Ralph Tavares, eldest brother of R&B quintet Tavares, dies
Entertainment
Ralph Tavares, eldest brother of R&B quintet Tavares, dies
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Ralph Tavares, the eldest of the five brothers in the Grammy-winning R&B singing group Tavares, whose hits included “It Only Takes a Minute” and “Heaven Must Be Missing an Angel,” has died.
Tavares died at his home in South Dartmouth, Massachusetts on Wednesday, two days before his 80th birthday, the group’s manager David Oriola said. The cause was not immediately clear.
The brothers, sons of immigrants from Cape Verde who were based in New Bedford Massachusetts, began performing together in 1959, settling on the name Tavares in 1973, the same year they had their first hit, “Check It Out.”
Tavares sang alongside his brothers Antone Laurence “Chubby” Tavares, Perry Lee “Tiny” Tavares, Feliciano Vierra “Butch” Tavares Jr., and Arthur Paul “Pooch” Tavares. Another brother, Victor Earl Tavares, sang only on the first album.
The group reached their chart peaks with 1975′s “It Only Takes a Minute,” which reached No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 1 on the Hot Soul Singles chart, and 1976′s “Heaven Must Be Missing an Angel,” which got to No. 15 on the Hot 100 and No. 3 on Hot Soul Singles.
Tavares’ cover of the Bee Gees’ “More Than a Woman” appeared on the “Saturday Night Fever” soundtrack along with the original. The soundtrack won a Grammy for album of the year and was a massive hit, giving the brothers wider fame and leaving them associated with disco, though their music was an amalgam of styles include R&B, funk and soul.
