Dateline: January 26, 2013 – Dayton, OH

Official Family Announcement of the Passing of Leroy Sugarfoot Bonner

Yesterday, Leroy “Sugarfoot” Bonner passed away quietly in his hometown of Trotwood-Dayton, OH. While his family, friends, colleagues, and fans mourn his passing they celebrate fondly his memory, music, and legacy.

Sugarfoot, or Foot, or Sugar, was the founding and cornerstone artistic talent of OHIO PLAYERS and the face and sound of the OHIO PLAYERS brand, which he knit together and launched in 1964 with former members of The Ohio Untouchables. With a career spanning 56 years, he passed barely short of his 70th birthday.

Humble yet charismatic, soft spoken and of few words, the weight of his thoughts, lyrics, and music has influenced countless other artists, songs, and trends. He will be missed but not forgotten as his legacy and music lives on. More details and an official historical perspective of his career will soon be forthcoming.
His Facebook page is available to all to post comments, reflections, and testimonials of this wonderful and gifted man.

Sad news indeed. Sugarfoot was one funky motha .

And the Players had some of the er, sweetest album covers of the '70s.

HuMpThAnG said:

One of The Brides Of Funkenstein (Dawn Silva) posted it on Face Book

Wow !!!!!!!!!!!!! It's true. . I'm gonna play "Sugar Kiss" in his honor. This has really messed up my day.

It's getting crowded in heaven!!

RIP Sugarfoot.

As awesome as Ohio Players were, this was always my favorite.

This album was a collaboration between Sugarfoot and Roger Troutman.

Militant said:

RIP Sugarfoot.

As awesome as Ohio Players were, this was always my favorite.

This album was a collaboration between Sugarfoot and Roger Troutman.

This album jams hard. Listening to it right now.............

RIP! I grew up on The Ohio Players and played the heck out of my parent's 45 of Love Rollercoaster and I loved Fire as well. I saw them perform back in 2005. I don't think he performed then due to illness.

RIP ...one of my faves.

Never forget the urban legend murder 'scream' on Rollercoaster. I remember playing that record over and over and over with my ear up to the speaker to see if I could hear the woman being murdered. People talked about that forever.

[Edited 1/27/13 21:13pm]

Awww Ohio Players are the best...

R.I.P. Leroy your talent and music will live on forever

noimageatall said:

RIP ...one of my faves.

Never forget the urban legend murder 'scream' on Rollercoaster. I remember playing that record over and over and over with my ear up to the speaker to see if I could hear the woman being murdered. People talked about that forever.

[Edited 1/27/13 21:13pm]

And yet, I knew that wasn't true. Billy Beck has an underrated voice. He was the one screaming.

The Ohio Players had some funk jams for sure, but I also loved thier slower songs: Heaven Must Be Like This, I Want To Be Free, & Sweet Sticky Thing. They were my faves along with Skin Tight, Love Rollercoaster, Fire, Pain, and I listen to them often. My older family members listened to the records back in the day. It sounded soooo good when I heard it as a child, and it still sounds the same now. Much respect!

[Edited 1/28/13 7:51am]

A funk LEGEND. RIP Sugar....

noimageatall said:

RIP ...one of my faves.

Never forget the urban legend murder 'scream' on Rollercoaster. I remember playing that record over and over and over with my ear up to the speaker to see if I could hear the woman being murdered. People talked about that forever.

[Edited 1/27/13 21:13pm]

THAT scream was a synth!

RIP Ohio Players frontman...’ Bonner

Leroy “Sugarfoot” Bonner, the lead singer of 70s Funk and Soul band The Ohio Players, died of heart failure Sunday at his home, according to a statement from his family.

In the 1970s, real musicians such as The Ohio Players, The Commodores, and Earth, Wind & Fire dominated the charts with music that infused funk, jazz and soul. The Ohio Players were known for their chart topping hits such as “Heaven Must Be Like This”, “Love Rollercoaster,” “Fire,” “Skin Tight” and “Funky Worm.” This is the music your parents used to boogie to at basements parties on hot, steamy nights.

From The Miami Herald:

A spokeswoman for a Newcomer Funeral Home in the Dayton suburb of Kettering said Monday morning that the family hadn’t scheduled any public services. There was also a posting about his death on his current band’s Facebook page. No other information was released immediately about his death Saturday.

