Leave Well Enough Alone

“Leave Well Enough Alone” was Dee Harvey’s introduction to Motown listeners - the lead single from Just As I Am, co-written by Harvey himself with producer Tena Clark, who wrote, arranged, and produced the entire album. Behind him, Larry Antonino plays bass, Bill Quinn handles drums and percussion, Ron Komie adds guitar, and Tim Heintz supplies the keyboards, with Fred White and Tony Warren joining Harvey on his own backing vocals.

Jeff Balding mixed the track and Ernie Sheesley recorded it, on an album Clark also executive-produced alongside Zack Vaz, with Eddy Schreyer mastering. It’s the quiet storm calling card that introduced Harvey’s gospel-schooled tenor to the format, before he became one of the era’s most in-demand backing vocalists in his own right, singing behind Harry Belafonte, Patti LaBelle and Rod Stewart.