Sad News : Stanley Mitchell RIP

another soul hero moves on

Thanks to members for passing on in the forum the sad news of yet another artist passing on, link to posts is above and at the end

QUOTE

Dave was in the process of doing Stanley's biography and had been in regular contact with him, even persuading him to appear at the March 07 Prestatyn weekender! on the numerous times Dave spoke to him he never mentioned any health problems, Stanleys cause of death was a heart attack, in the last half an hour Dave has spoken to his family, he had on going heart problems which he chose to ignore as he wished to perform right to the end, he died at 3.30am (U.S time) Saturday morning. His funeral is this coming Friday. All good wishes will be passed onto his family.

quote from the forum thread by Louise

(see below for link)

The following clip is from the sleeve notes of a recent cd released by Blue Suit Label titled Motor City R and B Pioneers featuring Stanley along with Joe Weaver and Kenny Martin, the full version and more photos can be read at the Blue Suits Website

(see below for link)

STANLEY MITCHELL

Stanley Mitchell's singing career could be the book about the history of R&B vocal groups. Blessed with a silky smooth voice, Stanley, like many of the R&B performers of the time, got his start singing in the church. "My whole family sang, it was just the standard thing, we all sang in gospel choirs." As a teenager he formed his first R&B group, the Cherokons, with his neighborhood buddies. His first big break came at an amateur contest headlined by Billy Ward & The Dominoes. Impressed by his singing, Ward asked him to join the group. He did, but only stayed for a few months, just long enough to do the Ed Sullivan Show. Stanley didn't stay unemployed very long. Lionel Hampton, impressed with the Cherokons, hired the band to be the new Hamp-Tones. He spent a year on the road with the Hamp-Tones, then quit the band and returned to Detroit. Back in the Motor City, he formed the Tornadoes with some former Midnighters. Chess Records signed the band, and their debut single "Four O'Clock in the Morning" became a top ten R&B hit. The Tornadoes moved to the Bumble Bee label before calling it quits in the early 60's. Stanley went on to record a solo record for the Gone label before going to Motown as backing vocalist. In the mid-60's he joined the Royal Jokers, and ended up staying with them for the next few years. In 1968 he went solo again and recorded a single on Dynamo Records

http://www.blue-suit.com/catalogue/pioneers/pioneers.html

full discography can be read on Soulful Kinda Music

http://www.soulfulkindamusic.net/smitchell.htm

original forum thread

https://www.soul-source.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=35713