Born in Hamilton, Ohio, Bonner teamed up in the 1960s with core members of a group called the Ohio Untouchables to form the Ohio Players. The band had a string of Top 40 hits in the mid-1970s and continued to perform for years after that. He had remained active in recent years with a spinoff band called Sugarfoot’s Ohio Players.

R.I.P.

Leroy ‘Sugarfoot’ Bonner

http://sandrarose.com/2013/01/rip-ohio-players-frontman-leroy-sugarfoot-bonner/#more-75186

wow, now Sugarfoot.

absolutely 1 of the ALL-TIME BEST.

very distinctive voice that was both rough & smooth. his vocals made the music funkier & rawer when that was needed.. but also smooth when that was more appropriate.

for someone from Ohio - typically considered "north" - Sugar had an impressive southern drawl on many of his songs. his trademark "aww" has been imitated by many - Larry Blackmon from Cameo & Sugar Bear from EU (whom I think was just imitating Blackmon)

SO many great performances on vinyl. among my favorites/right off the top of my head:

+ "I wanna sleep with you tonight!" & subsequent hearty but devilish laugh near the end of "it's your night/words of love"..

+ his entire vocal in "I wanna be free" - "I don't need yo lovin' no mo"..

+ "they say that I'm mean and I'm evil ('evo').. aw girl.. oh but how else can a stubborn man be?"

this might be my all-time favorite vocal from Sugar..

then of course his guitar playing.. I can't begin to describe how BRILLIAN it was.yet he made it look totally effortless.a case could be made that he was underrated as a guitarist..

he was 1 of the few "old school" singers/musicians who was openly critical of rap music. justifiably so, for the most part. I have the impression that most of his criticisms fell upon deaf ears..

"one of a kind" is an overused expression.it totally applies to Sugarfoot.rest in peace my funky, soulful brother.

I will wear out my OP titles over the next several days.

A friend sent me a text with the news while I was at NAMM...



...I Want To Be Free



And he finally is...



Music for adventurous listeners

tA

Tribal Records

A funk original, he also had a mastery of wistful ballads as demonstrated in the song "Honey".

[img:$uid]http://i50.tinypic.com/a9n3gw.jpg[/img:$uid]

Check out Sugarfoot's towering Fro in this pic for the Mr. Mean album.

Identity said:

[img:$uid]http://i50.tinypic.com/a9n3gw.jpg[/img:$uid]

Check out Sugarfoot's towering Fro in this pic for the Mr. Mean album.

He always had that awesome lop-sided fro happening.

Music for adventurous listeners

tA

Tribal Records

...What The Hell




Music for adventurous listeners

tA

Tribal Records

One of the bands i regret not having seen live. I heard they tore the place up.

O-H-I-O

mltijchr said:

wow, now Sugarfoot.

absolutely 1 of the ALL-TIME BEST.

very distinctive voice that was both rough & smooth. his vocals made the music funkier & rawer when that was needed.. but also smooth when that was more appropriate.

for someone from Ohio - typically considered "north" - Sugar had an impressive southern drawl on many of his songs. his trademark "aww" has been imitated by many - Larry Blackmon from Cameo & Sugar Bear from EU (whom I think was just imitating Blackmon)

SO many great performances on vinyl. among my favorites/right off the top of my head:

+ "I wanna sleep with you tonight!" & subsequent hearty but devilish laugh near the end of "it's your night/words of love"..

+ his entire vocal in "I wanna be free" - "I don't need yo lovin' no mo"..

+ "they say that I'm mean and I'm evil ('evo').. aw girl.. oh but how else can a stubborn man be?"

this might be my all-time favorite vocal from Sugar..

then of course his guitar playing.. I can't begin to describe how BRILLIAN it was.yet he made it look totally effortless.a case could be made that he was underrated as a guitarist..

he was 1 of the few "old school" singers/musicians who was openly critical of rap music. justifiably so, for the most part. I have the impression that most of his criticisms fell upon deaf ears..

"one of a kind" is an overused expression.it totally applies to Sugarfoot.rest in peace my funky, soulful brother.

I will wear out my OP titles over the next several days.

