Chuck Mangione, the Grammy-winning jazz bandleader and musician who scored an unlikely top-five hit in 1978 with the jazz instrumental "Feels So Good," has died at age 84, according to a note on his official website.
Chuck Mangione (full name Charles Frank Mangione) was born on November 29, 1940 in Rochester, New York—a city that remained central to his musical identity throughout his life. Raised in a jazz-loving household, he and his younger brother Gap absorbed music from a young age. Their father often hosted jazz luminaries such as Carmen McRae and Art Blakey for Italian dinners, inspiring the brothers to form the Jazz Brothers quintet during high school in 1958.
After earning a Bachelor of Music at the prestigious Eastman School of Music in 1963, Mangione began playing trumpet professionally. He joined Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers around 1965, succeeding trumpet greats like Lee Morgan and Freddie Hubbard, which marked an early turning point in his career. At Eastman, although formal jazz studies were minimal in his time, he discovered the flugelhorn—a mellower, darker brass instrument—which would become his signature voice.
In the early 1970s, Mangione recorded Friends & Love... A Chuck Mangione Concert with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, blending jazz, classical, folk, and rock elements—a Grammy-nominated double album that showcased his orchestral approach and compositional ambition.
He signed with A&M Records mid‑1970s and released Chase the Clouds Away (1975), whose title track was used in television coverage of the 1976 Olympic Games, earning him two Grammy nominations. His follow‑up Bellavia earned him his first Grammy in 1976 for Best Instrumental Composition. Mangione credited the theme’s name—Bellavia, after his mother—as a key to its emotional resonance.
Mangione’s breakthrough came with his 1977 album Feels So Good. The title track, a smooth‑jazz instrumental featuring Mangione’s lyrical flugelhorn, peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 in mid‑1978 and topped the Adult Contemporary chart. The album itself reached No. 2 on the Billboard 200—and eventually achieved double‑platinum status—making it one of the most successful jazz records of the era.
His follow‑up Children of Sanchez in 1978 further solidified his fame. The soundtrack’s title track won him a second Grammy in 1979 and garnered a Golden Globe nomination. In 1980 Mangione composed Give It All You Got for the Lake Placid Winter Olympics closing ceremonies; the song reached No. 1 on the Adult Contemporary chart and earned a Grammy nomination.
Over a 60‑year career, Mangione released more than 30 albums across labels including Mercury, A&M, Columbia, and Chesky. In total, he received 13 or 14 Grammy nominations and won two awards. His music became part of pop culture—Feels So Good featured in a Memorex commercial with Ella Fitzgerald, and he made frequent guest‑voice appearances as himself on King of the Hill, playing a comedic version of a Mega Lo Mart spokesman.
Mangione remained active in jazz education, teaching at Eastman and performing benefit concerts. He donated many items—including his iconic brown felt hat and the score to Feels So Good—to the Smithsonian in 2009. In 2012, he was inducted into the Rochester Music Hall of Fame. Mangione formally retired around 2010–2015, though he sporadically participated in community and educational projects.
He passed away peacefully in his sleep on July 22, 2025 at age 84 in Rochester, New York. His family remembered him as an energetic performer whose joy and generosity reached audiences globally—and who often stayed after concerts to sign autographs and connect with fans.
Chuck Mangione’s legacy lies in his distinctive flugelhorn voice, his fusion of jazz and popular sensibilities, and his generous spirit as both an artist and educator.
Source: Some or all of the content was generated using an AI language model
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