I scan the death notices on Wikipedia from time to time (a weird habit, to be sure). I came across this notice:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobby_Smith_(rhythm_and_blues_singer)
As a kid, the Spinners were one of my favorite groups, and Bobby Smith was a huge reason why. His leads on songs like "I'll Be Around", "I'll Always Love You", "Truly Yours" and "Could It Be I'm Falling In Love" made those songs ones I looked forward to hearing. I scraped up change & skipped school lunches from time to time in order to buy albums, 8-tracks, cassettes and CDs with Smith's voice coming through loud & clear.
Hearing his voice takes me back to a more innocent time, where even the most idealistic dreams of romance could come true. That "Penelope" I dreamed of recently? Whenever I saw her at school (nearly every day), Spinners' songs played in my head. It was his voice and his words I wanted to offer her.
It's a sad occasion, but his gift blessed so many music fans. Rest in peace.
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