Thank you for describing Sugar's style so accurately!! He's one of a kind. Any musician/singer that came after is just a copy. Honesty, Sugarfoot was the Ohio Players! Not to discredit the original members. They are great too. I have seen the divided group live with Diamond leading and Sugar's O.P. is much better. As long as Sugar is there singing Aww Girl, put that suitcase down... OR, You a bad, bad Mrs in them Skin Tight britches! LAWD! That voice is a part of my DNA now

Ohio Players have ALWAYS been on my playlist and I have never stopped listening to their music since I was 12 years old. The old soul, sexy grown, real musicians, understated but in your face passion is what has always drawn me to Sugar/O.P. music.

mltijchr said:

wow, now Sugarfoot.

absolutely 1 of the ALL-TIME BEST.

very distinctive voice that was both rough & smooth. his vocals made the music funkier & rawer when that was needed.. but also smooth when that was more appropriate.

for someone from Ohio - typically considered "north" - Sugar had an impressive southern drawl on many of his songs. his trademark "aww" has been imitated by many - Larry Blackmon from Cameo & Sugar Bear from EU (whom I think was just imitating Blackmon)

SO many great performances on vinyl. among my favorites/right off the top of my head:

+ "I wanna sleep with you tonight!" & subsequent hearty but devilish laugh near the end of "it's your night/words of love"..

+ his entire vocal in "I wanna be free" - "I don't need yo lovin' no mo"..

+ "they say that I'm mean and I'm evil ('evo').. aw girl.. oh but how else can a stubborn man be?"

this might be my all-time favorite vocal from Sugar..

then of course his guitar playing.. I can't begin to describe how BRILLIAN it was.yet he made it look totally effortless.a case could be made that he was underrated as a guitarist..

he was 1 of the few "old school" singers/musicians who was openly critical of rap music. justifiably so, for the most part. I have the impression that most of his criticisms fell upon deaf ears..

"one of a kind" is an overused expression.it totally applies to Sugarfoot.rest in peace my funky, soulful brother.

I will wear out my OP titles over the next several days.

I am from Ohio and will say this: The great migration of blacks out of the South into the North from the 20s thru the 50s had a certain sort of logic to it. Blacks from Arkansas, Texas and Louisiana came to California. Blacks from Virginia and the Carolinas came up to New York, Philly and Boston. Blacks from Mississippi and Alabama came to Chicago and Detroit. Not universally true of course, but something of a hazy general pattern of the migration. Now since the migration was (mostly) based upon jobs - better jobs - a lot of blacks that ultimately were headed for Detroit wound up finding work in the Cincinatti and Dayton Ohio areas (as well as other areas of Ohio)and they wound up staying and then bringing family and friends up with them. Thank God that they did because the music that came out of the Dayton, OH area in the 70s - made by the children of that migration - is funky without precedent. Hence Sugarfoots strong Southern voice and tracks like "Far East Mississippi" (which I intend to jam all evening.) And speaking of "borrowing" from Sugarfoot, let us not forget Chunky A!!

[Edited 1/28/13 19:05pm]

How sad. RIP and prayers to his family. Always loved the Ohio Players' music and still do. The 70s was the era of funk, and to this day, still love the Ohio Players' classics. I mean who doesn't love 'Skin Tight'. That was the jam.

MadamGoodnight said:

The Ohio Players had some funk jams for sure, but I also loved thier slower songs: Heaven Must Be Like This, I Want To Be Free, & Sweet Sticky Thing. They were my faves along with Skin Tight, Love Rollercoaster, Fire, Pain, and I listen to them often. My older family members listened to the records back in the day. It sounded soooo good when I heard it as a child, and it still sounds the same now. Much respect!

[Edited 1/28/13 7:51am]

Lawd you just brought back some memories with those tracks listed. Just hearing the words 'Ohio Players' and you knew you would get good music. 'Skin Tight' reminds me of my young summers and all my friends listening to the Ohio Players' music.

R.I.P. Sugar!

Heard one of his last interviews yesterday where he said that he green lit all of those classic album covers....He said he was right there for all of them too!

Could someone list all of the The Ohio Players album covers as a tribute to his..... shall we say, fine taste? I can't decide which one was my favorite because I don't remember them all.