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The majority of the writers at Brunswick came from the stable of artists who recorded on the label. Eugene Record wrote for his own group, The Chi-Lites. The Lost Generation and the Artistics both wrote their own songs as well as Barbara Acklin, who also co-wrote quite often with Eugene Record. Additionally, Brunswick's producers - Carl Davis, Otis Leavill, Richard Parker, Willie Henderson and Leo Graham - contributed many songs for several artists, particularly Tyrone Davis.

The Artistics and Bernard Reed on base guitar

Brunswick hired six of the best R&B arrangers in the city of Chicago, starting with Sonny Sanders, Tom Washington, Willie Henderson and James Mack. Sonny Sanders, like Tarnopol, was a native of Detroit and, after arranging several hits for Ric Tic Records, moved to Chicago. Brunswick's main arranger, Tom Washington, was raised in the Ida B. Wells projects on Chicago's South Side. Washington first played drums, then keyboards, and then became an arranger after receiving formal music training from James Mack at Crane Junior College.

Like Tom Washington, Willie Henderson studied with James Mack at Crane.
In 1968 Henderson joined Brunswick as an arranger, but after he established himself as an ace producer, he left most of the arranging to Washington. Henderson's very first arranging and producing effort, "Can I Change My Mind" by Tyrone Davis, sold over a million and a half records and subsequently he was responsible for a large portion of the singer's recordings. Henderson also made his own recordings during this period under the name WILLIE HENDERSON AND THE SOUL EXPLOSIONS. In 1970 this ensemble reached number 22 on the Billboard R&B chart with the recording "Funky Chicken."

Barbara Acklin

James Mack was brought to Brunswick by his former pupil, Henderson. Mack was classically trained, having earned a Master's degree in composition and theory from Roosevelt University. His first teaching job was at Crane. Most of his arranging work at Brunswick was for Tyrone Davis, and when another of his former students, Leo Graham, became the singer's producer almost exclusively sometime after 1973, Mack became the artist's principal arranger. The roll of orchestra director was first held by Gerald Sims and later by Willie Henderson.

Behind the mixing board and largely responsible for the studio's exceptional sound was future engineering legend, Bruce Swedien. It was Swedien who designed, built and continuously kept the Brunswick recording studio on the cutting edge of audio technology. Later in Swedien's career, he would play a pivotal roll in the recording of Michael Jackson's album "Thriller". Swedien claims that the techniques he used to help create "Thriller" came directly from his experience working with The Chi-Lites at Brunswick.

Sonny Sanders, Carl Davis and Louis Armstrong

Bruce Swedien at the controls.