Henry Fambrough, the last surviving founding member of the legendary R&B/soul group The Spinners, died Wednesday, February 9, at age 85 of natural causes, the Detroit Free Press reported.
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According to a post on the group’s social media sites, Fambrough passed away “peacefully in his northern Virginia home.”
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Fambrough was known for his rich baritone voice, his smooth stage moves, and his trademark handlebar mustache. While he generally sang backing vocals and harmonies on most songs, he was featured on lead on a number tunes, including the Top 30 1973 hit “Ghetto Child.”
About The Spinners
While The Spinners are most associated with the Philadelphia soul sound, the group actually hails from Detroit. Formed in 1954, the group enjoyed sporadic success recording for Motown Records during the 1960s. In 1970, The Spinners scored their first Top 20 hit with “It’s a Shame,” a song co-written by Stevie Wonder.
The group found major success after it moved to Atlantic Records in the early 1970s and began working with legendary Philadelphia producer/songwriter Thom Bell. Among The Spinners’ major 1970s hits were “I’ll Be Around,” “Could It Be I’m Falling in Love,” “One of a Kind (Love Affair),” “Games People Play,” “The Rubberband Man,” and the chart-topping duet with Dionne Warwick “Then Came You.”
The Spinners’ Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction
Fambrough was on hand for The Spinners’ induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame this past November in New York.
“Everybody, it’s a dream come true,” he said in a pre-recorded speech. “You think about things like this when you first make your first record. Words cannot describe being inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. And I thank the public. I thank our fans. I thank everyone, especially my fellow partners.”
He added, “We didn’t think about making a living of it. We just thought about going on having fun singing, because we enjoyed singing. And you can’t beat that.”
More About Fambrough
Fambrough retired from the group in early 2023 and, according to the Detroit Free Press, he moved from his longtime Michigan home to Virginia with wife Norma then. A representative for the group told the newspaper that Fambrough entered hospice care in January 2024.
“As a vocalist, he had a voice that never wavered. It never diminished through the years—it was still as smooth as butter,” current Spinners bass singer Jessie Peck told the newspaper. “As a performer, he was always consistent. He set the standard for the rest of us about how the Spinners should be: always on point, with every step.”
Fambrough is survived by Norma, his wife of 52 years, as well as his daughter, Heather, and a sister, Martha.
The Spinners continue to tour with their current lineup, and have a bunch of concerts scheduled in 2024.
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