Chuck Mangione at LPAC Nov. 20
Tickets: visit lpac.org or call (661) 723-5950
Artist Web Page: www.chuckmangione.com
For more than five decades, Chuck Mangione's love affair with music has been characterized by his boundless energy, unabashed enthusiasm, and pure joy that radiates from the stage. Mangione first attracted attention with his brother Gap, in the mainstream jazz band, The Jazz Brothers, in which he played trumpet much like that of Dizzy Gillespie, the man who he refers to as his musical father. In fact Dizzy gave Chuck an 'updo' horn just like his own.
One of Mangione's most popular early albums, “Land of Make Believe,” was a Grammy nominee. Afterwards Mangione delivered two extremely successful releases in one year, “Chase The Clouds Away,” which was used as background music during the telecast of the 1976 Olympic Games; and “Bellavia” ("beautiful way"), named to honor his mother, which won Mangione his first Grammy award. During the late 1970's, he received more awards and accolades for his recordings. He reached new heights with his mega-hit single and album, “Feels So Good.” The 1980 Mangione entry in Current Biography calls "Feels So Good" the most recognized melody since The Beatles' "Michelle."
In 1980, maximum impact was achieved in front of an "intimate" television audience of several hundred million when Mangione’s "Give It All You Got" was heard around the world as the theme of the Winter Olympics in Lake Placid. However, after more than 25 years of one-nighters around the world, he stopped playing.
Many people point to the death of Dizzy Gillespie as the event that propelled Mangione back into music. Recently Smooth Jazz stations throughout the U.S. recognized Chuck Mangione's "Feels So Good" as their all time Number 1 song. In 2009, The Smithsonian Institution paid homage to his illustrious career, artistry, community service, and dedication to jazz education.
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