Winfred “Blue” Lovett, founding member and bass singer extraordinaire of the legendary vocal group The Manhattans has died at the age of 74.
SoulTracks.com reports:
For a half century, Lovett’s songwriting and singing were integral parts of one of the most popular R&B groups in the world. His composition “Kiss and Say Goodbye,” introduced by his deep spoken word prologue, is still one of the most beloved soul songs ever. And while many fans knew of Lovett’s terrific vocal work, fewer knew of his impeccable songwriting instincts, often combining elements of love, loss and even infidelity into songs that moved the Manhattans to the A-List of vocal groups. Lovett’s death comes just a few days after the death of group co-founder Sonny Bivins, who maintained a version of the group in both good times and bad.
The Manhattans were formed in the early 60s in New Jersey as a quintet led by writer/bass vocalist Winfred “Blue” Lovett and emotive lead singer George Smith, along with Edward “Sonny” Bivins, Richard “Ricky” Taylor and Kenneth “Wally” Kelly, all of whom had just returned from service in the armed forces. The group was popular regionally and had minor national success on the strength of some solid recordings for Carnival Records (their version of the country tune “From Atlanta to Goodbye” was a gem) in the late 60s before gaining the attention of Columbia Records in 1970. Unfortunately, their Columbia signing coincided with the sudden illness of amazingly talented lead singer Smith. During a tour through North Carolina, the Manhattans came upon a college student with an amazing Sam Cooke-like voice. Recognizing the incredible talent of this 21 year old, the group invited Gerald Alston to join, and he became the lead singer who would bring stardom to the quintet, with the blessing of Smith, who sadly died just a few months later
The loss of Blue and Sonny is a huge one, but they leave an incredible legacy of soul music excellence.
Rest in paradise to two music legends.
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(Photo Source: SoulTracks.com)
