Chuck Mangione

  • Flugelhorn and trumpet jazz musician and songwriter born in 1940 from Rochester New York.
  • He attended a music school for his college education, and while studying, he recorded 3 bebop jazz albums as The Jazz Brothers, along with his pianist brother Gap Mangione, playing the trumpet in the style of his hero, Dizzy Gillespie. After school, he joined the Jazz Messengers as a trumpeter – 2 albums were released in 1965 and 1966.
  • In the late 60s, he joined the band The National Gallery, and an album was released in 1968. He served as director of the Eastman Jazz Ensemble from 1968 to 1972. During this time, he began to release albums as a solo artist. In 1970, his first album, Friends & Love…A Chuck Mangione Concert was released. It featured Mangione on flugelhorn, with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Mangione, and several other jazz musicians. A single, Hill Where the Lord Hides, crept into the Hot 100, and the album was nominated for a Grammy award.
  • Mangione began touring and recording with guest jazz artists. During the 70s, he released 13 albums. Notably, he won 2 Grammy awards during this time – in 1976, his song Bellavia won for Best Instrumental Composition, and in 1978, his song Children of Sanchez won for Best Pop Instrumental Performance – the album was the soundtrack to the film of the same name.
  • The title track to his 1975 album Chase The Clouds Away was used as a theme song at the 1976 Summer Olympic Games, and his composition Give It All You Got was the theme for the 1980 Winter Olympic Games, with Mangione performing the song at the closing ceremonies. The song reached #18 on the Billboard Hot 100, and #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart. Mangione also composed the theme song to the 1981 film The Cannonball Run.
  • His biggest success was the 1977 album Feels So Good. The album reached #2 on the Billboard 200 album chart, and was certified 2x platinum. An edited version of the title track (the album version is over 9½ minutes long) peaked at #4 on the Hot 100 chart, and at #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart. The song was frequently referenced on the animated TV show King of the Hill, and Mangione had a recurring role on the show, playing himself as a celebrity spokesman for Mega Lo Mart. The song has also been featured in episodes of The Simpsons, The Family Guy, South Park and Friends.
  • Mangione continued to perform and record in the 80s and 90s, releasing 11 albums. His last albums are 2 records released in 2000. His last concerts were in 2010.
  • Here is Mangione performing Feel So Good. This jazz song has a 70s funky/disco feel to it, thanks to the accompaning ‘wah-wah’ guitar riffs. It is one of the best selling instrumental songs of all time.

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