Rhythm and Blues Singer, Songwriter, Musician, Record Producer. He was the lead vocalist for the soulful rhythm and blues singing group The Impressions. "Gypsy Woman," "It's All Right," "People Get Ready" and "Amen" are just a few of their hits. He left The Impressions in 1970 to pursue a solo career. Many of his songs were politically conscious African-American music addressing crime, poverty and drugs. At the peak of his solo career, he composed the soundtrack to the 1972 film "Super Fly," this soundtrack produced two million-selling singles: "Freddie's Dead," which was #2 on R&B and #4 on Pop, and "Super Fly," which was #5 on R&B and #8 on Pop. The "Super Fly" soundtrack was ranked #72 on Rolling Stone's magazine's "Top 500 Greatest Albums of All Time" list and his song "People Get Ready" ranked #24 of their "500 Greatest Songs of All Time" list. On August 13, 1990, he was performing at an outdoor concert at Wingate Field in Flatbush, Brooklyn, New York when a piece of the lighting equipment fell on him leaving him paralyzed from the neck down; he was unable to play the guitar after the accident but continued to sing and compose songs. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice: first in 1991 with The Impressions and in 1999 as a solo artist; he was unable to attend the 1999 induction ceremony due to declining health issues, he died later that year in December. In 1995, he was a recipient of the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award; in 2003, he was posthumously inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame as a member of The Impressions. Besides being a quadriplegic, he was a Type 2 diabetic which caused many health complications.
Rhythm and Blues Singer, Songwriter, Musician, Record Producer. He was the lead vocalist for the soulful rhythm and blues singing group The Impressions. "Gypsy Woman," "It's All Right," "People Get Ready" and "Amen" are just a few of their hits. He left The Impressions in 1970 to pursue a solo career. Many of his songs were politically conscious African-American music addressing crime, poverty and drugs. At the peak of his solo career, he composed the soundtrack to the 1972 film "Super Fly," this soundtrack produced two million-selling singles: "Freddie's Dead," which was #2 on R&B and #4 on Pop, and "Super Fly," which was #5 on R&B and #8 on Pop. The "Super Fly" soundtrack was ranked #72 on Rolling Stone's magazine's "Top 500 Greatest Albums of All Time" list and his song "People Get Ready" ranked #24 of their "500 Greatest Songs of All Time" list. On August 13, 1990, he was performing at an outdoor concert at Wingate Field in Flatbush, Brooklyn, New York when a piece of the lighting equipment fell on him leaving him paralyzed from the neck down; he was unable to play the guitar after the accident but continued to sing and compose songs. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice: first in 1991 with The Impressions and in 1999 as a solo artist; he was unable to attend the 1999 induction ceremony due to declining health issues, he died later that year in December. In 1995, he was a recipient of the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award; in 2003, he was posthumously inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame as a member of The Impressions. Besides being a quadriplegic, he was a Type 2 diabetic which caused many health complications.
Bio by: Babe
