Henry Fambrough, the last surviving original member of the popular singing group the Spinners, died today (February 7, 2024). The news of his passing of natural causes at his Herndon, Virginia, home at age 85, was announced by the group on their Facebook page. Though Fambrough didn’t sing lead on any of the group’s biggest hits like “I’ll Be Around,” “Then Came You” or “The Rubberband Man,” his baritone voice was a key part of their memorable harmonies. He was in attendance when the group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in November 2023, a full 37 years after they were first eligible. The Detroit Free Press noted that Fambrough had entered hospice care in late January.
With six Grammy Award nominations, 18 Gold and Platinum albums, 20 top 40 Pop singles, and both Pop and R&B chart-toppers, The Spinners more than earned their place in the pantheon of American popular song. Working with producer-arranger-conductor Thom Bell, the core five-man group, consisting at various times of Philippé Wynne, Bobbie Smith, Henry Fambrough, Billy Henderson, C.P. Spencer and Pervis Jackson (and later, John Edwards), came to define the sound of smooth and sophisticated Philadelphia soul in the 1970s, even as they paved the way for disco. With Bell’s singular arrangements and the unmistakable musicianship of MFSB supporting them, the Spinners delivered rich, textured harmonies on hit after hit, including “Could It Be I’m Falling in Love” and “Mighty Love.”
The group created and came to define the smooth sound of Philadelphia Soul, channeling the highs and lows of romance and heartbreak into a catalog of classic hits, beloved across generations. Though the Spinners popularized, and came to epitomize, the lush sound of Philly Soul in the 1970s, they got their start in Detroit at Motown in 1961. They scored a minor hit in 1965 and finally earned success in 1970 with “It’s a Shame.” The Spinners signed with Atlantic Records in 1972, teaming up with producer Thom Bell in Philadelphia, where the group finally blossomed with a string of hits including three straight #1 R&B hits: “I’ll Be Around,” “Could It Be I’m Falling In Love” and “One of a Kind (Love Affair).”
More than a dozen top 10 R&B hits followed, including their sole #1 pop single, “Then Came You,” a duet with Dionne Warwick.
Fambrough, known for his pronounced mustache as well as the group’s resplendent outfits during their heyday, retired in April 2023, after 69 years. He had been the group’s last surviving original member for over a decade. The group was celebrated in May 2023 with a series of events in Detroit after the news that they were finally being inducted into the Rock Hall.
“He got to experience those accolades. He was able to bask in the accomplishment, and that was something he was really happy about,” Spinners spokeswoman Tanisha Jackson told the Free Press. “He was glad to represent the ones who had gone before him.”
Spinners recordings are available here.
