James Purify RIP

[Michael V]

Just found out that James Purify of James & Bobby Purify sadly passed away,apparently from complications of Covid, on Friday last, 22nd January 2021,aged 76 in Pensacola,Florida,where he was born in 1944. His cousin & musical partner Bobby died in 2011.

I always thought they were a little underrated; Wish You Did'nt Have To Go/You Can't Keep A Good Man Down is a great double- sider, Let Love Come Between Us a nice 45' and,of course ,their version of Shake A Tail Feather is a good old  dance floor favourite .

[Tomangoes]

RIP

Indeed some great music made that will long be played on our scene.

I was there for the second coming of shake a tail feather and it was massive around 79.

Ed

[Mike]

8 hours ago, Michael V said:

Just found out that James Purify of James & Bobby Purify sadly passed away,apparently from complications of Covid, on Friday last, 22nd January 2021,aged 76 in Pensacola,Florida,where he was born in 1944. His cousin & musical partner Bobby died in 2011.

I always thought they were a little underrated; Wish You Did'nt Have To Go/You Can't Keep A Good Man Down is a great double- sider, Let Love Come Between Us a nice 45' and,of course ,their version of Shake A Tail Feather is a good old  dance floor favourite .

thanks for posting

An obituary can be read here

...“I’m Your Puppet” was the first, but not the only hit logged by the duo, whose other member, Robert Lee Dickey, Purify’s cousin, died in 2011. It was followed by eight further charting singles, none of which reached the top 10. Of those, the most successful were a raucous cover of “Shake a Tail Feather,” which reached #25, and “Let Love Come Between Us” (#23), both in 1967.

Purify continued to work, as a solo singer, until 1974, when he teamed with Ben Moore, a veteran singer, who assumed the name Bobby Purify. They continued to perform together until the 1980s, releasing a remake of “I’m Your Puppet” in 1976, among other songs.

https://bestclassicbands.com/james-purify-im-your-puppet-obituary-1-23-21/

 

RIP James Purify

[Kathryn Magson]

I saw James & Bobby at The Wheel in the 1960s - absolutely brilliant! I saw so many great bands there - way too many to mention - but The Purify's were up there among the best - they blew the roof off!

R.I.P lads - thanks for the music & I hope you're both rocking it up there xx