Chuck Mangione, jazz star and Olympic composer, dies at 84

Chuck Mangione, the famous musician behind the joyful tune ‘Feels So Good,’ has died at the age of 84. He passed away peacefully in his sleep at his home in Rochester, New York, as confirmed by a local funeral home and reported by several news outlets.

Mangione was a beloved trumpet and flugelhorn player, known for blending jazz with pop in a way that touched millions. Over his long career, he released around 30 albums and was nominated for 14 Grammy Awards, winning two of them.

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One of his most memorable achievements was the 1978 hit ‘Feels So Good,’ an instrumental track that climbed to No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song became a worldwide sensation and was nominated for Record of the Year at the Grammy Awards. It remains one of the most recognizable jazz-pop crossovers even today.

Chuck was also chosen to write and perform the energetic ‘Give It All You Got,’ the official theme for the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, which further boosted his reputation as a composer who could uplift spirits on a grand stage.

Born on November 29, 1940, in Rochester, New York, Mangione began music lessons at age 8. Though he started with the piano, his heart was won over by the trumpet after watching the film ‘Young Man With a Horn.’

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In high school, he formed a band with his brother Gap Mangione, who played the piano. Their shared passion for jazz laid the foundation for Chuck’s future in music.

Chuck Mangione continued his music education at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, graduating in 1963. Later, he returned to the same school as a teacher and became the director of the Eastman Jazz Ensemble, guiding young musicians just like himself.

His breakthrough came in 1970 with the live album ‘Friends & Love… A Chuck Mangione Concert,’ recorded at the Eastman Theatre. It earned him his first Grammy nomination and featured the track ‘Hill Where the Lord Hides,’ which brought him his first taste of chart success.

In the mid-1970s, he signed with A&M Records. His 1975 album ‘Chase the Clouds Away’ gained attention. This was when the title track was in use during the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal.

He won his first Grammy Award in 1976 for the album ‘Bellavia,’ which was named after his mother. His second Grammy came in 1978 for the soundtrack to the film ‘The Children of Sanchez’. It also earned him a Golden Globe nomination.

Apart from music, Chuck also entertained fans with his voice. He played a fictional version of himself in the popular animated TV show ‘King of the Hill’. He became a recurring character known for always carrying his flugelhorn.