Melvin Carl Dunlap (June 9, 1945 - September 12, 2021) was an American bass player, noted for his work with Charles Wright and

Bill Withers William Harrison Withers Jr. (July 4, 1938 – March 30, 2020) was an American singer-songwriter and musician. He had several hits over a career spanning 18 years, including "Ain't No Sunshine" (1971), "Grandma's Hands" (1971), " Use Me" (1972) ...

. Dunlap was born in Cleveland, Ohio. While suffering from an extended childhood illness, he began practicing on an old Fender bass which his adoptive parents bought for him from a pawn shop. After playing with various local bands, he joined

The O'Jays The O'Jays are an American R&B group from Canton, Ohio, formed in 1958 and originally consisting of Eddie Levert, Walter Lee Williams, William Powell, Bobby Massey, and Bill Isles. The O'Jays made their first chart appearance with the minor hi ...

as their touring bass player. Dunlap subsequently settled in California where he worked several odd jobs while trying to make a living as a musician. Dunlap joined

Charles Wright & the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band Charles Wright & the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band is an American soul and funk band. Formed in the early 1960s, they had the most visibility from 1967 to 1973 when the band had 9 singles reach Billboard's pop and/or rhythm and blues charts, s ...

and played on the 1970 hit '' Express Yourself''. He later became a regular member of Bill Withers' band, playing on the hits '' Lean on Me'' and '' Use Me''. He also co-produced some of Withers' albums, and has a few shared songwriting credits with Withers. In 2009 and 2012 he released two self-produced albums of what he called "holistic funk".R.I.P. 70s funk giant, Melvin Dunlap
soultracks.com

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dunlap, Melvin 1945 births 2021 deaths Musicians from Cleveland 20th-century American bass guitarists American male bass guitarists 20th-century American male musicians 20th-century African-American musicians American rhythm and blues bass guitarists