Henry Fambrough

Henry Lee Fambrough (May 10, 1938<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> – February 7, 2024) was an American vocalist, known for being a member of the R&B quintet The Spinners<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> (also called The Detroit Spinners and The Motown Spinners)<ref name="top-23aug2021">Template:Cite news</ref> from 1954 until his retirement in April 2023. He was the last surviving original member of The Spinners from 2013 until his death.

The Spinners

The Spinners standing together, dressed in matching suits

Henry Fambrough (second from right) as part of The Spinners in 1965

The Spinners formed in 1954 in Ferndale, Michigan, as the Domingoes before changing their name to the Spinners.<ref name="ap-7feb2024">Template:Cite news</ref> Fambrough was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1961 and on his return two years later, the Spinners signed up under Motown Records.<ref name="cp-23nov2015">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="aja-27may2014">Template:Cite news</ref> They did not have any big hits for the next six years, and Fambrough ended up working as a chauffeur for the mother of label boss Berry Gordy Jr.<ref name="bb-3may2023">Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name="acw-24nov2015">Template:Cite news</ref>

During the group's heyday from the early to mid-1970s, Henry served as one of the group's three lead singers (along with Philippé Wynne and Bobby Smith)<ref name="top-23aug2021" /> and his rich baritone provided lead vocals for the Spinners classic "I Don't Want to Lose You",<ref name="sg">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="st-dwly">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="st-hb">Template:Cite news</ref> as well as co-lead vocals with Wynne on "Living a Little, Laughing a Little".<ref name="ew-8feb2024">Template:Cite magazine</ref>

On the group's classic single "Ghetto Child", he shared leads with Wynne and Smith.<ref name="st-hb" /> He dueted with Dionne Warwick on the Spinners' "Just As Long As We Have Love", from their 1975 album Pick of the Litter,<ref name="st-hb" /> and sang lead on the classic album cut "If You Can't Be in Love", from the album Happiness Is Being with the Spinners (1976). Fambrough was noted for the whiplash mustache he wore at that time.<ref name="sg" />

With the release of the group's most recent album Round the Block and Back Again in 2021, Fambrough is the only member of the Spinners to have been featured on every release.<ref name="nw-9feb2024">Template:Cite news</ref>

Retirement

In April 2023, Fambrough announced his retirement, but the Spinners continued to perform without him, and he remained involved with the group behind the scenes.<ref name="bb-3may2023" /><ref name=st-10apr2023>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="ti-17aug2023">Template:Cite news</ref> He was in the group for sixty-nine years. The following month, the Spinners were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, sixty-nine years after forming, and thirty-seven years after first being eligible to be inducted.<ref name="bb-3may2023" /><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

Following his announcement on retiring, he told Spinners fans: "The Spinners are still here and still singing for our people who want to hear us. And that's not going to change. We'll still be there for them."<ref name=st-10apr2023 />

With the deaths of fellow Spinners members C. P. Spencer in 2004, Billy Henderson in 2007, Pervis Jackson in 2008, and Bobby Smith in 2013, Fambrough was the last original member of the group. He died on February 7, 2024, in Sterling, Virginia, at the age of 85.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="sg" /> Fambrough was survived by his wife, Norma and daughter, Heather Williams. His funeral was held in a Detroit church where he was a long-time member and he was interred in Woodlawn Cemetery on the city's north side.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Sources

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External links

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• Template:MusicBrainz artist
• Tom Meros, "The Spinners' Henry Fambrough talks to Tom about their history", YouTube.