It may be fairly laborious speaking about a few of the music legends we’ve misplaced over time, significantly those who’ve perished in ways in which had been something however peaceable. Sadly, Nineteen Seventies R&B icon Donny Hathaway was one among them.
With a voice that may by no means be in contrast, Hathaway began off robust with 4 back-to-back albums to kick off a brand new decade in rhythm & blues that noticed the official introduction of an R&B class on the GRAMMYs and solo debut years by the likes of Curtis Mayfield, Minnie Riperton, Parliament and Funkadelic — this was earlier than the latter two joined forces to change into Parliament-Funkadelic! Very like Mayfield (sort 2 diabetes; 1999) and Riperton (breast most cancers; 1979), we misplaced Donny far too quickly on account of a strenuous internal battle he was having with despair stemming from psychological sickness. He would sadly commit suicide on January 13, 1979 after going six years and not using a follow-up album to his fourth and closing LP, Extension of a Man.
In the present day (October 1), he would’ve been celebrating his milestone eightieth birthday as his famous person daughter, Lalah Hathaway, made be aware of on social media.
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From his fan-favorite collaborative album with fellow R&B star Roberta Flack, to the Dwell album that will be his solely solo effort to go Gold, Donny Hathaway was in a position to match quite a lot of superb work into a brief time frame. Nevertheless, he nonetheless has a couple of gems within the catalog that undoubtedly might use some limelight. As many music followers have a good time the lifetime of a licensed soul legend at the moment, we determined to point out good ol’ Donny Pitts how a lot he’ll perpetually be missed by placing you all on to his finest deep cuts. Granted, a profession as quick as Hathaway’s doesn’t present us a lot to work with, however we sonically loved the method of discovering out.
We labored our method by means of his grand debut with The whole lot Is The whole lot, the self-titled sophomore effort, the Gold-certified Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway and the aforementioned Extension of a Man and got here up with a range we expect you’ll all agree with. Along with compilation CDs, posthumously-released dwell albums and his contribution to the 1972 movie soundtrack for Come Again, Charleston Blue, you’ll undoubtedly get your Donny repair from this set of songs.
We nonetheless miss you, king.
