Philippé Wynne
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| Philippé Wynne | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Phillip Walker |
| Born | April 3, 1941 Detroit, Michigan, U.S. |
| Died | July 14, 1984 (aged 43) Oakland, California, U.S. |
| Genres | R&B, soul, funk |
| Occupations | Singer |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 1961–1984 |
| Labels | Atlantic |
Philippé Wynne (April 3, 1941 – July 14, 1984), born Phillip Walker, was an American R&B singer. Best known for his role as the lead singer of The Spinners (a role he shared with fellow group member Bobby Smith), Wynne scored notable hits such as "How Could I Let You Get Away", "The Rubberband Man", and "One of a Kind (Love Affair)". After leaving The Spinners, Wynne never regained the same success, although he featured in hits by other artists such as "(Not Just) Knee Deep" by Funkadelic. Wynne died of a heart attack while performing at a nightclub.
[edit] Biography
Born in Detroit, Michigan, and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio, Wynne began his musical career as a gospel singer. He soon switched to R&B and attained some measure of success, singing with Bootsy Collins's Pacemakers in 1968 and with James Brown's J.B.'s shortly thereafter. Wynne then spent time in Germany as the lead singer of the Afro Kings, a band from Liberia, before he replaced his cousin, G. C. Cameron, as one of the lead vocalists for The Spinners. He sang with the group until 1977, during which they achieved several successful albums and singles.
Wynne then launched a solo career with Alan Thicke as his manager. His first album Starting All Over was released on the Cotillion label in 1977 but was not promoted. His fortunes turned upwards again when he joined George Clinton's Parliament-Funkadelic in 1979. He performed with them on several recordings, and was a featured vocalist on the Funkadelic single "(Not Just) Knee Deep" (a #1 hit on the Billboard R&B chart). While associated with Parliament-Funkadelic, Wynne also appeared on the Bootsy Collins album Sweat Band. Wynne released the solo album Wynne Jammin' in 1980, and made a guest appearance on the song "Something Inside My Head" by Gene Dunlap, and in the song "Whip It" by the Treacherous Three. Wynne's final album was the self-titled Philippé Wynne, released by Sugarhill Records in 1984.
On July 13, 1984, while performing at Ivey's nightclub in Oakland, California, Wynne suffered a heart attack and died the following morning.
[edit] Bibliography
- Romanski, Patricia and Holly George-Warren (Editors). The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll. New York, NY: Fireside, 2005.
[edit] References
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