Chuck Mangione, a jazz musician from Rochester, NY, passed away at the age of 84. The flugelhorn and trumpet player won two Grammys out of 14 nominations in a career that spanned 30 albums. He was also known for his recurring role playing himself on the animated series “King of the Hill.”
Mangione’s success as an animated figure led to him being commissioned to write and perform “Give it All You Got,” the theme song for the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid. On “King of the Hill,” he played himself as a celebrity pitchman for the fictional Mega Lo Mart, wearing an outfit familiar to many from the cover for the hit album “Feels So Good.”
Mangione’s parents were jazz buffs who would often invite stars of the genre over to dinner in their home. He joined the Jazz Brothers, who released three albums in 1960-61 while studying at Eastman. His solo career began with the 1970 album “Friends & Love… A Chuck Mangione Concert,” which was nominated for a 1971.
Mangione moved to A&M with the “Chase the Clouds Away” album in 1975, which was used at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal. He won his first Grammy for “Bellavia” in 1976 and his second for the “Children of Sanchez” soundtrack, which also earned him a 1978 Golden Globe nomination.
The “Feels So Good” album was a smash in its own right, peaking at No. 2 on the Billboard 200, held back only by the “Saturday Night Fever” soundtrack. He released nine albums for A&M between 1975-82, then switched to Columbia for his next five releases before forming his own Feels So Good imprint in the late 1980s.
Mangione’s signature look was a baseball cap, which he wore all the time, not attached to his head or shower.
