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Tim Hauser, the Founder of the Manhattan Transfer, Dies at 72
New York Times ^ | October 17, 2014 | Bruce Weber

Posted on 10/28/2014 2:32:59 PM PDT by grundle

Tim Hauser, a singer and showman who founded the Manhattan Transfer, a Grammy-winning vocal group that brought four-part harmonies to several decades’ worth of American popular songs, died on Thursday in Sayre, Pa. He was 72.

The cause was cardiac arrest, said his sister, Fayette. She said he had been taken to a hospital in Elmira, N.Y., with pneumonia shortly after arriving in nearby Corning for a scheduled performance and was later moved to a hospital in Sayre, where he died.

Begun in 1972 when Mr. Hauser was making ends meet as a New York City cabdriver, the Manhattan Transfer became known for its jazzy treatment of a wide spectrum of musical styles, from gospel and swing to doo-wop, pop and rhythm and blues; for stylish and sophisticated arrangements; and for a razzle-dazzle stage presence featuring slick costuming and arch choreography.

The group’s wide repertoire embraced different eras. It included Louis Armstrong numbers from the first half of the 20th century; “Tuxedo Junction,” which had been a hit for Glenn Miller in 1940; “Route 66,” Bobby Troup’s 1946 paean to the great American highway, which had been covered by Nat King Cole, Chuck Berry and others; the gospel tune “Operator,” recorded by the Friendly Brothers in 1959; the Rascals’ 1967 pop hit “Groovin’ ”; and soul songs like “The Boy From New York City,” a remake of a 1965 hit by the Ad Libs that was the group’s only Top 10 single.

(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...


TOPICS: Miscellaneous
KEYWORDS: music; obituary
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R.I.P.

"The Boy From New York City"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZF6m659-z0

1 posted on 10/28/2014 2:32:59 PM PDT by grundle
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To: grundle

Sad news, love that group.


2 posted on 10/28/2014 2:37:23 PM PDT by bigbob (The best way to get a bad law repealed is to enforce it strictly. Abraham Lincoln)
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To: grundle

One of my favorite songs!
Was humming it just yesterday!.
RIP......................


3 posted on 10/28/2014 2:37:53 PM PDT by Red Badger (If you compromise with evil, you just get more evil..........................)
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To: grundle

Manhattan Transfer made music that helped me survive some of the worst times of my life.


4 posted on 10/28/2014 2:43:07 PM PDT by Steely Tom (Thank you for self-censoring.)
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To: bigbob

Not too many groups with their wide range of vocals.
And the harmony was spot on.


5 posted on 10/28/2014 2:46:03 PM PDT by Verbosus (/* No Comment */)
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To: grundle

The female singer in that song is the ultra-flexible Janis Siegel.


6 posted on 10/28/2014 2:47:39 PM PDT by Steely Tom (Thank you for self-censoring.)
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To: grundle

One of my favorite groups. RIP


7 posted on 10/28/2014 2:48:00 PM PDT by Nachoman (libertyarmstx.com is now open!)
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To: grundle
RIP!

I have this song on 45, LP and mp3!

Operator!
8 posted on 10/28/2014 2:49:37 PM PDT by ExTxMarine (PRAYER: It's the only HOPE for real CHANGE in America!)
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To: grundle

R.I.P.

The closer I get to that age, the more it seems too young to die.


9 posted on 10/28/2014 2:51:36 PM PDT by Gator113 ( Ted Cruz, Sarah Palin and Mike Lee speak for me, most everyone else is just noise.)
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To: grundle
I believe Mr. Hauser's voice is featured in this song: Malaise En Malaisie.
10 posted on 10/28/2014 2:53:15 PM PDT by Steely Tom (Thank you for self-censoring.)
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To: grundle
Excellent "Boy from NY City"

Tim Hauser, rest and peace in the Lord.

11 posted on 10/28/2014 2:53:29 PM PDT by Mrs. Don-o ("Stone cold sober, as a matter of fact.")
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To: grundle

I love Coffee, I love Tea, I love the Java Jive and It Loves Me.


12 posted on 10/28/2014 2:58:12 PM PDT by lee martell
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To: Verbosus

I was never much of a fan of their music, but was very appreciative of their harmony. As a guitarist and pedal steel player, I’ve always been into harmony, very deeply, as opposed to single note playing. Double and triple stops made my playing stand out. So, even though I wasn’t interested in their musical choices, I was very interested in their use of harmony!


13 posted on 10/28/2014 2:58:44 PM PDT by Dr. Bogus Pachysandra (Don't touch that thing Don't let anybody touch that thing!I'm a Doctor and I won't touch that thing!)
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To: grundle
In Route 66, Tim Hauser sings the first stanza, which starts with the words "It winds from Chicago to L.A."
14 posted on 10/28/2014 3:00:16 PM PDT by Steely Tom (Thank you for self-censoring.)
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To: grundle

I remember seeing them in the Village in the early 70’s.


15 posted on 10/28/2014 3:10:25 PM PDT by Dr. Ursus
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To: grundle

Saw them live in Spokane in 1982 for my birthday. I love their version of “Trickle, Trickle”.

I know Mr. Hauser used to play an ‘alternate character’ that occasionally appeared in Manhattan Transfer concerts named “L. Dorado Caddy”. He’d come out in a zoot suit with a wide-brimmed hat and do a kind of a comedy-jazz-riff.

RIP Mr. Hauser.


16 posted on 10/28/2014 3:11:52 PM PDT by hoagy62 ("Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered..."-Thomas Paine. 1776)
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To: grundle
Birdland.

I saw them perform at Houston's Arena Theater in the early 1980s.

-PJ

17 posted on 10/28/2014 3:13:34 PM PDT by Political Junkie Too (If you are the Posterity of We the People, then you are a Natural Born Citizen.)
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To: grundle
Soul Food To Go
Prayers for his family and friends. It's tough watching respected artists grow old and die. Dammit.
18 posted on 10/28/2014 3:15:50 PM PDT by Cboldt
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To: grundle
A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square

A beautiful rendition.

19 posted on 10/28/2014 3:19:59 PM PDT by hoagy62 ("Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered..."-Thomas Paine. 1776)
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To: grundle

Sorry to hear this. I saw them live in concert in 1980, they were all truly memorable.


20 posted on 10/28/2014 3:21:13 PM PDT by Menehune56 ("Let them hate so long as they fear" (Oderint Dum Metuant), Lucius Accius (170 BC - 86 BC))
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