Grammy-winning jazz legend Chuck Mangione’s career explored in the wake of his passing at 84

Chuck Mangione died at the age of 84 on July 22. As per reports, the cause of his death was natural, and he passed away in his sleep. The musician is a two-time Grammy winner who became well-known for his 1977 song Feels So Good, which reached a top position on Billboard. In a statement, his family said:

“Chuck’s love affair with music has been characterized by his boundless energy, unabashed enthusiasm, and pure joy that radiated from the stage.”

His music made way to the Olympics, like Chase The Clouds Away, which was played at the Summer Olympics in 1976. Also, his 1979 song, Give It All You Got, was featured in the Winter Olympics in 1980.

The musician had given out around 30 albums in his career. He was born in 1940 and was accustomed to music from a young age. Chuck Mangione was introduced to bandleader and composer Dizzy Gillespie, and after some training, Gillespie gave him one of his trumpets.

As mentioned, he won the Grammy twice. The first one was in 1977 for Bellavia, while he received the second award for The Children of Sanchez in 1979.

Mangione was also known for his philanthropic efforts. In 1980, he performed at a benefit concert to support victims of the devastating earthquake in Italy. When he turned 60, he hosted a birthday concert, which helped him raise more than $50,000 for a nursing home.

Besides his work in music, he was also seen on TV, on shows like Sharon, The Elephant Show, and others.

Chuck Mangione on navigating popularity and choosing which music to record

According to The New York Times, when Chuck Mangione was 10, he was inspired by the film Young Man With a Horn, which made him want to play the trumpet. Recalling his father’s efforts in his career in an old interview with JazzTimes, he said:

“My father would walk up to someone like Dizzy and say: ‘Hi, Mr. Gillespie. These are my two sons and they can play.’ And we would sit in.”

Chuck Mangione shared that his father often invited people over for spaghetti and homemade wine. Their house had a grocery store attached to it, and his mother loved cooking, so they could easily have parties. Besides Dizzy, people like Carmen McRae would also visit their place.

Reflecting on the popularity he gained through his work, he told the outlet:

“Toward the end, I felt numb. It was like I was on a merry-go-round. Somebody would hand me a schedule and I’d get on a plane, go to a hotel and order room service. It was time to recharge my batteries.”

Chuck Mangione explained that he didn’t want to record music he didn’t like because if it became popular, he wouldn’t enjoy performing it. He said he wrote about 95% of the music he played, but didn’t fully take credit for it.

He felt like he was just a connection, waiting for inspiration to come and then sharing it in the best way he could. He was careful with his music and only released it when he felt it was ready.

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Also read: What was Chuck Mangione's first album? Career highlights explored as jazz legend dies at 84

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