Jimmy Hughes

Through his 1964 blues ballad “Steal Away,” Jimmy Hughes turned producer Rick Hall’s still-new FAME Studios into a landmark destination for R&B. An ex-gospel singer who first linked up with Hall in 1962, Hughes saw his trajectory shift decisively once the explosive single appeared. His intense, crying vocal approach proved ideally suited to deep soul ballads, yielding further success with the pleading “Why Not Tonight” in 1968; the atypically uptempo “Neighbor, Neighbor” likewise registered as another major hit. Eventually parting from Hall, Hughes cut an album for Volt and stepped away from performing in the early ’70s.