Earlington Carl Tilghman, known as Sonny Til (August 18, 1928 – December 9, 1981),
- accessed May 2010 was an American singer. He was the lead singer of

The Orioles The Orioles were an American R&B group of the late 1940s and early 1950s, one of the earliest such vocal groups who established the basic pattern for the doo-wop sound. The Orioles are generally acknowledged as R&B's first vocal group. Balt ...

, a vocal group from

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

, inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995. By 1960 Til was the only original member left. He led the Orioles from its establishment until his death in 1981 of

heart failure Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome, a group of signs and symptoms caused by an impairment of the heart's blood pumping function. Symptoms typically include shortness of breath, excessive fatigue, a ...

, complicated by

diabetes Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ap ...

Discography

With the Orioles

* ''Today'' (Dobre Records DR1016, 1978) * "Old Gold / New Gold" (RCA LSP-4538, 1971)

With Band

* ''Back to the Chapel'' (Dobre Records DR1026, 1978)

References

Jubilee Records artists Vee-Jay Records artists Apex Records artists 1928 births 1981 deaths 20th-century American singers {{US-singer-stub