Soul Brothers: 10 Black Male Singers We Lost This Decade
It never gets easy saying goodbye to the music icons of our culture. Some singers we lost prematurely, either right before they were about to show us their best talents or in the midst of their rise to the top of the charts. Others actually got the chance to live fruitful lives and reach an apex in their career that gives their posthumous legend status merit. Either way, the loss is felt immensely each time.
10 years ago to the day (May 14), we experienced just that when blues legend B.B. King tragically passed away from vascular dementia after suffering a handful of small strokes resulting from his type 2 diabetes. The only thing that makes it bittersweet is that he left us peacefully in his sleep.
No matter how long it’s been, the world will forever remember the name B.B. King.
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There aren’t many musicians who can make claim to what King was able to accomplish in his 89 years of life. He’s released a whopping 48 studio albums that span from his debut LP in 1957 to the final one released during his lifetime in 2008, which went on to win the GRAMMY for “Best Traditional Blues Album” back in 2009. Speaking of GRAMMY trophies, the guy has an impressive 15 wins under his belt that range from “Best Male R&B Vocal Performance,” his first one back in 1970, to the six times he won in the aforementioned “Best Traditional Blues Album” category. His accolades also include a Blues Hall of Fame induction in 1980, getting added to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1987, GRAMMY Lifetime Achievement that same year, Kennedy Center Honors in 1995 and, while he was still alive, a Living Legend Medal from The Library of Congress at the turn of the century just to name a very small few of his honorific achievements.
Although “the thrill is gone” when it comes to having King here in the physical, we will always remember the music he gave us and the inspiration as a Black male in music who defied the odds and became extraordinary.
Reminiscing on the 10-year anniversary of a fallen icon had us thinking about a handful of other male soul singers who we lost over the last 10 years. From the ones who are still living in our hearts and on our airwaves to a few that may be a bit more unsung, we implore you to look these men up and their timeless music if you truly want to put yourself onto greatness. We miss each of them in a way that’s unique to what each fella contributed to the culture, and we can only hope this continues their respective legacies.
