Deke Richards

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title: "Deke Richards" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1944-births", "2013-deaths", "musicians-from-los-angeles", "record-producers-from-california", "songwriters-from-california", "motown-artists", "deaths-from-esophageal-cancer-in-the-united-states", "deaths-from-cancer-in-washington-(state)"] description: "American producer (1944–2013" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deke_Richards" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary American producer (1944–2013 ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox musical artist"]

Field	Value
name	Deke Richards
birth_name	Dennis Lussier
alias	Deke Lussier
birth_date
birth_place	Los Angeles, California, U.S.
death_date
death_place	Bellingham, Washington, US
genre	Rhythm and blues, pop
occupation	Record producer, songwriter
years_active	1962–2013
label	Motown
past_member_of	The Corporation
::

| name = Deke Richards | image = | caption = | image_size = | birth_name = Dennis Lussier | alias = Deke Lussier | birth_date = | birth_place = Los Angeles, California, U.S. | death_date = | death_place = Bellingham, Washington, US | origin = | instrument = | genre = Rhythm and blues, pop | occupation = Record producer, songwriter | years_active = 1962–2013 | label = Motown | past_member_of = The Corporation | website = Deke Richards (born Dennis Lussier; April 8, 1944 – March 24, 2013), also known as Deke Lussier, was an American songwriter and record producer who was affiliated with Motown. He was a member of both the Clan and the Corporation, the latter a production team that wrote and produced some of the Jackson 5's early hits.

Biography

He was born in Los Angeles, California. His father was the screenwriter Dane Lussier. Deke Lussier portrayed one of the band members in the movie Eegah in 1962. He later used the stage name Deke Richards. While playing in a band that backed singer Debbie Dean, he wrote a song for her, and met Berry Gordy when The Supremes played at the Hollywood Palace in 1966. Gordy signed Richards to a contract as a record producer and songwriter.

Richards also wrote and produced for Bobby Darin, Martha and the Vandellas, The Blackberries, Stacie Johnson, and others, and produced Diana Ross and the Supremes after Holland, Dozier and Holland left Motown in 1968. He co-wrote the U.S. no.1 hit "Love Child" for the Supremes, and was responsible for "I'm Still Waiting", a UK no.1 hit, for Diana Ross. He and fellow writer Sherlie Matthews also formulated the vocal sextet Celebration, which released an album on Motown's Mowest label, in an attempt to replicate the success of the 5th Dimension.

Richards died of esophageal cancer on March 24, 2013, at age 68.

References

References

1. [https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-21937274 "Jackson 5 producer Deke Richards dies aged 68"]. BBC News, March 26, 2013. Retrieved March 26, 2013.
2. Whitall, Susan. (June 26, 2009). "From Motown to LA, Michael Jackson left a lasting mark". The Detroit News.
3. "[http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/deke-richards-motown-jackson-5-diana-ross-430875 Deke Richards, Motown Songwriter and Producer, Dies at 68]". ''Hollywood Reporter'', March 25, 2013. Retrieved March 26, 2013.
4. Weaver, Tom. (2005). "Earth vs. the sci-fi film makers". McFarland.
5. "[http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20130325/ENT04/303250429/1361/Deke-Richards--of-Motown-s-The-Corporation--dies Deke Richards, of Motown's The Corporation, dies]". ''The Detroit News'', March 25, 2013. Retrieved March 26, 2013.{{webarchive. link. (2014-03-22)

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::