Bobby Caldwell, a soulful R&B singer and songwriter who had a serious hit in 1978 with “What You Won’t Do for Love” and a voice and musical type adored by generations of his fellow artists, has died, his spouse mentioned Wednesday.
Mary Caldwell advised The Related Press that he died in her arms at their residence in Nice Meadows, New Jersey, on Tuesday, after a protracted sickness. He was 71.
The graceful soul jam “What You Won’t Do for Love” went to No. 9 on the Billboard Scorching 100 and No. 6 on what was then known as the Scorching Promoting Soul Singles chart. It grew to become a long-term commonplace and career-defining hit for Caldwell, who additionally wrote the music.
The music was coated by artists, together with Boyz II Males and Michael Bolton, and was sampled by Tupac Shakur on his posthumously launched music “Do For Love.”
Different Caldwell songs had been sampled by hip-hop artists together with The Infamous B.I.G., Widespread, Lil Nas X and Likelihood the Rapper.
Tales abound, lots of them shared on social media after his demise, of listeners being shocked to study that Caldwell was white and never Black.
Caldwell appeared solely in silhouette on the self-titled debut solo album on which “What You Won’t Do for Love” seems.
“Caldwell was the closing chapter in a generation in which record execs wanted to hide faces on album covers so perhaps maybe their artist could have a chance,” Questlove mentioned on Instagram.
“Thank you for your voice and gift #BobbyCaldwell,” Questlove wrote.
Likelihood the Rapper shared a screenshot on Instagram of a direct message change he had with Caldwell final yr when he requested to make use of his music.
“I’ll be honored if you sample my song,” Caldwell wrote.
“You are such an inspiration to me and many others,” Likelihood advised him. He mentioned within the submit that he had by no means been thanked for sampling a music earlier than and has “not felt broken like this at a stranger’s passing in so long.”
Born in New York and raised in Miami, Caldwell was the son of singers who hosted a musical selection TV present known as “Suppertime.” A multi-instrumentalist, he started performing professionally at 17, and acquired his break enjoying guitar in Little Richard’s band within the early Seventies. Within the mid ’70s, Caldwell performed in numerous bar bands in Los Angeles earlier than touchdown a solo report deal.
Bobby Caldwell performs onstage on the 2013 Soul Prepare Awards on the Orleans Enviornment on Friday, Nov. 8, 2013 in Las Vegas. (Frank Micelotta/Invision/AP)
Caldwell would by no means have successful that got here shut in prominence to “What You Won’t Do for Love,” however he launched a number of revered albums, together with Nineteen Eighties “Cat in The Hat” — on which he appeared prominently on the quilt carrying a fedora — and 1982′s “Carry On,” on which he was his personal producer and performed all of the devices.
His music “Open Your Eyes” from “Cat in The Hat” was coated by John Legend and sampled by Widespread on his Grammy-nominated 2000 single “The Light.”
Within the Nineteen Nineties, Caldwell shifted to recording and performing American requirements, together with songs made fashionable by Frank Sinatra and Nat King Cole, he beloved in his youth.
Along with Mary, his spouse of 19 years, Caldwell is survived by daughters Lauren and Tessa and stepdaughter Katie.
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