Grammy-winning Jazz musician Chuck Mangione passes away at 84

WASHINGTON, DC: Grammy-winning musician Chuck Mangione, best known for his pop-jazz instrumental crossover hit ‘Feels So Good,’ has passed away at the age of 84, reported Variety.

According to the outlet, the death of the jazz musician was reported by multiple news outlets from the singer’s native place, Rochester, New York. The city’s WROC-TV reported that the Bartolomeo & Perreto Funeral Home said the musician died in his sleep at home on Tuesday.

Mangione, a renowned flugelhorn and trumpet player, won two Grammy Awards out of 14 nominations in a career spanning 30 albums, reported Variety.

Beyond his musical success, the musician was also widely recognised for portraying a fictional version of himself in a recurring role on the animated television series ‘King of the Hill.’

A ubiquitous hit in 1978, ‘Feels So Good’ reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was nominated for Record of the Year at the Grammys.

That success led to Mangione being commissioned to write and perform ‘Give it All You Got,’ the theme song for the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid.

According to Variety, Mangione was born in Rochester on November 29, 1940. He started music lessons at age 8, starting out on piano but switching instruments after seeing the film ‘Young Man With a Horn.’

He formed his first jazz band while he was in high school, along with his pianist brother, Gap. He graduated in 1963 from the Eastman School of Music, where he later returned as a teacher and director of the Eastman Jazz Ensemble, as per the outlet.

Mangione’s solo career gained momentum with the 1970 release Friends & Love… A Chuck Mangione Concert, which was nominated for a Grammy in 1971.

The first of his releases on the Mercury label, it was recorded at the Eastman Theatre in Rochester. A single from the album, ‘Hill Where the Lord Hides,’ marked his first appearance on the Billboard Hot 100, reported Variety.

He moved to A&M with the ‘Chase the Clouds Away” album in 1975. The title song was used at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal.

He won his first Grammy Award for the 1976 album Bellavia. He received his second Grammy for the soundtrack of The Children of Sanchez, which also earned him a Golden Globe nomination in 1978. (ANI)