Robert Wilson, bassist for the Gap Band, dies
NEW YORK — Robert Wilson, who as the bassist for the funk and R&B group the Gap Band had a string of hits including "You Dropped a Bomb On Me," has died. He was 53.He died at his home Sunday in Palmdale, Calif., outside of Los Angeles. He is believed to have died of a heart attack, said Karen Lee, publicist for his brother and Gap Band singer Charlie Wilson.
Wilson provided the bass backbone for the trio, which also included another brother, Ronnie. The group, originally from Tulsa, Okla., first hit the charts in 1979 with the songs "Shake" and "Open Your Mind (Wide)."
They had their biggest success in the 1980s, though, with hits like "Outstanding," "You Dropped a Bomb On Me," "Oops Upside Your Head" and "Yearning for Your Love," among others.
"My brother Robert was a bad boy on the bass," Charlie Wilson said in a statement released Monday. "We shared a bond as brothers, musicians and friends. I loved him, and losing him is difficult for both Ronnie and I. The music world has lost a very talented man."
Robert Wilson had been touring for the past few weeks, including a stop in his hometown of Tulsa.
Peace & Blessings to the whole Wilson family ~ OP & Silk
2 comments:
Saddest news in a long while. I literally had Gap on the mind these last couple of weeks. For no reason at all, I just selected one of their albums at random and let it play. I felt real good that the band was still alive and well, and that they had gone so long being so dependable with the music -- then this news hits. Man, 53 is no time on Earth. All accounts say that the band was ready to pick up and play again. Robert took front stage, but I felt he was kinda low key. Great guitarist and bassist, and when you think about how young he was when he started... it's crazy. One day I hope the story of the Gap Band makes it to the masses.
The story of the Gap Band is a bittersweet one. It's a shame on how they got dogged out by Lonnie and the label. Of course we had no idea what was going on back then. Wasn't no internet to put that type of drama out there ... for all we know everything was cool and the brothers were riding high. For all the great music they made they really deserved more ... monetarily and fame wise.
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