Philippé Wynne
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Philippé Wynne (''aka'' Philippe Escalante Wynn; ''né'' Walker; April 3, 1941 – July 14, 1984) was an American singer, best known for his role as a lead vocalist of The Spinners (a role he shared with fellow group members Bobby Smith and Henry Fambrough). Wynne scored notable hits such as " How Could I Let You Get Away", " The Rubberband Man", and "
One of a Kind (Love Affair) "One of a Kind (Love Affair)" is a song recorded by the American R&B vocal group The Spinners (known as "Detroit Spinners" in the UK). It was written by Joseph B. Jefferson and produced by Thom Bell. The Spinners recorded the song at Philly's ...
". After leaving The Spinners, Wynne never regained the same success, although he was featured in hits by other artists such as " (Not Just) Knee Deep" by
Funkadelic Funkadelic was an American funk rock band formed in Plainfield, New Jersey in 1968 and active until 1982. As one of the two flagship groups of George Clinton's P-Funk collective, they helped pioneer the funk music culture of the 1970s.John, ...
. Wynne died of a heart attack while performing at a
nightclub A nightclub or dance club is a club that is open at night, usually for drinking, dancing and other entertainment. Nightclubs often have a Bar (establishment), bar and discotheque (usually simply known as disco) with a dance floor, laser lighti ...
.


Life and career

Born in
Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...
, and raised in the New Orphanage Asylum for Colored Children in Cincinnati, Ohio, Wynne went to Detroit in the early 1960s and began his musical career with his brother Michael Walker as a
gospel Gospel originally meant the Christianity, Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the second century Anno domino, AD the term (, from which the English word originated as a calque) came to be used also for the books in which the message w ...
singer. He soon switched to R&B and attained some measure of success, singing with
Bootsy Collins William Earl "Bootsy" Collins (born October 26, 1951) is an American bass guitarist, singer, and songwriter. Rising to prominence with James Brown in the early 1970s before joining the Parliament-Funkadelic collective, Collins established himse ...
's
Pacemakers A pacemaker, also known as an artificial cardiac pacemaker, is an implanted medical device that generates electrical pulses delivered by electrodes to one or more of the chambers of the heart. Each pulse causes the targeted chamber(s) to co ...
in 1968. Wynne then spent time in Germany as the lead singer of the Afro Kings, a band from
Liberia Liberia, officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to Liberia–Sierra Leone border, its northwest, Guinea to Guinea–Liberia border, its north, Ivory Coast to Ivory Coast–Lib ...
, before he replaced his cousin, G. C. Cameron, as one of the lead vocalists for The Spinners. He sang with the group until 1977, during which they achieved several successful albums and
singles Singles are people not in a committed relationship. Singles may also refer to: Film and television * ''Singles'' (miniseries), a 1984 Australian television series * ''Singles'' (1992 film), written and directed by Cameron Crowe * ''Singles'' ...
. Wynne was one of three lead singers of the Spinners, but after several years with the group, he wanted the group's name changed to Philippe Wynn and the Spinners. When this was denied, he left the group and launched a solo career, with
Alan Thicke Alan Willis Thicke (né Jeffrey; 1 March 1947 13 December 2016) was a Canadian-American actor, songwriter, and game/talk show host. He was the father of singer Robin Thicke. Thicke was best known for playing Dr. Jason Seaver on the 1980s sitco ...
as his manager. Wynne also shifted his focus to the business end of the music industry, making a publishing group and record label. With Wynne's departure, neither Wynne nor the Spinners would experience the level of success they had when they were together. Wynne's first album ''Starting All Over'' was released on
Cotillion Records Cotillion Records was a subsidiary of Atlantic Records (from 1971 part of WEA) and was active from 1968 through 1985. The label was formed as an outlet for soul, R&B, funk, pop, and jazz. Its first single, Otis Clay's version of "She's About ...
in 1977 but had limited success and no hit singles. He was released from his Cotillion Records contract. He began working with George Clinton's
Parliament-Funkadelic Parliament-Funkadelic (abbreviated as P-Funk) is an American musical collective, music collective of rotating musicians headed by George Clinton (funk musician), George Clinton, primarily consisting of the funk bands Parliament (band), Parliame ...
in 1979. He performed with them on several recordings, and was a featured vocalist on the Funkadelic single " (Not Just) Knee Deep" (a No. 1 hit on the Billboard R&B chart). While associated with Parliament-Funkadelic, Wynne also appeared on the
Bootsy Collins William Earl "Bootsy" Collins (born October 26, 1951) is an American bass guitarist, singer, and songwriter. Rising to prominence with James Brown in the early 1970s before joining the Parliament-Funkadelic collective, Collins established himse ...
album '' Sweat Band''. Wynne released what would be his second solo album, '' Wynne Jammin''', in 1980 with Uncle Jam Records, a label fronted by George Clinton and Clinton's manager Archie Ivy. However, the album was not a major seller. Wynne made a guest appearance on the song "Something Inside My Head" by Gene Dunlap, and in the song "Whip It" by the Treacherous Three. Wynne's final album was the self-titled ''Philippé Wynne'', released by Sugar Hill Records in 1984.


