Ralph Tavares of musical group Tavares dies at 79

[Motown Eddie]

NEW BEDFORD — Ralph Tavares of the musical group Tavares [[https://www.southcoasttoday.com/story/entertainment/music/2018/07/25/check-it-out-tavares-still/11311399007/), who hailed from New Bedford, has died. The singer would have turned 80 on Friday, Dec. 10.
His cause of death has not yet been released.
The Grammy-award winning soul group [[https://www.providencejournal.com/story/entertainment/music/2018/02/09/where-are-they-now-tavares-brothers-still-touring-us-and-europe-videos/14825871007/) featured Ralph Tavares and his four other brothers, Antone Laurence "Chubby" Tavares, Perry Lee "Tiny" Tavares, Feliciano Vierra "Butch" Tavares Jr., and Arthur Paul "Pooch" Tavares.
In 1975, the brothers released their smash hit "It Only Takes a Minute." A string of hits followed including “Heaven Must be Missing an Angel” and “More Than a Woman.”
They were inducted into the Cape Verdean Museum Hall of Fame in 2006.


Ralph Tavares worked at the New Bedford and Fall River courts for over 30 years, retiring in 2015.
“He was still rehearsing and playing,” said Quinn Feno, assistant chief court officer in Fall River. He worked with Tavares at the New Bedford and Fall River courts for about 12 years altogether.

“We became best of friends outside the courthouse,” Feno said. The two texted often and would get together monthly, and on Veteran’s Day or head to Foxwoods every now and then.
“He was very humble, but he would love to tell us stories about Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder or the Bee Gees,” Feno said, adding the stories were “unreal,” but that Ralph Tavares never bragged about his celebrity. “They just played at Myrtle Beach in October.”


Tavares won a Grammy in 1978 for the single “More Than a Woman” on the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack, which won Album of the Year.
The group was nominated for a Grammy in 1982 for their hit single “A Penny for Your Thoughts.”
The group had six gold and two platinum albums, a Grammy Award and fans around the world when, in 1984, Ralph Tavares quit.
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New Bedford native Ralph Tavares of musical group Tavares dies at 79 [yahoo.com [[https://news.yahoo.com/bedford-native-ralph-tavares-musical-173107275.html)]

[sansradio]

My Lord! Rest in power.

[splanky]

A proper biography of this group had just begun to be written about 10 or more so years
ago. I remember too many years that the ultra pop narative had served to define them. There are still holes in the story but with us aging as they themselves are, I take whatever
tidbits I can find. Ralph didn't sing lead but he did comp and support his brothers as best
as he could as long as he could. I was glad to find this early footage of them before the
adoption of the family name. Some viewers who may know more or less provide the backstory here. Ralph is on the right of the backing brothers behind the lead. RIP...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3uJ6BCvAwLI

[milven]

Sad news about the passing. Thanks for that early footage of Tavares before they were Tavares. I don't know much about the group and their background, but their music was terrific and they were one of my favorite groups of the seventies. Loved Don't Take Away The Music and this performance by them.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Gi4tOrKphw

Thank you for the music. Hearing this music still make me feel good Don't take it away

[milven]

Today, Dec 10th. would have been his 80th birthday

[robb_k]

19509
I liked their recordings as The Turnpikes, and Chubby and The Turnpikes, best. But, I also liked the 2 early '70s hits I heard by them, too, when their wasn't much out that I liked. They were really good singers, and a tight group.

[FROM LONDON]

Rest In Peace Ralph Tavares

[Boogiedown]

Is this the song that solidified it for me that [much of] disco was brilliant music?


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5E-T_jvmuw


those harmonious vocals ...so on point ...so vital ....

rest in peace Ralph Tavares

[Motown Eddie]

Is this the song that solidified it for me that [much of] disco was brilliant music?


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5E-T_jvmuw


those harmonious vocals ...so on point ...so vital ....

rest in peace Ralph Tavares

Yes! Along with their other big hit "It Only Takes A Minute" both songs show that in the right hands, Disco was brilliant music with soulful lead & Harmony vocals. Continue to Rest In Peace, Ralph Tavares.

[splanky]

These guys learned and mastered their group harmonies from doo wop. That was their
roots. The paradox of Tavares is that though they had so much sucess within the confines
of the genre they never considered themselves a disco act. And for the soul and r&b fans it
was a different thing....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYc7w3NNTP0

[Boogiedown]

ah but who, ever, considered themselves a disco act ??

[splanky]

ah but who, ever, considered themselves a disco act ??

I have no idea.
I have no way of knowing what goes on in the minds of men only what they tell me.
The rest, I try to guess...

[Boogiedown]

hee hee.
but then what was your point??

well one comes to mind ......... Grace Jones ... a woman blessed with limited vocal talent, she took the whole wild disco circuit thing to heart and ran with it....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j80PJ9vtyhM

[splanky]

The point is that some have been comfortable in using or allowing the term to be used
to define the music they create and some have not. It's a 100 year old argument that
I'm sure most already have heard, loaded as much with misunderstanding as propaganda
and politics...It's always been that way. Always will be...

[Boogiedown]

.....ya ......so ???

just trying to follow why you are even bringing it up....

