Eugene Record, 64, Singer and Writer for Chi-Lites, Dies
NY Times
Eugene Record, the leader of the 1970’s harmony group the Chi-Lites, which scored hits with mellifluous soul ballads like “Oh Girl” and “Have You Seen Her?,” died yesterday. He was 64.
The cause was cancer, Jack Bart, the president of the group’s booking agency, told The Associated Press. The place of death was not announced.
With smooth, yearning vocals and streamlined arrangements, the Chi-Lites, named after the group’s hometown, Chicago, mingled sentimental street-corner doo-wop with the sounds of Motown and funk to create a sleek new soul style in the early 70’s. “Oh Girl” became a No. 1 hit in 1972, and 11 of the group’s songs reached the Top 20 on the R&B charts from 1969 to 1974.
Mr. Record wrote or helped to write many of the group’s most popular songs and frequently sang the lead as well, in a velvety and often melancholic tenor. He sometimes sang in a euphoric falsetto, as he did in “Stoned Out of My Mind,” which he wrote with his former wife and songwriting partner, Barbara Acklin.
Another device favored by Mr. Record was the pensive spoken verse, which he used in “Have You Seen Her?” and “A Letter to Myself.”
The Chi-Lites’ biggest hits have remained radio staples for decades, and the group’s songs have frequently been covered by other performers. In 1990 MC Hammer recorded a popular version of “Have You Seen Her?,” and in 2003 Beyoncé Knowles’s song “Crazy in Love,” a blockbuster hit, sampled the horn fanfare in “Are You My Woman? (Tell Me So),” a Chi-Lites song written by Mr. Record. When “Crazy in Love” won a Grammy Award for best R&B song, the prize was shared by Mr. Record; Ms. Knowles; her producer, Rich Harrison; and Shawn Carter, better known as Jay-Z, who contributed a rap.
