Bert DeCoteaux (June 12, 1929 – July 6, 2005) – Love Don't You Go Through No Changes On Me (1975)

The unsung producer co-produced Sister Sledge's debut LP featuring this superb jam, which became their first hit.

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Bert DeCoteaux was an unsung arranger and producer who helped create hundreds of soul, funk and disco records during the 1960s and 70s. Some of the artists he worked with included the Main Ingredient, Les McCann, B.B. King, Joe Simon, Cissy Houston, Freddie Hubbard, Ben E. King, Brook Benton, Z.Z. Hill, Bloodstone, Crown Heights Affair, Sister Sledge, Diana Ross, and the Four Tops.

Born and raised in Brooklyn, DeCoteaux’s full name was Norbert Montage De Coteau. His extensive production credits earned him the nickname “Supercharts.”

In 1969 he arranged the beautiful love song “Let’s Play House” by Tony Drake, released on Musicor Records. Its lush arrangement served as the blueprint for his subsequent productions.

One of the first superstar groups he worked with was the Main Ingredient. DeCoteaux arranged and conducted their first three albums on RCA Records. L.T.D. (1970), Tasteful Soul (1970), and Black Seeds (1971) all featured original lead singer Donald McPherson who co-produced them along with Tony Silvester and Luther Simmons Jr., the group’s other two original members. DeCoteaux helped create a richly orchestrated sound that ensured the LP’s became soul classics, especially on message songs like “Brotherly Love,” “Why Can’t We All Unite,” and the explosively funky Black Power anthem “Black Seeds Keep On Growing.”

See our post from May on Luther Simmons Jr. for more about the Main Ingredient.

Sister Sledge’s debut album Circle Of Love was co-produced by DeCoteaux in 1975. It included their first real hit, the superb upbeat jam “Love Don't You Go Through No Changes On Me,” with 16-year old Kathy Sledge on lead vocals.

DeCoteaux put his magic stamp on a handful of disco remixes in the late 70s. One of them was the special disco version of “Space Princess” (1978) by Lonnie Liston Smith, which he also arranged and co-produced with Smith. Another was Cheryl Lynn’s superb dancefloor anthem “Keep It Hot” (1979), which she co-wrote for her second album In Love.

#soul #funk #disco #MainIngredient #SisterSledge #BertDeCoteaux