Bobby Caldwell, a soulful R&B singer and songwriter who had a significant hit in 1978 with “What You Won’t Do for Love” and a voice and musical taste adored by way of generations of his fellow artists, has died, his spouse stated Wednesday.
Mary Caldwell advised The Associated Press that he died in her hands at their house in Great Meadows, New Jersey, on Tuesday, after an extended sickness. He was once 71.
The easy soul jam “What You Won’t Do for Love” went to No. 9 at the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 6 on what was once then referred to as the Hot Selling Soul Singles chart. It was a long-term same old and career-defining hit for Caldwell, who additionally wrote the tune.
The tune was once lined by way of artists, together with Boyz II Men and Michael Bolton, and was once sampled by way of Tupac Shakur on his posthumously launched tune “Do For Love.”
Other Caldwell songs had been sampled by way of hip-hop artists together with The Notorious B.I.G., Common, Lil Nas X and Chance the Rapper.
Stories abound, a lot of them shared on social media after his loss of life, of listeners being stunned to be told that Caldwell was once white and no longer Black.
Caldwell gave the impression most effective in silhouette at 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 stated on Instagram.
“Thank you for your voice and gift #BobbyCaldwell,” Questlove wrote.
Chance the Rapper shared a screenshot on Instagram of a right away message alternate he had with Caldwell closing yr when he requested to make use of his track.
“I’ll be honored if you sample my song,” Caldwell wrote.
“You are such an inspiration to me and many others,” Chance advised him. He stated within the post that he had by no means been thanked for sampling a tune ahead of 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 once the son of singers who hosted a musical selection TV display referred to as “Suppertime.” A multi-instrumentalist, he started appearing professionally at 17, and were given his spoil taking part in guitar in Little Richard’s band within the early Seventies. In the mid ’70s, Caldwell performed in quite a lot of bar bands in Los Angeles ahead of touchdown a solo document deal.
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 Eighties “Cat in The Hat” — on which he gave the impression prominently at the duvet dressed in a fedora — and 1982’s “Carry On,” on which he was once his personal manufacturer and performed all of the tools.
His tune “Open Your Eyes” from “Cat in The Hat” was once lined by way of John Legend and sampled by way of Common on his Grammy-nominated 2000 unmarried “The Light.”
In the Nineteen Nineties, Caldwell shifted to recording and appearing American requirements, together with songs made preferred by way of Frank Sinatra and Nat King Cole, he liked in his formative years.
In addition to Mary, his spouse of nineteen years, Caldwell is survived by way of daughters Lauren and Tessa and stepdaughter Katie.
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Follow AP Entertainment Writer Andrew Dalton on Twitter: https://twitter.com/andyjamesdalton
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