Died On This Date (July 6, 2010) Harvey Fuqua / R&B Legend
themusicsover Harvey Fuqua
July 27, 1929 – July 6, 2010
Harvey Fuqua was a much respected R&B performer, songwriter and producer who is mostly remembered for his longtime association with Motown Records. In 1951, Fuqua formed the Moonglows, a popular doo wop group who recorded such hits as “Sincerely,” “Don’t Be Afraid of Love,” and “Ten Commandments of Love.” In 1958, Fuqua recruited a young singer, Marvin Gaye, whom he helped build his early career. The Moonglows were eventually elected into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. After leaving the group, Fuqua formed his own label, the one-time home to the likes of the Spinners, Shorty Long, and Junior Walker. By the end of the ’60s, he was working as an A&R man and producer at Motown, where he made significant contributions to the success of the label. In later years, he produced hits for the like os Sylvester, the Weather Girls and again, Marvin Gaye. Harvey Fuqua was 80 when he died of a heart attack on July 6, 2010.
What You Should Own
Van McCoy was a musician, producer, arranger and prolific songwriter who has penned upwards of 700 songs during his career. But, he is perhaps best remembered for just one, “The Hustle,” which was massive disco hit of 1975 and to this day, arguably defines the era. McCoy began singing in the church choir as a child and by his early teens, he and his brother were performing as a doo wop duo. While in college, McCoy started his own record label to release his first single, “Hey Mr. DJ.” He was soon hired by Scepter Records as an A&R rep and songwriter. Over the years, he penned hits for Gladys Knight & The Pips (“Giving Up”), Barbara Lewis (“Baby, I’m Yours”), the Shirelles (“Stop The Music”) and 
A young Barry White was going down a wrong path when he heard 
Mark Sandman was the one of indie rock’s earliest heroes. From 1989 until his death in 1999, he sang lead and played bass for the Boston based band, Morphine. What made Morphine unique and endeared them to fans was the fact they had no guitar in the band. The trio was made up of bass, saxophone and drums, giving them a murky low end sound as deep as their name would suggest. Sandman also moonlighted as a member of popular Boston blues band, Treat Her Right. Over the course of his career, Sandman released five proper Morphine albums. On July 3, 1999, Mark Sandman, 46, suffered a fatal heart attack while performing on stage with Morphine at a concert just outside of Rome.