Died On This Date (October 18, 2008) Dee Dee Warwick / Soul Singer; Sister of Dionne Warwick

Dee Dee Warwick
September 25, 1945 – October 18, 2008

One of Dee Dee Warwick’s earliest gigs was in the Gospelaires, a singing trio with sister, Dionne Warwick and aunt Cissy Houston.   After a 1959 performance at the legendary Apollo Theater, the Warwick sisters were asked to do some session singing, a practice they continued for several years.  Dee Dee recorded her first solo record in 1963 with Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller at the helm.  She continued to make Top 40 R&B hit records throughout the ’60s and early ’70s, with her version of future-Supremes hit, “I’m Gonna Make You Love Me,” being arguably her best known.  Dee Dee suffered from drug addiction through much of her later life, perhaps hampering her career during those years.  She passed away at the age of 63.

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Dee Dee Warwick

On This Date (October 17, 2008) Levi Stubbs / The Four Tops

Levi Stubbs (Born Levi Stubbles)
June 6, 1936 – October 17, 2008

Levi Stubbs was unquestionably one of R&B’s greatest vocalists.  He is best remembered as the lead singer of the Four Tops, one of the Motown’s signature groups.  The Tops recorded hit after hit for the label beginning in 1964. Such hits included, “Reach Out, I’ll Be There,” “Standing In The Shadows Of Love,” and “I Can’t Help Myself.” The group and Motown parted ways in 1972, with the Tops signing to ABC Dunhill Records where they had a brief resurgence with “Keeper Of the Castle,” and “Aint No Woman (Like The One I’ve Got).” They continued to record moderately successful records through the ’70s and reunited with Motown in time to celebrate the label’s 25th anniversary in 1983 after which they recorded a few more albums and toured with the Temptations. The Four Tops continued touring and recording until the passing of Lawrence Payton in 1997.  They were elected into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990.  Levi Stubbs died in his sleep at the age of 72.

Thanks to Craig Rosen from Number1Albums and John Harrison

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Four Tops: The Definitive Collection - The Four Tops

Died On This Date (October 13, 1977) Shirley Brickley / The Orlons

Shirley Brickley
December 9, 1944 – October 13, 1977

Shirley Brickley at far right
Shirley Brickley at far right

Shirley Brickley was a founding singer of R&B quartet, the Orlons.  Formed in 1960 while the members were still Philadelphia high school students, the group later landed a record deal with Cameo Records.  The Orlons had a handful of national hits during the ’60s.  They included, “Don’t Hang Up,” “South Street,” and their most popular, “Wah-Watusi” which made it to #2 on the pop charts.  They were also the backing vocalists on Dee Dee Sharp’s “Mashed Potato Time.”  The group broke up in 1968.  On October 13, 1977, 32-year-old Shirley Brickley was shot and killed in her home by an unknown intruder.

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Cameo Parkway: The Best of the Orlons, 1961-1966 - The Orlons

Died On This Date (October 7, 1966) Smiley Lewis / New Orleans R&B Legend

Smiley Lewis (Born Overton Lemons)
July 5, 1913 – October 7, 1966

smileySmiley Lewis was a New Orleans R&B artist who got his start in the clubs throughout the French Quarter during the late ’30s.  He released his first album, Here Comes Smiley Lewis on DeLuxe Records in 1947.   In 1950, producer Dave Bartholomew recorded Lewis for Imperial Records.  The sessions resulted in his biggest hits, “Tee Nah Nah,” “The Bells Are Ringing,” and the first recorded version of the R&B standard, “I Hear You Knocking” which would later be recorded by the likes of Fats Domino, Jerry Lee Lewis, Dave Edmunds, and Canned Heat. His “Blue Monday” became a hit for Domino while his “One Nigh,t” as covered by Elvis Presley, reached #4 on the Billboard singles chart in 1958.  Smiley Lewis was diagnosed with stomach cancer in 1965 and died from it on October 7, 1966.  He was 53 years old.

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Smiley Lewis

Died On This Date (October 5, 1992) Eddie Kendricks / The Temptations

Eddie Kendricks
December 17, 1939 – October 5, 1992

Eddie Kendricks was a co-founder of the Motown hit-making vocal group, the Temptations.  It is his falsetto voice that can be heard on such classic songs as “Just My Imagination,” “The Way You Do The Things You Do,” and “Get Ready.”  He also scored a #1 single as a solo artist with 1970’s “Keep On Truckin.'”  Kendricks’ run with the Temptations was from 1960 until he went solo in 1971.  The ’70s were hit and miss as far as his career went.  After “Keep On Truckin,” he had a few minor hits.  The ’80s found him reuniting with the Temptations a couple of times and finding a new audience thanks to some help from Hall & Oates who invited him to sing with them on a live album and a couple of television events including Live Aid.  In 1991, the same year that fellow Temptation, David Ruffin died of a drug over dose, Kendricks was diagnosed with lung cancer.  He died of the cancer on October 5, 1992 at the age of 52.  Paul Williams and Melvin Franklin, also of the Temptations, passed away in 1973 and 1995 respectively.

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The Definitive Collection: The Temptations - The Temptations