Michael Wycoff (January 1, 1956 – March 13, 2019)[1] was an American R&B singer. He scored several hits on the US R&B chart during the 1980s.[3]
Michael Wycoff | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Michael Wycoff |
| Born | January 1, 1956[1] Torrance, California |
| Origin | Los Angeles, California |
| Died | March 13, 2019 (aged 63)[2][1] |
| Genres | Soul Funk R&B |
| Occupation(s) | Singer |
| Years active | 1976–2019 |
| Labels | RCA Records |
Biography edit
Wycoff attended Wilmington Junior High School and Phineas Banning High School in Wilmington, Los Angeles, California.[4] Wycoff played keyboards and sang in the school's talent shows.[1]
Wycoff sang backup on Stevie Wonder's album Songs in the Key of Life.[3] He signed a solo contract with RCA and released three albums between 1981 and 1983, scoring a few hit singles on the U.S. R&B charts. His second album, Love Conquers All, included the song, "Looking Up to You," that was sampled by the 1990s R&B group Zhané on their hit song, "Hey Mr. D.J." in 1993.[4] Although both of his first two albums were acclaimed by music critics, sales remained low.[3]
Wycoff suffered an addiction to drugs and alcohol.[1][4] His addiction ultimately caused him the loss of his career, his home and his family, and Wycoff ended up homeless.[1] At the bottom, he found his way back through his faith,[1] beating his habit and ultimately becoming Minister of Music at several Los Angeles area churches. He died on March 13, 2019, at age 63 due to pancreatic cancer. [1][4]
His oldest son is a DJ, who, in May 2013, released his own album titled A Boy and His Toys under the name DJ Michael Wycoff.[5]
Discography edit
Albums edit
| Year | Album | Label | US R&B |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Come to My World | RCA Records | — |
| 1982 | Love Conquers All | 54 | |
| 1983 | On the Line | 54 |
Singles edit
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Dance [6] |
US R&B [6] |
UK [7] | ||
| 1980 | "Feel My Love" | — | 43 | — |
| "One Alone" | — | 52 | — | |
| 1982 | "Looking Up to You" | — | 47 | — |
| "Still Got the Magic (Sweet Delight)" | 37 | 64 | — | |
| "Diamond Real" | — | — | — | |
| 1983 | "Tell Me Love" | 22 | 23 | 60 |
| "There's No Easy Way" | — | 83 | — | |
| "You Are Everything" | — | — | — | |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory. | ||||
References edit
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Michael Wycoff Page". Soulwalking.co.uk. Retrieved March 18, 2020.
- ^ "Michael Wycoff Dies..." Soul and Jazz and Funk. March 15, 2019. Archived from the original on March 24, 2019. Retrieved May 21, 2019.
- ^ a b c Colin Larkin, ed. (1993). The Guinness Who's Who of Soul Music (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 311. ISBN 0-85112-733-9.
- ^ a b c d Kellman, Andy. "Artist Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved September 6, 2020.
- ^ "A Boy and His Toys". iTunes. Retrieved November 5, 2013.
- ^ a b "Michael Wycoff Top Songs / Chart Singles Discography". Music VF. Retrieved September 6, 2020.
- ^ "MICHAEL WYCOFF - full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 9, 2020.