Being a bass singer and songwriter in the music industry can be daunting. Only a few of them can beat the competition and make their place in the hearts of the audience. Winfred Lovett was one of those few people. People called him Winfred ‘Blue’ Lovett. He was the bass singer and songwriter of the famous American R&B vocal group called ‘The Manhattans’. However, people are still fans of Winfred Lovett and wish to know more about him and his group. So, without waiting any more, let’s dig into the biography of Winfred Lovett.
Know the back story of Winfred Lovett’s music band, ‘The Manhattans.
The Manhattans are famous as an American R&B vocal group. This band is mainly from Jersey City and was formed in 1962. The main members of this band were George ‘Smitty’ Smith, Edward ‘Sonny’ Bivins, Winfred Lovett, Kenny Kelly, Richard ‘Ricky’ Taylor, etc. Bivins, Lovett, and Kelley were going to graduate from Lincoln High School, whereas Taylor and Smith were going to graduate from Synder High School.
The music work done by the Manhattans, including Winfred Lovett
The work done by the group involving Winfred Lovett includes million-selling songs like ‘Kiss and Say Goodbye, which was recorded in 1976. Also, another famous song was ‘Shining Star’, which came out in the 1980s. The group recorded around 45 chart hits on the Billboard R&B chart, which includes around 12 top 10 R&B hits in the US that charted on the Billboard chart in 1965. Also, 16 out of them got on the Billboard Hot 100. The group’s 1983 song ‘Forever by Your Side’ was popular in Brazil for around 30 years, even after its release.
However, the group started their music journey in 1964 with their first song, ‘For the very first time’, with Carnival Records. The band continued working with the songs written by various artists in the group. In 1968, they received the award of ‘Most Promising Group’ by NATRA. The next year, they moved to the De Luxe Record label and embarked on a college tour.
Ups and downs faced by the Manhattans
While Winfred Lovett was in the group, there was a time when they faced some problems. In the late 1970s, misfortune hit them when George Smith fell sick. He was replaced by Gerald Alston, who took the lead. On December 16, 1970, George died. George ‘Smitty’ Smith cause of death was a brain tumor.
However, the group continued creating music and recording it. In 1973, it struck chart gold with the song ‘There’s no me without you’. Also, the group’s biggest hit was ‘Kiss and Say Goodbye’, which was written by Winfred Lovett or Blue Lovett. This song became a major hit in no time and got the #1 position on the US Billboard pop and R&B charts. Plus, this song was the second to go platinum.
In 1976, Taylor left the group and died in 1987 because of a long illness. Later, the group continued as a quartet involving Winfred Lovett and tasted success in 1980. Also, in 1983, the members and Winfred Lovett released the ‘Forever by Your Side’ album, and one of its songs, ‘Crazy’, got to #4 on the R&B chart. In 1985, they celebrated their 20th anniversary by releasing ‘Too Hot to Stop It.” Till 1988, they continued as a group, but the same year, Gerald left to lead as a solo artist. This decision could be because of his family involvement with Gerald Alston’s son.
The major shock happened when, in 1990, Winfred Lovett left the group because of his health issues.
The deaths of Winfred Lovett and other group members
Winfred Lovett or Lorenzo music cause of death is unknown. But he died on December 9, 2014. His close ones, like Kelley Lovett, felt bad about his demise. Also, the other members of the group, like George, died on December 28, 1939; Edward Bivins died on January 15, 1936; Kenny Kelley died on February 17, 2015; and Taylor died on December 7, 1987.
Endnote
No doubt, ‘The Manhattans’ gave amazing music to the audience. This group had both difficult and easy years. Also, Winfred Lovett being a part of the group made it special. You will get to know everything about ‘The Manhattans’ and Winfred Lovett with the above-mentioned information.
