The Washington Post reports that soul-pop singer Dobie Gray died yesterday morning in Nashville. He was 69, and no cause of death has been reported.
Gray was famous for hits like “Drift Away,” “The In Crowd,” and “Loving Arms.” Born Lawrence Darrow Brown in Houston, he came to soul music through gospel. Over a long and varied career, he also dabbled in country-pop, psych-rock, and musical theater, even spending more than two years in the L.A. production of Hair. (Actually, “Drift Away” is itself practically a country song.) He scored his final hit in 2003, when he duetted with Uncle Kracker on a new version of “Drift Away.”
Below, watch a clip of Gray singing “Drift Away” on the BBC in 1974.
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Aw. I’d always loved “Drift Away,” but I never knew who sang it; such a great song. Also, I’d heard of Dobie Gray, but I had no idea who or what he was. I knew the name, but had no context for it. RIP
RIP to a local boy done good. He and Harry Morgan today. Who will complete the trifecta? I’m betting on Alec Baldwin.