R&B singer Billy Paul dead at 80

BDC News

New York, April 25 (IANS)  R&B singer Billy Paul has died at the age of 80.
The chart-topper, best known for his hit song Me and Mrs Jones, passed away at his home in New Jersey. He was recently diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
A statement on his website read: “We regret to announce with a heavy heart that Billy has passed away today at home after a serious medical condition.
“We would like to extend our most sincere condolences to his wife Blanche and family for their loss, as they and the world grieves the loss of another musical icon that helped pioneered today’s R&B music.

“Billy will be truly missed.”
Billy’s career spanned for more than 60 years and his biggest hit earned him a Grammy award.
He continued to perform live until he fell ill and his manager said he had been lining up numerous appearances at the time of his death. Among his favourites in concert was a cover of Prince’s Purple Rain. Prince, 57, died last Thursday.
Paul was born Paul Williams but later agreed to his manager’s suggestion that he change his name to Billy Paul to avoid confusion with songwriter Paul Williams and other musicians with the same name.

Paul started singing from an early age and in his 20s was drafted into the military, and found himself on the same base in Germany with a couple of famous showbusiness names, Elvis Presley and Gary Crosby, Bing Crosby’s son.
“We said we’re going to start a band, so we didn’t have to do any hard work in the service,” he told bluesandsoul.com in 2015.
“We tried to get Elvis to join but he wanted to be a Jeep driver. So me and Gary Crosby, we started it and called ourselves the Jazz Blues Symphony Band.”

By the mid-1960s, the Beatles had inspired him to incorporate more rhythm ‘n’ blues into his singing and he had found a new home for his recordings after meeting Gamble at a Philadelphia music shop.
His early albums with Gamble and Huff, including Ebony Woman and Going East, sold modestly, before Me And Mrs Jones briefly made him a superstar.
Billy is survived by wife Blanche, with whom he has two children.