Post by Motown Honey on Jul 29, 2005 19:56:15 GMT -5
Eugene Record, Chi-Lites' musical guiding force, dies
July 23, 2005
BY STEPHANIE ZIMMERMANN Staff Reporter
Eugene Record, whose velvety voice and talent for writing soulful ballads for local soul superstars the Chi-Lites, died Friday at his daughter's south suburban home after a long battle with cancer. He was 64.
For a generation of fans reared on the soul sound, Chi-Lites hits such as "Have You Seen Her," "Oh Girl" and "Coldest Days of My Life" were part of the musical backdrop of their lives during the 1970s.
And even though they might not know Eugene Record's name, legions of young music fans continue to be exposed to Mr. Record's music in such varied places as Beyonce Knowles' hit "Crazy in Love" (which was remade from the Chi-Lites' "Are You My Woman") and Fantasia Barrino's controversial "Baby Mama," which samples Chi-Lites' music.
"It brought us back into view," said bandleader Marshall Thompson, who remained friendly with Mr. Record even after the band's original lineup split in 1976. Mr. Record, who later rejoined the band for several more years, is an integral part of a retrospective DVD the group plans to release in about 30 days, Thompson said.
As a student at Englewood High School in the 1950s, Mr. Record played with The Chanteurs, a band that included Robert "Squirrel" Lester and Clarence Johnson. The three men later formed the Hi-Lites with Thompson and Creadel "Red" Jones. By the mid-'60s, Johnson left the group, and it changed its name to the Chi-Lites in a nod to its hometown.
'Fantastic lead singer'
Thompson, the group's drummer, was the Chi-Lites' leader and relentless publicity machine. But Mr. Record provided other key ingredients to the group's future success: a smooth voice and soulful songs about love won and lost.
The group caught its big break when Thompson happened to run into singer and producer Otis Leavill on a city bus. Leavill suggested they audition for producer Carl Davis. That, in turn, led to a contract with Brunswick Records and their first national hit, "Give It Away," in 1969.
Longtime WVAZ-FM (102.7) disc jockey Herb Kent, who has followed the band since its beginnings, said Mr. Record had "God's gift" of musical ability.
"He played guitar, he wrote and he sang lead on most of the hit songs of the Chi-Lites," the V-103 DJ said. "I think his legacy was being a fantastic lead singer in a group out of Chicago that just smacked of Chicago and sweet love music . . . sweet, haunting love music that we'll probably never see the likes of again."
The band wasn't limited to love songs, however. Their "Give More Power to the People" album was radical at the time for its foray into race and social justice.
Mr. Record left the band in 1976 to launch a solo career, releasing three albums but having limited commercial success. He rejoined the band in 1980, but left again in the late '80s and became a born-again Christian and gospel singer. In 1998, Mr. Record released a gospel album, "Let Him In." He had planned to remix and re-release it, said his wife of 31 years, Jacki Record, but he fell ill before he could realize his plans.
Jacki Record said her husband's attraction to Christianity in his later years wasn't a response to any one event but rather a spiritual journey Mr. Record had been undertaking for some time.
Even so, he still got a kick out of seeing young black pop stars using his classic material in their own songs -- a sign that his life's work is still relevant.
Funeral arrangements were pending.
