{"id":558188,"date":"2026-07-19T23:55:11","date_gmt":"2026-07-19T23:55:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/558188\/"},"modified":"2026-07-19T23:55:11","modified_gmt":"2026-07-19T23:55:11","slug":"jim-gilstrap-death-stevie-wonder-good-times-vocalist-dies-at-79","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/558188\/","title":{"rendered":"Jim Gilstrap Death: Stevie Wonder \u2018Good Times\u2019 Vocalist Dies at 79"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tJames \u201cJim\u201d Gilstrap, the sonorous tenor heard on classics such as Stevie Wonder<\/a>\u2019s \u201cYou Are the Sunshine of My Life\u201d and as the co-lead on the television series theme song Good Times, has died. Gilstrap passed away of natural causes in Los Angeles on July 18. He was 79 years old.<\/p>\n

\n\tIn a career that spanned more than five decades, Gilstrap crafted a sterling reputation as one of the music industry\u2019s most versatile and in-demand session vocalists. He also charted a pair of R&B hits as a solo artist in 1975: \u201cSwing Your Daddy\u201d (No. 10 in the U.S.; No. 4 in the U.K.) and \u201cI\u2019m on Fire\u201d (No. 20) \u2014 both featured on his Chelsea Records debut studio album, Swing Your Daddy. A year later, Gilstrap released a second studio album, Love Talk.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cTo the world, Jim Gilstrap was a legendary voice. To us, he was simply Uncle James \u2014 a beloved husband, uncle, mentor and friend,\u201d begins a statement emailed to Billboard by Gilstrap\u2019s nephew and the family\u2019s spokesperson, Geoffrey \u201cGeoff Gil\u201d Gilstrap.<\/p>\n

The statement continues in part, \u201cNo matter how far his incredible talent took him, he never forgot his roots, his family or the values that shaped him. As kids, all of us nieces and nephews proudly bragged to classmates that our Uncle Jim was the voice behind the \u2018temporary layoffs\u2019 line from\u00a0Good Times. Then we\u2019d remind them that he also sang on \u2018You Are the Sunshine of My Life.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tBorn Nov. 10, 1946 in Texas, Gilstrap \u2014 following a stint in the military and work with other early music groups \u2014 became a featured vocalist with Stevie Wonder\u2019s backing band and vocal group Wonderlove in the early \u201870s. It\u2019s Gilstrap singing the opening lines on the Grammy Award-winning \u201cYou Are the Sunshine of My Life\u201d from the Talking Book album. Gilstrap also worked on other seminal Wonder albums during this fertile chapter that legend\u2019s career including Innervisions and Fulfillingness\u2019 First Finale.<\/p>\n

\n\tIn addition to his aforementioned solo foray and contribution to the Good Times theme song in 1974, Gilstrap lent his virtuoso tenor to host of projects by a diverse array of stars. Among them: Quincy Jones<\/a>, Michael Jackson<\/a>, Aretha Franklin<\/a>, Whitney Houston<\/a>, Bill Withers<\/a>, Luther Vandross<\/a>, Kenny Loggins<\/a>, Dolly Parton<\/a>, Stanley Clarke and Boz Scaggs<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cBeyond the music, we\u2019ll remember Jim\u2019s kindness, humility, humor, generosity and, of course, his homemade sweet potato pies that brought our family together. As we celebrate Uncle Jim\u2019s remarkable life, we can\u2019t help but thank God for those \u2018Good Times\u2019 \u2026 and how lucky we were to have him,\u201d says Gilstrap\u2019s nephew Geoff Gil.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe last surviving member of 10 siblings, Gilstrap is survived by his wife Gloria as well as children and grandchildren. Memorial arrangements are pending.<\/p>\n


\"Billboard
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