Bobby Caldwell, a soulful R&B singer and songwriter who had a major hit with “What You Won’t Do for Love” in 1978 and a voice and musical style adored by generations of his peers, died Wednesday, his wife announced.
According to Mary Caldwell, he died in her arms on Tuesday at their home in Great Meadows, New Jersey, after a long illness. He was 71.
“What You Won’t Do for Love” peaked at No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 6 on what was then known as the Hot Selling Soul Singles chart. Caldwell’s song, which he also wrote, became a long-term standard and a career-defining hit.
Tupac Shakur sampled the song on his posthumously released song “Do For Love,” which artists such as Boyz II Men and Michael Bolton covered.
Hip-hop artists like The Notorious B.I.G., Common, Lil Nas X, and Chance the Rapper have sampled other Caldwell songs.
There are numerous stories, many of which were shared on social media after his death, of listeners being surprised to learn that Caldwell was white rather than black.
On his self-titled debut solo album, Booby Caldwell appeared only in silhouette, on which “What You Won’t Do for Love” appears.
“Bobby Caldwell was the final chapter in a generation where record executives wanted to hide faces on the album covers so maybe their artist could have a chance,” Questlove wrote on Instagram.
“Thank you for your voice and gift, #BobbyCaldwell,” Questlove wrote on Instagram.
Chance the Rapper posted a screenshot of a direct message exchange with Caldwell last year when he asked to use his music on Instagram.
“If you sample my song, I’ll be honored,” Bobby Caldwell wrote.
“You’re an inspiration to me and many others,” Chance said. In the post, he stated that he had never been thanked for sampling a song before and that he had “not felt broken like this at the passing of a stranger in so long.”
Bobby Caldwell was born in New York and raised in Miami, the son of singers who hosted a musical variety TV show called “Suppertime.” He began performing professionally as a multi-instrumentalist at 17 and started playing guitar in Little Richard’s band in the early 1970s. Bobby Caldwell played in various Los Angeles bar bands in the mid-1970s before landing a solo record deal.
Caldwell never had a hit like “What You Won’t Do for Love,” but he did release several respected albums, including 1980’s “Cat in The Hat” — on which he appeared prominently on the cover wearing a fedora — and 1982’s “Carry On,” on which he was his producer and played all the instruments.
His “Cat in the Hat” song “Open Your Eyes” was covered by John Legend and sampled by Common on his Grammy-nominated 2000 single “The Light.”
Caldwell shifted to recording and performing American standards in the 1990s, including songs made popular by Frank Sinatra and Nat King Cole that he grew up listening to.
Bobby Caldwell is survived by his wife of 19 years, Mary, and daughters Lauren, Tessa, and stepdaughter, Katie.