Tavares toured regularly with other disco performing acts, so they must have not been too bothered by the association...
even 'Wanda' Clifford lol!!
https://www.concertarchives.org/bands/tavares

[splanky]

In the hey day of their career, sure, they did tour with other disco performing acts. So?
You know how the business works. I don't know why you even bothered to post a schedule
so young. Chubby has already explained the history of the group's musical evolution, their
connection to The Bee Gees etc. I respect him greatly. Same as I did Barry White for
example. He championed disco as a genre. Said it was great for the business. I loved
his music. Didn't have to adopt his perspective to enjoy it. He had to know that what he
was doing was more than a cut above a lot of the drivel conceived in it's name. He didn't
critique them. I didn't hold it against him. That was somebody else's job...

[Boogiedown]

. Same as I did Barry White for
example. He championed disco as a genre. Said it was great for the business.
.

It is ironic that the disco eruption benefited the music business exponentially [just in time]....until it didn't. Everybody [it seemed ] , Stones , Beach Boys, Dolly Parton, Carole King, Streisand, EW&F [add: Cher!] was doing disco, that is until they weren't...and then their response became, "disco? what's that?, not me! " lol!

[mr_june]

Sorry to hear of his death. It's a shame that the group is best known more for being a disco act instead of their ballads and other songs. "Check It Out" and "Madam Butterfly" are right on the top of the list of songs that I liked by them. "The Ghost of Love" is another good one from the group. A video [[from a TV show) of the group singing that song features the best choreography by Tavares that I've seen.

I never liked that line "being "known for" when an act or group is mentioned at times such as this. More than not, it ignores other and even better material known by fans who have followed them longer.

[Boogiedown]

BUT
its also weighted when you say its a shame.....why is it a 'shame'. Disco surged their name like no other genre and gave them a successful lifetime performing base. No shame in that!

which is not to discount CHECK IT OUT :


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVA-yZwVsto


nice .:cool:

[mr_june]

BUT
its also weighted when you say its a shame.....why is it a 'shame'. Disco surged their name like no other genre and gave them a successful lifetime performing base. No shame in that!

which is not to discount CHECK IT OUT :


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVA-yZwVsto


nice .:cool:

It's good that they were able to cross over. Personally, it is a shame to me regardless of what shot them to fame. Disco [[which I liked) came and went but for me I will always remember them for their even better songs.

[Boogiedown]

It's good that they were able to cross over. Personally, it is a shame to me regardless of what shot them to fame. Disco [[which I liked) came and went but for me I will always remember them for their even better songs.


well of course we all have our personal favorites and taint our thinking in that direction [guilty as charged?].

but what if I said ..."Tavares had almost a stellar disco repertoire, could've gone for 100% ranking .... it's a 'shame' it got stymied by a few soulful ballads"...

does that even make sense??

Hey The Village People are another act created out of whole disco cloth:


love this video and just in time for Christmas ...Victor Willis playing in the snow and wearing his great big fur coat while Xmas shopping in NYC .


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RikwC2DRoQE


Ten times more Christmassy than ALL IS WELL lol!

[mr_june]

It makes sense.

[Boogiedown]

It makes sense.


very good:cool:


I never liked that line "being "known for" when an act or group is mentioned at times such as this. More than not, it ignores other and even better material known by fans who have followed them longer.


btw I get where you're coming from on this. At discogs -where the music therein is categorized- ...such labels can be very misleading.

As an example Alicia Bridges. Her album says "disco , pop rock" and in that order.

there is ONE song on there that was disco [as was often the case for artists back then. very few albums were entirely disco or even mostly so]

this was I LOVE THE NIGHTLIFE'S follow up single:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpmajrIOGA4

no it didn't chart.


poor thing was forever labeled a "disco artist" , which as I've tried to say , there are very few of those ...


On the other hand Alicia should count her lucky stars for disco ...without it would I even be mentioning her !!!:p:p

[splanky]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TlzDJ64AQs

thank goodness the brothers got around to ear therapy for the fans...

[sansradio]

They were so much more than some disco act. This is my go-to:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8iW46iihZA

[Boogiedown]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TlzDJ64AQs

thank goodness the brothers got around to ear therapy for the fans...

a decent remake for sure :cool:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JalNmtkCgrU

written by Kenny Nolan, one of Disco Tex' famed Sex O'Lettes


One of the last class acts for sure, their last charter:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJq8jpXPdsk

Always thought this was suspiciously WE ARE THE WORLD sounding [this came out two years before], especially when listening to the tail end of the song

[splanky]

Yes, Tavares had this habit of covering other folks songs and doing their own thing with
them. Just like they did with Hall and Oates She's Gone, Johnny Bristol's Strangers In
Dark Corners and the two examples already mentioned. Wouldn't be such a problem if
they didn't keep putting out better versions, would it?

Too bad I can't say the same about this song...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3tjXlKy1mI

[Boogiedown]

Yes, Tavares had this habit of covering other folks songs and doing their own thing with
them. Just like they did with Hall and Oates She's Gone, Johnny Bristol's Strangers In
Dark Corners and the two examples already mentioned. Wouldn't be such a problem if
they didn't keep putting out better versions, would it?

Not a crime at all....

and I just noticed Kenny Nolan actually produced that Tavares remake. Kenny really had a recycling habit. He just wouldn't give up sometimes.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QICCW2VMVGc