Died On This DAte (December 6, 2011) Dobie Gray / Soul & Country Singer-Songwriter
themusicsover Dobie Gray
July 26, 1940 – December 6, 2011
Dobie Gray was an American soul (and later, country) singer and songwriter who, over a career that started in 1960, released hits like “The In Crowd” and “Drift Away,” which sold over a million copies and remains a staple on radio. Born into a family of Texas sharecroppers, Gray was exposed to gospel music at an early age thanks to an uncle who was a Baptist minister. By the early ’60s, he was living in Los Angeles where he met Sonny Bono who connected him with his first label, Stripe Records. It wasn’t long until Gray was putting out a string of hits like “Look At Me,” “See You At The Go-Go,” and of course, “The In Crowd” and “Drift Away.” The latter has been also recorded by such luminaries as Rod Stewart, Roy Orbison, the Neville Brothers, and Humble Pie. When he wasn’t making records, Gray worked as an actor – he spent over two years as part of the Los Angeles cast of Hair. During the mid ’70s, Gray moved to Nashville where he wrote songs that were recorded by the likes of Charley Pride, George Jones, Ray Charles and Don Williams. He also released a handful of moderately successful records at that time. During the mid ’80s, Gray signed with Capitol Records and released a few country records that performed fairly well on the country charts. Dobie Gray was 71 when he passed away in his sleep on December 6, 2011. Cause of death was not immediately released, though he had been ill.
What You Should Own
Tony Bellamy is best remembered as the one-time lead guitarist for the Native American rock band, Redbone. Formed in 1969, the band achieved its most success during the early ’70s. In 1974 they scored their biggest hit single with “Come and Get Your Love,” which reached the top 5 on the Billboard singles chart. Prior to his days with Redbone, Bellamy played with Dobie Gray and the pre-Moby Grape band, Peter and the Wolves. He left Redbone in 1977 and went on to form his own group, Bimbam. He reunited with Redbone for special events in later years. Tony Bellamy was 69 when he died of liver failure on Christmas Day, 2009.