Family

His parents, DeGree Walker and Annie ''(née'' Wynn) divorced in November 1947 in
Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...
. Around 1952, Philippe and his three siblings – Annie Walker, who later became an opera singer, Michael Leon Walker, and Margaret Walker – were placed in the New Orphan Asylum for Colored Children (which closed in 1967), in the Avondale neighborhood of
Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...
, on Van Buren Street. Their father, DeGree Walker, was granted custody after the divorce, although he worked as a contractor in construction and had to travel."Former Spinner Remembers Roots," by Allen Howard, ''
Cincinnati Enquirer ''The Cincinnati Enquirer'' is a morning daily newspaper published by Gannett in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. First published in 1841, the ''Enquirer'' is the last remaining daily newspaper in Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky, altho ...
,'' December 12, 1981 (retrieved August 18, 2016, via , fee required)
Their mother, Annie, had run off to Detroit with another man."Cass Class,"
by Detroitblogger John, ''
Detroit Metro Times The ''Detroit Metro Times'' is a progressive alternative weekly newspaper located in Detroit, Michigan. It is the largest circulating weekly newspaper in the metro Detroit area. The ''Metro Times'' was an official sponsor of the now-defunct Det ...
'', November 25, 2009 (retrieved August 18, 2016)
Around 1956, Philippé and his brother, Michael, ran away from the orphanage and headed to
Detroit, Michigan Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...
to find their mother. In Detroit, the two formed a gospel group called the Walker Singers. This lasted until Philippe adopted his mother's surname, Wynn (initially without an "e"), and moved on to The Spinners as lead singer.


Marriage and children

Wynne married Ava Leflor on February 1, 1973, in
Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...
. They had two sons, Emmanuel Wynn (1974–2001) and Alvarez Escalante Wynn (1975–1999). He also has an older son by the name of Cedrick born in April 1973 who currently resides in Detroit, Michigan. Ava was from the
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
suburb of
Compton, California Compton is a city located in the Gateway Cities region of southern Los Angeles County, California, United States, situated south of downtown Los Angeles. Compton is one of the oldest cities in the county, and on May 11, 1888, was the eighth ci ...
, and the four of them moved back to California after Philippé left The Spinners. Philippé and Ava eventually divorced. Alvarez was killed in a
drive-by shooting A drive-by shooting is a type of assault that usually involves the perpetrator(s) firing a weapon from within a motor vehicle and then fleeing. Drive-by shootings allow the perpetrators to quickly strike their targets and flee the scene before l ...
in Compton in 1999 and Emmanuel, who was living in
Daytona Beach, Florida Daytona Beach is a coastal Resort town, resort city in Volusia County, Florida, United States. Located on the East Coast of the United States, its population was 72,647 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is part of the Deltona†...
, drowned two years later in 2001 while trying to save a man. Emmanuel was posthumously given the Carnegie Medal for his heroism.


Death

On July 13, 1984, Wynne suffered a heart attack while performing at a nightclub in
Oakland, California Oakland is a city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. It is the county seat and most populous city in Alameda County, California, Alameda County, with a population of 440,646 in 2020. A major We ...
. He died the next day, at the age of 43. He was posthumously inducted into the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), also simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum and hall of fame located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States, on the shore of Lake Erie. The museum documents the history of rock music and the ...
in 2023 as a member of the Spinners.


Discography


Albums

* ''Starting All Over'' –
Cotillion The cotillion (also cotillon or French country dance) is a social dance, popular in 18th-century Europe and North America. Originally for four couples in square formation, it was a courtly version of an English country dance, the forerunner ...
– SD 9920, 1977 * '' Wynne Jammin''' – Uncle Jam – JZ 36843, 1980 * ''Philippe Wynne'' – Sugarhill – SH-9204, 1984Discog
Philippe Wynne – Philippe Wynne
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References


See also

*
Catfish Collins Phelps "Catfish" Collins (October 17, 1943 – August 6, 2010) was an American musician. A lead guitarist and rhythm guitarist, he is known mostly for his work in the P-Funk collective. Although frequently overshadowed by his younger brother, ...
* Sugarhill Records


Bibliography

*Romanski, Patricia and Holly George-Warren (Editors). ''The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll''. New York, NY: Fireside, 2005.


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wynne, Philippe 1941 births 1984 deaths Musicians from Detroit P-Funk members The Spinners (American group) members American soul singers Musicians who died on stage People from Avondale, Cincinnati 20th-century African-American male singers 20th-century American male singers 20th-century American singers