Everything Is Everything (The Life of Donny Hathaway)

The first ever biography of Donny Hathaway—one of the most influential soul singers of all time—written by his daughter renowned soul singer Lalah Hathaway and the legendary music biographer David Ritz

Hailed as a giant and a genius by his contemporaries, Donny Hathaway was only thirty-three when he died, and yet the mark he left on American soul remains indelible. His gifts would take him from inner-city St. Louis to the gospel circuit as a child prodigy, and from the halls of Howard University to Carnegie Hall and the top of the charts. He found fame with the treasured holiday classic “This Christmas,” the beloved R&B track “Someday We’ll All Be Free,” his magical partnership with songstress Roberta Flack—gifting us unforgettable hits like “Where is the Love”—and his iconic album Donny Hathaway Live, which endures as a staple in the collections of music lovers worldwide. Still, his tremendous successes could not beat back the brutal struggle roiling within and, on a tragic night in January 1979, the world lost a superstar of soul.  

Now his daughter Lalah Hathaway, a Grammy-winning recording artist in her own right, shares for the first time the complete, unvarnished account of her father’s rich and tumultuous life as well as a loving tribute to his enduring musical legacy. She recounts unforgettable behind-the-scenes tales from his meteoric rise and confronts painful memories of the unchecked mental illness that would ultimately lead to the tragic loss of a father and a legend.

Drawing from her own intimate remembrances as well as previously unpublished interviews with countless luminaries of gospel, soul, & R&B, in Everything Is Everything the First Daughter of Soul Lalah Hathaway offers readers not only a candid and revealing portrait of one of music’s most gifted and troubled icons, but also a joyous celebration of his lasting impact, both on the American musical canon and on the family he left behind.