Music
Mayer Hawthorne
born 1979 · singer, producer, DJ, multi-instrumentalist
Ann Arbor-raised hip-hop DJ turned soul singer whose Motown-inspired records on Stones Throw revived classic Detroit soul for a new generation.
- Born
Ann Arbor, Michigan
age 47- Birth name
- Andrew Mayer Cohen
- Also known as
- DJ Haircut · Tuxedo
- Detroit years
- 1979–2005
- Field
- Music
01 / The Detroit story
The Detroit story
Andrew Cohen grew up in Ann Arbor, on Hawthorne Road, which later gave him half of his stage name; his father played in a band in Detroit, and the family's records steeped him in Motown and Detroit soul. His first career was in hip-hop: as DJ Haircut he was a member of the Ann Arbor group Athletic Mic League before moving to Los Angeles in 2005. Working as a hip-hop DJ and producer, he began recording his own Motown-style songs so he would not have to pay to sample other artists, singing and playing every instrument himself. When Stones Throw founder Peanut Butter Wolf heard them, he insisted they become an album. The heart-shaped 7-inch “Just Ain't Gonna Work Out” (2008) and the album A Strange Arrangement (2009) made him a star of the retro-soul revival; How Do You Do (2011) earned a Grammy nomination for its packaging. He cites Smokey Robinson and Holland–Dozier–Holland alongside J Dilla, and records disco-funk with Jake One as Tuxedo.
Highlights
- Former member of Ann Arbor hip-hop group Athletic Mic League as DJ Haircut.
- Debut album A Strange Arrangement (Stones Throw, 2009).
- How Do You Do (2011) received a Grammy nomination for its special edition package.
- Half of the funk duo Tuxedo.