masser made his name in the '70s and '80s as a composer of big, sweeping ballads, usually written for quiet storm and urban R&B artists. Masser's first success came working with Diana Ross at Motown, when he wrote and produced her smash "Touch Me in the Morning" in 1973. He followed that with the chart-topping "Theme from 'Mahogany' (Do You Know Where You're Going To?)," written with lyricist Gerry Goffin for Ross' 1975 movie vehicle; it received an Oscar nomination for Best Song. In addition to his work with Ross, Masser hooked up with George Benson for some of the jazz guitarist's more pop/R&B-oriented recordings of the late '70s, including the original version of "The Greatest Love of All." In the early '80s, Masser wrote for Neil Diamond ("First You Have to Say You Love Me," 1982) and penned the smash R&B duet "Tonight, I Celebrate My Love" for Roberta Flack and Peabo Bryson; Bryson also scored with the 1984 follow-up "If Ever You're in My Arms Again." The same year, Masser contributed "Stay with Me" and "Hold Me" to Teddy Pendergrass; the latter song was done as a duet with a promising young singer named Whitney Houston, and Masser was one of the writer/producers brought in to work with her when she signed to Arista. The relationship was a fruitful one, as Masser co-wrote three of the number one hits on Houston's first two albums -- "Saving All My Love for You," "The Greatest Love of All," and "Didn't We Almost Have It All." During the latter part of the '80s, Masser also worked with Jeffrey Osborne, Natalie Cole ("Miss You Like Crazy"), and Glenn Medeiros ("Nothing's Gonna Change My Love for You"). However, both his writing and production activities were drastically curtailed in the '90s. He died in July 2015 at the age of 74.
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