Charles Love of Bloodstone

[sunshineonacloudyday]

Sad news of the passing of Charles Love of Bloodstone is all over fb, this morning I found this. Is this true? Does anyone have more info?

http://www.soultracks.com/story-charles-love-dies

[sunshineonacloudyday]

CHARLES LOVE OF BLOODSTONE PASSED AWAY AFTER FIGHT WITH PNEUMONIA. By Michelle Taylor, Special to Mass Appeal
KANSAS CITY – It’s with a heavy heart we report that Charles Love, one of the founding members of the legendary R&B group Bloodstone, passed away on Thursday. According to close family friend and manager Lewis Garrett, Love died from complications of pneumonia and had been battling emphysema for several years. He died in his hometown of Kansas City where funeral arrangements are being made and will be announced later this week. Bloodstone was founded in 1962 and was best known for their classic hit “Natural High” which rose to No. 4 on the US R&B charts in 1973.
As of late, the group had been touring and was scheduled to do a show in Chicago on May 10th. More than likely, Charles would have been performing at that show because even during his battle with emphysema he continued to perform and was seen traveling with his oxygen tank.
Our sincere condolences go out to his family, friends and fans. We will also follow up with information on funeral arrangements when they’re announced.

[splanky]

Saw this earlier but was too pissed to comment. RIP, Charles...Thanks for the music. Bloodstone was a great part of my youth....

[daddyacey]

Damn ,I'm sorry to hear this. Bloodstone was one of those real live performing groups that delivered 100% on stage and on record. There's a hell of a lot more to them than "NATURAL HIGH". R.I.P Charles. I'll be playing Bloodstone at high volume this evening.

[sunshineonacloudyday]

Bloodstone's on my turntable tonight too Daddyacey! I saw them in concert last year. No longer playing instruments, they were focused on delivering some sweet vocal harmony and sounded fantastic! I always loved their unique sound--the lush 70s productions with a throw-back Doo-Wop vocal style. And that soul sitar by Pip Williams...just perfect! R.I.P Charles Love, thoughts & prayers to the surviving members of Bloodstone...

"You and me girl, go a long way back... "
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vd6m5g6pFGs

[Amithesameboy]

Bloodstone's on my turntable tonight too Daddyacey! I saw them in concert last year. No longer playing instruments, they were focused on delivering some sweet vocal harmony and sounded fantastic! I always loved their unique sound--the lush 70s productions with a throw-back Doo-Wop vocal style. And that soul sitar by Pip Williams...just perfect! R.I.P Charles Love, thoughts & prayers to the surviving members of Bloodstone...

"You and me girl, go a long way back... "
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vd6m5g6pFGs

Very sad to hear the news about Charles Love. Bloodstone were a superb group, very underrated.

I think I'm right in saying that Charles didn't actually sing lead on any of their big hits; it was either Charles McCormick or Harry Williams, I believe but am more than happy to be corrected if I've done Mr. Love a disservice.

[mr_june]

Very sad to hear the news about Charles Love. Bloodstone were a superb group, very underrated.

I think I'm right in saying that Charles didn't actually sing lead on any of their big hits; it was either Charles McCormick or Harry Williams, I believe but am more than happy to be corrected if I've done Mr. Love a disservice.

Sorry to hear this also. Will somebody please clear something up for me. First how many members have passed on and then who is the member who sang on "You Know We've Learned" and on the two songs that are related by subject where the guy is pitying himself and asking "What Did You Do To Me." I know one of the groups writers and lead singer passed on but could never get an answer as to a name and who sang lead on what. Thanks in advance.

[mr_june]

Very sad to hear the news about Charles Love. Bloodstone were a superb group, very underrated.

I think I'm right in saying that Charles didn't actually sing lead on any of their big hits; it was either Charles McCormick or Harry Williams, I believe but am more than happy to be corrected if I've done Mr. Love a disservice.

Didn't both Charles sing lead? I've always been confused about this group.

[sunshineonacloudyday]

Yes Mr June, much confusing info on this group...I've come up with the following from their album covers, CD booklets, and the Internet.

Originally formed in the early 60s as The Sinceres, [[this general info is available at their website) By '72 the core lineup for their debut Lp, NATURAL HIGH was:
Charles Love: vocal, guitar
Willis Draffen Jr: vocal, guitar
Charles McCormick: vocal, bass guitar
Harry Williams: vocal, percussion
Roger Durham: vocal, percussion

[[Melvin Webb: drums, congas, timbales
Eddie Summers: vocal, drums)

Roger Durham died from injuries sustained after falling off a horse in '73.
Willis Draffen Jr. passed in 2002.
Charles McCormick left the group in '81, but reunited with the group for their recent tours.

Unfortunately the albums do not list who sung lead on which songs, but most recognizable are the falsetto leads of Charles McCormick [[Natural High), and Harry Williams' multi-octave soul drenched workouts [[Outside Woman, Never Let You Go). It seems most of their hits featured either McCormick, or Williams, as pointed out by Amithesameboy.

All of the members wrote their songs, and I suspect it's Willis Draffen Jr. on lead for "That's Not How It Goes", a single from '74 written by Draffen when his daughter was born while he was in England. And it was Charles Love who wrote the first 2 songs in the great trilogy on side 2 of the NATURAL HIGH album; Tell It To My Face/Ran It In The Ground/Never Let Me Go.

MOTOWN Connection:
Bloodstone recorded an album of Jobete tunes titled Don't Stop in '79, and during this time Charles Love wrote the beautiful "We Go A Long Way Back", which was rejected by Motown. Fortunately he held on to it, where it finally saw its successful release on the Isley Brothers' T-Neck label in '82.

[mr_june]

Thanks Sunshine, that clears up a few things. I've been trying to get this info for a long time. Still out is, who is the lead singer on "You Know We've Learned" and "What Did You Do To Me, Pt 1. & 2 .?" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaRqPY9SLQo

[Amithesameboy]

Thanks Sunshine, that clears up a few things. I've been trying to get this info for a long time. Still out is, who is the lead singer on "You Know We've Learned" and "What Did You Do To Me, Pt 1. & 2 .?" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaRqPY9SLQo

I don't know for sure, but I strongly suspect both songs are sung by Willis Draffen, seeing as how he wrote them both and there was a definite tradition within the group of the composers singing their own songs around this time. [[ eg Williams wrote and sang "Never let you go" and "Outside woman", McCormick wrote and sung "Natural High" etc...)

[Amithesameboy]

I don't know for sure, but I strongly suspect both songs are sung by Willis Draffen, seeing as how he wrote them both and there was a definite tradition within the group of the composers singing their own songs around this time. [[ eg Williams wrote and sang "Never let you go" and "Outside woman", McCormick wrote and sung "Natural High" etc...)

Ive just realised that "sunshineonacloudyday" has already made more or less the same point I have made here, so I think its even more certain that Willis Draffen was the singer on these tracks.

[mr_june]

That makes sense. They had some great voices in the group and some truly great ballads.

[juicefree20]

Not to be forgotten is drummer Melvin Webb, who passed away in the 80s.

Also not to be forgotten is Ron Wilson who stepped in for Charles McCormick for their last 2 T-Neck LPs, leading the hits "My Love Grows Stronger" & "Instant Love".

As for the writer[[s) usually singing lead, not necessarily so.

For example, Charles Love wrote "We Go A Long Way Back", "I Adore You" & "Go On And Cry", but all were led by Harry Williams. Willis Draften wrote "I Adore You", another lead by Harry Williams.