RIP Skip Scarborugh (ol' skool cats knew him)

On July 3rd, music lost another great. Songwriter/producer Skip Scarborough, who wrote or co-wrote such '70s hits as "Love Ballad," a hit for L.T.D., "Can't Hide Love" and "Love's Holiday" recorded by Earth, Wind and Fire, "Lovely Day" for Bill Withers and "Don't Ask My Neighbor" for the Emotions, lost his battle with cancer in Los Angeles.

A writer who specialized in writing sultry songs equipped with tasty, colorful chord structure, Scarborough, who played piano, kept a low profile as he crafted classic songs for artists as diverse as Mother's Finest ("Love Changes"), Phyllis Hyman ("The Answer Is You") and Anita Baker ("Giving You The Best That I've Got"), not to mention producing the 70s albums of the group Con Funk Shun.

Scarborough, who produced flutist Bobby Humphrey's 1977 LP "Tailor Made," also produced Patti LaBelle and Nancy Wilson. For a time the singer was married to singer Alton McClain. The two met when Scarborough wrote and produced McClain's group, Alton McClain and Destiny.