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Jimmy Castor

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Jimmy Castor
Castor in 1972.
Background information
Birth nameJames Walter Castor
Born(1940-01-23)January 23, 1940[n1]
Manhattan, New York
DiedJanuary 16, 2012(2012-01-16) (aged 71)
Henderson, Nevada
GenresSoul, R&B, funk
Instrument(s)Saxophone, Percussion

James Walter Castor (January 23, 1940 – January 16, 2012) was an American funk, R&B, and soul musician. A multi-instrumentalist, he is credited with vocals, saxophone and composition. He is best known for songs such as "It's Just Begun", "Bertha Butt Boogie", and the biggest hit single, million-seller "Troglodyte (Cave Man)."[1]

Biography

Early life and career

Castor was born on January 23, 1940, Early in his career he was member of famous doo-wop group The Teenagers. Later he created Jimmy and the Juniors.[2] In late 1966 he released "Hey Leroy, Your Mama's Callin' You". As leader of The Jimmy Castor Bunch in the 1970s, and also as a solo artist, he released several successful albums and singles. The group reached the peak of their commercial success in 1972 with the release of their album, It's Just Begun, which featured two hit singles: the title track and "Troglodyte (Cave Man)", which was a large hit in the US, peaking at #6 on the Billboard Hot 100. The track stayed in the chart for 14 weeks and was a million seller by June 30, 1972, and received a gold disc award from the RIAA.[1]. Castor released "It's Just Begun" in 1972. Africa Bambaataa said that "It's Just Begun" was very popular at South Bronx block party in 1970s. Later popular songs included "Bertha Butt Boogie" and "King Kong" in 1975.

The Castor band included keyboardist/trumpeter Gerry Thomas, bassist Doug Gibson, guitarist Harry Jensen, conga player Lenny Fridle, Jr., and drummer Bobby Manigault.[1] Thomas, who simultaneously recorded with the Fatback Band, left in the 1980s to exclusively record with them.

Many of the group's tunes have been heavily sampled in films and in hip-hop. In particular, the saxophone hook and groove from "It's Just Begun" and the spoken word intro and groove from "Troglodyte (Cave Man)" (namely, "What we're gonna do right here is go back...") have been sampled extensively. Industrial hip hop group Tackhead covered the song "Just Begun" for the digital release of their album For the Love of Money.[3]

Death

He died from heart failure on January 16, 2012 in Henderson, Nevada, only a week short of his 72nd birthday. [4]

Discography

Albums

  • Hey Leroy (1967) (Smash)
  • It's Just Begun (1972) (RCA)
  • Phase 2 (1972) (RCA)
  • Dimension 3 (1973) (RCA)
  • The Jimmy Castor Bunch featuring The Everything Man (1974) (Atlantic)
  • Butt of Course... (1975) (Atlantic)
  • Supersound (1975) (Atlantic)
  • E-Man Groovin' (1976) (Atlantic)
  • Maximum Stimulation (1977) (Atlantic)
  • Let It Out (1978) (Drive/TK Records)
  • The Jimmy Castor Bunch (1979) (Cotillion/Atlantic)
  • I Love Monsters (1979)
  • C (1980) (Long Distance)
  • The Return of Leroy (1983) (Dream)
  • The Everything Man-The Best of The Jimmy Castor Bunch (1995) (Rhino)

Chart singles

Note: All credited to The Jimmy Castor Bunch unless otherwise stated.

Year Single Chart Positions
US Pop[5] US
R&B[6]
1966 "Hey, Leroy, Your Mama's Callin' You"
Jimmy Castor 		31 16
1972 "Troglodyte (Cave Man)" 6 4
"Luther the Anthropoid (Ape Man)" 105 –
1975 "Soul Serenade" – 72
"The Bertha Butt Boogie (pt.1)" 16 22
"Potential" – 25
"King Kong – Part 1" 69 23
1976 "Supersound" – 42
"Bom Bom" – 97
"Everything Is Beautiful To Me" – 67
1977 "Space Age" 101 28
1978 "Maximum Stimulation" – 82
1979 "Don't Do That!" – 50
1980 "Can't Help Falling in Love With You"
Jimmy Castor 		– 93
1984 "Amazon"
Jimmy Castor 		– 84
1985 "It Gets To Me"
Jimmy Castor 		– 81
1988 "Love Makes A Woman"
Joyce Sims feat. Jimmy Castor 		– 29

Notes

  • ^[n1] Note: Some other sources give different years of birth, between 1943 and 1947, though an obituary from The New York Times states: "James Walter Castor was born on January 23, 1940, in Manhattan. (His son said that for years he had let others assume he was far younger than he was, by as much as seven years.)"[7][8]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Murrells, Joseph (1978). The Book of Golden Discs (2nd ed.). London: Barrie and Jenkins Ltd. p. 309. ISBN 0-214-20512-6.
  2. ^ [1] [dead link‍]
  3. ^ "Discography: For the Love of Money". tackhead.com. 2004. Archived from the original on September 19, 2014. Retrieved October 1, 2014. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  4. ^ Tim Cashmere. "Music News – Funk Icon Jimmy Castor Dies at 64 | News | Music News". Noise11. Retrieved January 17, 2012.
  5. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2003). Top Pop Singles 1955–2002 (1st ed.). Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. p. 115. ISBN 0-89820-155-1.
  6. ^ Whitburn, Joel (1996). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942–1995. Record Research. p. 69.
  7. ^ Martin, Douglas (January 12, 2012). "Jimmy Castor, musician who mastered many genres dies at 71". The New York Times. Retrieved April 1, 2012.
  8. ^ McArdle, Terence (January 19, 2012). "Jimmy Castor dead at 71; '70s songs became popular among sampling hip-hop artists". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 1, 2012.
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