The renowned jazz musician Chuck Mangione, famed for his hit ‘Feels So Good’, passed away on Tuesday, July 22, at the age of 84. The artist died peacefully in his sleep at home, as confirmed by his agent to People.
Throughout his career, Chuck Mangione released over 30 albums and received 14 Grammy nominations, securing two awards: Best Pop Instrumental Performance for ‘Children of Sanchez’ in 1979, and Best Instrumental Composition for ‘Bellavia’, a piece dedicated to his mother, in 1977.
He also had a recurring role in the animated sitcom ‘King of the Hill’, portraying himself as a spokesperson for Mega Lo Mart, where “shopping feels so good”.
Born and raised in Rochester, New York, Mangione grew up listening to his father’s jazz records alongside his brother, Gap. On weekends, the family would travel to the city to attend concerts by luminaries like Miles Davis and Sarah Vaughan, as noted by People.
His biography reveals that Mangione first gained attention with his brother Gap in a jazz band, The Jazz Brothers, playing trumpet in a style reminiscent of his musical father figure, Dizzy Gillespie.
He left home to play with Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, stepping into the trumpet role previously held by greats such as Clifford Brown, Kenny Dorham, Bill Hardman, Lee Morgan, and Freddie Hubbard.
Mangione struck international acclaim with the 1977 single and album ‘Feels So Good’, which climbed to the second spot on Billboard’s album chart.
In the late 1970s, his composition ‘Chase the Clouds Away’ was used during the 1976 Summer Olympics. Later, in 1980, ‘Give It All You Got’ served as the theme for the Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, USA.
Chuck Mangione was inducted into the Rochester Music Hall of Fame in 2012.
In 2009, he donated his iconic brown felt hat and the sheet music for his Grammy-winning single ‘Feels So Good’, along with albums, songbooks, and items from his long and illustrious career to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History.
