Philippé Wynne (April 3, 1941 – July 14, 1984) was one of the truly great vocalists of the 70s as part of arguably that decade's most popular traditional soul vocal group, the Spinners. He entered the group after the hit "It's A Shame," when the Spinners left Motown for Atlantic Records and former lead singer G.C. Cameron was contractually bound to stay with Motown. Cameron helped the group recruit Wynne, and combination of the reformulated group and up-and-coming songwriter/producer Thom Bell was a match made in heaven, leading to a string of hits and gold and platinum albums through the late 70s.
A consummate performer, Wynne's humor and vocal impersonations became a centerpiece of The Spinners' popular shows and led the group through several songs like "Rubberband Man" and "Sadie."
Philippé Wynne (April 3, 1941 – July 14, 1984) was one of the truly great vocalists of the 70s as part of arguably that decade's most popular traditional soul vocal group, the Spinners. He entered the group after the hit "It's A Shame," when the Spinners left Motown for Atlantic Records and former lead singer G.C. Cameron was contractually bound to stay with Motown. Cameron helped the group recruit Wynne, and combination of the reformulated group and up-and-coming songwriter/producer Thom Bell was a match made in heaven, leading to a string of hits and gold and platinum albums through the late 70s.
A consummate performer, Wynne's humor and vocal impersonations became a centerpiece of The Spinners' popular shows and led the group through several songs like "Rubberband Man" and "Sadie."
Despite an amazing run of hits during the 70s, as the decade wore on the hits slowed down and the relationship between Bell, the group and the mercurial Wynne began to deteriorate. Wynne ultimately left the group in 1977 to pursue a solo career, teaming with George Clinton and the Parliament/Funkadelic crew. He released a solo album and a few singles, but never captured the music world in the way that his work with The Spinners had. Sadly, he died of a heart attack in 1984.