Ralph Tavares of musical group Tavares dies at 79
NEW BEDFORD — Ralph Tavares of the musical group Tavares, 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 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.
Read More Here:
New Bedford native Ralph Tavares of musical group Tavares dies at 79 [yahoo.com]
