jeudi 4 juin 2026
mercredi 3 juin 2026
Famed R&B singer Foster Sylvers dies at age 64
(May 31, 2026) For many women of a certain age, he was their first musical heartthrob. But Foster Sylvers was more than that, a talented singer and multi-instrumentalist who was part of the iconic family act The Sylvers. Today we mourn the passing of Foster Sylvers at age 64 following a long battle with prostate cancer. The Sylvers family has issued a statement (see below).
Born on February 25, 1962, Sylvers first came to the world’s attention with his hit debut album – when he was only 11 years old. Working with older brother and producer Leon Sylvers, Foster immediately hit the top 10 with “Misdemeanor,” and followed with a hit cover of the 50s classic “Hey Little Girl.”
After two solo albums, Foster joined his siblings in the expanding family group in time for the act’s greatest success, singing lead or co-lead on several songs during the period when The Sylvers regularly topped the charts with songs like “Boogie Fever” and “Hot Line.” (Click Here to read more about The Sylvers)
A particularly strong bassist, Foster Sylvers spent much of the 80s supporting other artists, performing with Dynasty, Evelyn “Champaign” King and others. He also reignited his solo career, issuing a couple of moderately successful albums.
Foster Sylvers ran into significant legal problems in the mid-90s and served time in prison. His career was quieter after that, though he occasionally spoke publicly about his career and growing up as a child star. His music, however, never went away, and his entire catalog has remained on “repeat” over all of these years.
Today we will mourn the passing of this talented man, even as a generation of soul music fans smile recalling the halcyon days of his career.
Philly soul giant Dexter Wansel dies at 75
(June 2, 2026) He was an unheralded musical giant, who quietly shaped both soul and jazz music in the 1970s as part of the stable of great Philadelphia artists, songwriters and producers. Tonight we mourn the passing of Dexter Wansel. Legendary singer Shirley Jones of The Jones Girls shared the bad news, which was previously reported by Philly radio station WDAS.
Dexter Wansel is known to some as Philly keyboardist who released a number of moderately successful albums in the 70s including most notably Life on Mars and Voyager. His love of advanced technology and the fusion of rock, soul, dance and jazz led to a number of interesting pieces that drew for him a small but loyal following. However, Wansel is likely more notable for the great contribution he made to the Philly Sound, particularly in the “second act” of the Philadelphia International Records label in the early 80s.
Wansel met PIR founders Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff while he was the leader of the group Yellow Sunshine. He signed on as a session keyboardist at G&H’s Philadelphia International Records and began his climb within the organization during the late 70s. His creative, luscious arrangements and strong production led to increasingly important projects within the organization, including albums by the Jacksons, Lou Rawls, Phyllis Hyman, Teddy Pendergrass and MFSB (the house band at PIR, for which Wansel served as conductor). And his songwriting may have been even better. Along with regular songwriting partner Cynthia Biggs, he penned numerous classic Soul songs ranging from “Nights Over Egypt” for the Jones Girls to the haunting “Hurry Up This Way Again” for the Stylistics.
By the early 80s, the consistency of Wansel’s compositions had arguably surpassed Gamble and Huff, and much of the best output of PIR during the 80s was modestly anchored by gorgeous Wansel ballads like “I Really Need You Now” (sung by the O’Jays), “You’re Leaving” (the Stylistics) and perhaps his most revered composition, “If Only You Knew” (Patti LaBelle).
In the 90s, as PIR was crumbling, Wansel stayed around, helping on a number of compilations and the scant new projects that came around. He also did some outside arranging, such as on three discs by Gospel harpist Jeff Majors. His last major work at PIR was putting together 2003’s controversial O’Jays compilation, Together We Are One. Like many at PIR, he never received public attention or credit commensurate with his significant contributions, but to those in the Soul Music world he was known as one of the great songwriters, producers and arrangers of his era.
In late 2004, nearly two years removed from the end of his stint at PIR, Wansel quietly recorded and self-released his first solo album in over a decade. Digital Groove World was a mostly instrumental album, but Wansel’s love of technology and his unusual, often unexpected arrangements make Digital Groove World a little loopier and a lot more interesting than a typical smooth jazz disc. After that album, Wansel was quiet on the recording front for 17 years, returning in 2021 with the thematic album, The Story of the Flight Crew To Mars
On April 12 of this year, Wansel was honored in London with the show “Dexter Wansel & Friends celebrate MFSB and the Sound of Philadelphia,” featuring Philly greats Jean Carn and Shirley Jones of The Jones Girls and a 33 piece orchestra. Because of Dexter’s illness, McKinley Jackson was brought in to help conduct the show, which rightly gave tribute to this all-time great writer, producer and artist.
Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff expressed their condolences: “Dexter Wansel brought a new age sound to our record label Philadelphia International Records in the 1970’s and 80’s arranging and producing hits for many of our artists such as The Jacksons, The Jones Girls, Jean Carne, MFSB including hits for himself. Dexter’s synthesizer and symphonic keyboard sounds were iconic. Dexter’s hit song ‘Nights Over Egypt’ with the Jones Girls, as well as his own hit song ‘Life on Mars’ were unmatched unique sounds for the label. In addition, Dexter’s prolific songwriting with his long-time writing partner Cynthia Biggs, who worked with Teddy Pendergrass and others, made them one of the most sought-after writing teams in our publishing company. Most importantly, Dexter was our dear friend, protege and great contributor to the Sound of Philadelphia. We send our sincere condolences to his wife Judy and Family.”
Further, Wansel’s wife Judy and their family issued the following statement: “We wish to express our gratitude for the outpouring of condolences we are receiving for our loved one, GRAMMY winner and one of the architects of the Sound of Philadelphia, Dexter Wansel. He’s at peace now.”
Dexter Wansel will be remembered by millions of fans around the world for his ambitious, creative sound that helped shape soul and jazz music for a generation. And he will be greatly missed.
Legendary R&B singer Peabo Bryson dies at 75
(June 2, 2026) He possessed the purest of voices. A deep, rich baritone that showed a unique versatility, but which found its sweetest of spots on soulful love songs. Tonight we are devasted to pass on the news that legendary soul balladeer Peabo Bryson died today at 5:00 pm, just days after suffering a stroke. He was 75. Bryson had previously suffered a heart attack in 2019 from which he fully recovered.
The statement from Bryson’s family said he was, at the time of his death, “surrounded by the love of his family and those closest to him.” It further read, “We are tremendously moved by the outpouring of love, prayers and support from fans, friends, and colleagues around the world. While our hearts are broken, we find comfort in knowing how deeply Peabo was loved and how many lives were touched by his voice and his generous spirit. His legacy and music will live on for generations to come.”
2026 had been a year of celebration for Bryson, as he was on the tail end of “Golden Touch” tour, commemorating 50 years in music, and was preparing for an upcoming album Jam and Lewis-produced album called Grace.
For me this passing particularly hurts. Peabo was one of the first artists I ever interviewed, when I was a 19 year old college student student writing for The State News at Michigan State University. He was kind and patient in dealing with a young writer who was clearly learning how to interview a star, and I will always be grateful.
The South Carolina born singer created an amazingly long-lasting career. While in his early 20s he worked with producer Michael Zager’s band (“Let’s All Chant”) and recorded as a solo artist while writing with other artists at Bang/Bullet Records such as Paul Davis. His 1976 Bullet Records debut, Peabo, was a moderate success and contained one notable song, “Just Another Day” (which bore great resemblance to the Spinners’ “How Could I Let You Get Away”).
It was his next album, Reaching for the Sky (and its oft-covered hit, “Feel The Fire”), that took Peabo to the top of the male R&B vocalist class. His follow up, 1978’s Crosswinds, solidified that position and gave him his biggest hit to date, “I’m So Into You.” In both albums he demonstrated himself as a smooth soul balladeer and a solid writer, with his rich baritone wrapping itself around mostly “quiet storm” material. 1979 brought a very good duet album with Natalie Cole, the first of several duet partners with whom he would work, and a moderate hit, “Gimme Some Time.” He followed two years later with his first real solo crossover success, I Am Love, and the hit “Let the Feeling Flow.”
Peabo blew the roof off 1983 on a duet album with Roberta Flack, the pure adult contemporary Tonight I Celebrate My Love, yielding four hits and moving him to a leading role in the AC market. However, this crossover success came at a price, as the increasingly adult pop sound of his records (especially the singles) threatened his longtime soul music base. This continued with his next album, Straight From the Heart (his first on Elektra Records), a crossover smash that included the number one pop song of the year, Michael Masser’s “If Ever You’re In My Arms Again.”
He continued to release albums prolifically for a few more years, but found limited success on both the R&B and pop charts. Then his career found an unexpected boost: In 1991 he released the single “Can You Stop the Rain,” one of the most compelling songs of his career and his first #1 R&B hit in several years. It anchored a solid album of the same name. He then hit the top of the pop charts twice on themes from two consecutive Disney animated smashes, “Beauty and the Beast” with Celine Dion and “A Whole New World” (from Aladdin), with Regina Belle.
While the big hits slowed down in the new century, Peabo Bryson continued to record and tour regularly. He scored a surprise hit in 2018 year working with Jam & Lewis on the album Stand For Love, which boasted the urban adult contemporary #1 “Love Like Yours and Mine.”
It would be tough to find a male artist who straddled as many fences throughout his career as Peabo Bryson — from R&B to pop to smooth jazz to theater — while always maintaining a consistent identity as a gentle, romantic balladeer. He undoubtedly possessed one of the greatest voices of his generation and continuously made even less than stellar material rise to a higher level. And in the process he deservedly accumulated millions of fans around the world.
mardi 2 juin 2026
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