Brian Alexander Morgan left Wichita at 21 with a record deal. The group’s album fizzled, but his next chapter helped shape ’90s R&B.
When SWV’s “Weak” reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1993, the three women singing it became some of the most recognizable voices in R&B. The man who wrote and produced the song, Brian Alexander Morgan, had gotten his start singing gospel in Wichita.
A few years earlier, Morgan had left Wichita at 21 with a record deal of his own. He and childhood friend LaChelle Mathenia had recorded a demo with their group, Cachet De Vois. It caught the attention of Club Nouveau founder Jay King, who helped the group land a deal with Warner Bros. Records and brought the young musicians to Sacramento.
Their album, Personal, came out in 1988, but it failed to catch on. When the group lost its recording deal, Morgan stayed in Sacramento.
Finding His Footing in the Studio
In Wichita, Morgan, the son of the late Mabel Mitchell, had sung in church and performed with local gospel groups. He counted the Clark Sisters among his influences, alongside Sly & the Family Stone and the Jackson 5. In Sacramento, he began to put that musical background to work in the studio, learning songwriting and production under musician and producer Robert Brookins.
Then came SWV. Morgan wrote and produced much of the New York trio’s 1992 debut album, It’s About Time, which went multi-platinum. Along with “Weak,” he helped create “I’m So Into You” and “Right Here.” He continued working with the group after its debut, contributing to another fan favorite, “Rain.”
From SWV to a New Generation
Even as SWV was climbing the charts, Morgan was finding an audience on dance floors. He wrote and produced “Give It to You” for Martha Wash, and it topped Billboard’s dance chart in 1993, the same year “Weak” went to No. 1.
Morgan eventually moved to Los Angeles, where he worked with producer DJ Khalil on Aloe Blacc’s Lift Your Spirit. More than two decades after SWV’s debut, his songwriting credits included Tamar Braxton’s “Never” and Khalid’s “OTW.” He also co-produced “9” on Drake’s Views and sang on Nipsey Hussle’s Victory Lap.
For Wichita listeners who still turn up “Weak” or “I’m So Into You,” there’s a hometown connection in those harmonies. Before Morgan was arranging voices in a California studio, he was one of the voices singing in a Wichita church.
A Musical Legacy That Continues
Though performers often receive the spotlight, songwriters and producers like Morgan shape the music audiences remember—including his posthumous collaboration with Rudy Love, “Beyond the Garden Gate,” following Love’s passing in 2021.