Van Allen Clinton McCoy (January 6, 1940 – July 6, 1979) was an American record producer, arranger, songwriter and singer.

He has approximately 700 song copyrights to his credit, and produced songs by such recording artists as Brenda & the Tabulations, David Ruffin, The Stylistics, The Presidents,[1] Faith, Hope & Charity, New Censation, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Aretha Franklin, Peaches & Herb, Lesley Gore,[2] and Stacy Lattisaw.

[3] He learned to play piano at a young age and sang with the Metropolitan Baptist Church choir as a youngster.

[4] By the age of 12, he had begun writing his own songs, in addition to performing in local amateur shows alongside his older brother, Norman Jr.

The two brothers formed a doo-wop combo named the Starlighters with two friends while in Theodore Roosevelt High School.

[6][citation needed] This single gained the attention of Scepter Records owner Florence Greenberg, who hired McCoy as a staff writer and A&R representative for the label.

[6] As a writer there, McCoy composed his first success, "Stop the Music", for the popular female vocal group The Shirelles in 1962, who he also arranged for.

He came into his own after first working for top producers Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller as a writer, and then signing with the major April-Blackwood music publishing concern, connected with Columbia Records.

He penned "Giving Up" for Gladys Knight & the Pips (later a hit for both The Ad Libs[7] and Donny Hathaway), "The Sweetest Thing This Side of Heaven" for Chris Bartley, "When You're Young and in Love" for Ruby & the Romantics (later a hit for The Marvelettes), "Right on the Tip of My Tongue" for Brenda & the Tabulations,[6] "Baby I'm Yours" for Barbara Lewis,[6] "Getting Mighty Crowded" for Betty Everett, "Abracadabra" for Erma Franklin, "You're Gonna Make Me Love You" for Sandi Sheldon, and "I Get the Sweetest Feeling" for Jackie Wilson.

At the time, McCoy's composition "Before and After" by Chad and Jeremy and "Baby I'm Yours" by Barbara Lewis were both in the Cash Box Top 100.

Not too long after that he had an idea that he could put the salesman, Herb Fame, together with the Sweet Things lead singer Francine Barker, and they would be a duo.

At the time of print, a Daedalus production that McCoy had arranged, produced and conducted, "Let's Fall in Love" by Peaches & Herb was in the charts.

In the early 1970s, McCoy had begun a long, acclaimed collaboration with songwriter/producer Charles Kipps, and arranged several hits for the soul group The Stylistics etc.

Also in 1975, he arranged two of his compositions, "My Heart's Too Big for My Head" and "You've Got to Tell Her", for the Asha Puthli album She Loves to Hear the Music.

[6] McCoy along with brother Norman and two schoolmates, Freddy Smith and Paul Comedy formed The Starlighters.

Their relationship ended when McCoy delayed their wedding plans because of a work contract he had signed with Columbia Records.

[37] The following week, Billboard ran a picture of McCoy seated, signing his contract with Columbia vice-president William P. Gallgaher and manager Dave Kapralik looking on.

He would form his own orchestra, Soul City Symphony[17] and, with singers Faith, Hope and Charity, produce several albums and give many performances.

McCoy, then regarded as a disco hitmaker, never repeated the success of the song, although later singles "Party", "That's the Joint" and "Change with the Times" would get significant airplay.

[48][49] On June 19, 1975, McCoy was in Montreal, Canada, attending a reception hosted by Quality Records at the Limelight night club.

The function was to also commemorate the first concert appearance of Van McCoy and the Soul City Symphony at the Montreal Forum the next day on the 20th.

That song and another by McCoy, "You Still Be the One", appeared on an unofficially released Stuff album, Countdown To 1977, which also featured some tracks by Ashford & Simpson.

[63] With Susan Kluth's review of the album in Record Mirror, she took note of McCoy's faultless vocals, the aspects of human life, and heart - wrenching lyrics etc.

[75][76] By July 1978, Faith Hope & Charity had recorded McCoy's composition "Don't Pity Me" and released it as a single.

[77][78] It was actually recorded earlier by 1976 Eurovision British contestant Louisa Jane White, and released as a B-side of her 1977 single "Don't Stop".

[88][89] It was reported in the December 30, 1978 issue of Cash Box that MCA was holding back on a Van McCoy recording, "Patrolers Theme".

[90] In early January, Richie Rivera presented for the first time his mix of Van McCoy's "Lonely Dancer" at a New York City club.

The reviewer put it on par with other "silky, romantic" recent hit recordings by Johnny Mathis & Deniece Williams, and Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway.

[106] He wrote and sang the theme song for the 1978 movie Sextette that starred Mae West and Timothy Dalton and made a cameo appearance in it, playing a delegate from Africa.

[3] Along with Faith Hope & Charity, Brass Construction and Johnny Dark, he appeared in episode 4.20 of Don Kirshner's Rock Concert.