RIP, Hulk Hogan and Chuck Mangione
Two entertainers from two different arenas.
Hogan was a character in every sense of the word. Even his name was a character – and what a great name it was! Who could forget someone named “Hulk Hogan” (real name: Terry Bollea)?
“WWE is saddened to learn WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan has passed away,” the company wrote. “One of pop culture’s most recognizable figures, Hogan helped WWE achieve global recognition in the 1980s. …
Hogan was set to join former pro wrestling executive Eric Bischoff in a new venture called Real American Freestyle. It was a fresh attempt at putting freestyle wrestling on the map. Hogan also dipped his toe into the political waters. He stumped for President Donald Trump at the Republican National Convention and at a Madison Square Garden rally last year.
Mangione was a jazz trumpeter; he was 84 years old, which no longer sounds old to me:
Mangione was best known for his hits in the 1970s, such as “Feels So Good.” The 1977 track reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, per ABC News, and earned a nomination for Record of the Year at the 1979 Grammys.
“I think ‘Feels So Good’ was such a hit because of the Bee Gees,” he said in an interview with the Celebrity Cafe. “ ‘Saturday Night Fever’ had saturated radio; I think the top six out of 10 hits were from that album. Radio programmers couldn’t figure out what to put on instead and when somebody edited ‘Feels So Good’ from nine minutes down to three, they instantly started playing it as an alternative to what were the current top songs.” …
The artist was born and raised in Rochester, NY, and grew up surrounded by music. He and his brother Gap would listen to their father’s jazz records and eventually formed the group, the Jazz Brothers.
On weekends, Mangione and his family would drive into New York City to watch Miles Davis and Sarah Vaughan perform.
The artist’s parents were jazz buffs, which led to many meals with some of the genre’s biggest stars. …
“Their father would invite these amazing artists to come home with them for a good home-cooked Italian meal,” a biography on Mangione’s website reads. “Of course, they were more than happy to eat home cooking after being on the road. Chuck grew up thinking everyone had Carmen McRae and Art Blakey over for dinner.”
Sounds like a great family.
And here’s “Feels So Good”:
RIP.
RIP.
For some reason I have good memories of ‘Feels So Good’ from back in the seventies even though I wasn’t that old. The seventies were the last gasp for instrumentals as popular hit songs as songs like ‘Feels So Good’, ‘Rise’ by Herb Alpert and ‘Love’s Theme’ by the Love Unlimited Orchestra were all big hits and there were some others that were almost instrumentals like ‘The Hustle’ also.
The seventies really were the peak for modern popular music as virtually every genre you can name had great runs during that decade.
Plus Chuck Mangione was great as himself on the great animated series ‘King Of The Hill’ which is coming back with new episodes shortly.
The best thing Hulk ever did was wipe the crapsite Gawker off the face of the earth.
Wow, Neo, two extra RIPs for Chuck Mangione! You must have been a real fan, as I was. I still play his CDs (what are those?).
FYI, Chuck Mangione played a flugelhorn, not a trumpet. Similar, but somewhat larger to give it a more mellow tone.
Chuck Mangione was both a student and a teacher at the University of Rochester (Eastman School of Music). In my year as a student at the U of R, I made friends with a fellow jazz afficionado, who had some interaction with Mangione after I left the U of R. Chuck Mangione: Remembering My Teacher—and Defender!
My friend wrote a critical review of a jazz ensemble’s concert. Mangione had conducted the jazz ensemble. My friend was in a class w Mangione the next day. He got some negative feedback for his review, but Mangione defended his right to what he had written in the review. Mangione made a point of having my friend solo during the class to point out to others—including a fellow professor who didn’t like his review—that my friend wasn’t a know-nothing critic, but a skilled musician.
I purely adored Mangione’s recordings for a very silly reason. I used to do radio spots for the various AFRTS outlets that I worked for, during the 80s – and when I needed a background music track for anything I was producing, Mangione albums were my primary go-to. His music just fitted. Timeless. Perfect.
This was the Mangione which bowled me over:
–Chuck Mangione, “Land of Make Believe” (1973)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mLdUFw4Xfc
It was the 70s. I would still like to live there.
Back in ’75 I was in my first year of grad school at Colo. State. The girl I was dating took me to see Mangione as he was playing the college. I had never heard of him, and I guess a lot of other students were the same. He played in a medium sized room in the student center and the total attendance was maybe around 75-100. He was great. I’m still thankful to that old girlfriend for dragging me to that concert.
Griffin,
Guaraldi’s, “Cast Your Fate to the Wind” was another instrumental, pop, hit of that era.
“A Fifth of Beethoven?”
“Pick up the Pieces?”
Guaraldi’s, “Cast Your Fate to the Wind” was another instrumental, pop, hit of that era.
Rufus T. Firefly:
Not to mention his soundtracks to the Charlie Brown Peanuts specials!
Guaraldi got that opportunity owing to the success of “Cast Your Fate to the Wind.”
Rufus,
Yep and the only three I can think of off the top of my head from the eighties are ‘Chariots Of Fire’, ‘Miami Vice Theme’ (both #1 hits) and ‘Axel F’ from Beverly Hills Cop.
Hulk Hogan – – Rest in peace brother (Tribute Videos)
https://commoncts.blogspot.com/2025/07/hulk-hogan-rest-in-peace-brother.html
Guaraldi’s, “Cast Your Fate to the Wind” was another instrumental, pop, hit of that era.
==
There were lyrics written. Steve Alaimo’s version:
==
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8iFynJ13xTE
Griffin,
And two of your ’80s cites were movie themes and one was a TV show theme.
I think “Sanford & Son” charted fairly high as a ’70s, TV show instrumental. The Star Wars, disco infused, alien bar scene instrumental was another movie associated instrumental* that got a lot of airplay in the ’80s. As did the theme from Magnum P.I. Didn’t either “Rockford Files” and/or “Mannix” also chart as instrumentals?
*At least until Bill Murray added lyrics as Nick Winters on SNL.
huxley,
I think I remember Lee Mendelson stating he heard Guaraldi’s song on his car radio as he was crossing the Golden Gate Bridge into San Francisco and recognized it as the type of music he wanted in the Peanuts Christmas special he was working on.
Rufus,
Yes the idea of just an instrumental from an album went away with the seventies I guess. Another TV theme was ‘Hill Street Blues’ by legendary session guitarist Larry Carlton which made the top ten in 1981.
The only one from nineties I can think of was ‘Lily Was Here’ another song from a movie by the Eurythmics David Stewart and Dutch saxophonist Candy Dulfer which made it to #11. That’s a really cool song.
Just one of those once popular art forms that has just gone away I guess.
Griffin,
I never noticed it until now, but the rhythm part* on “Lily Was Here” is similar to Jeff Beck’s, “The Pump,” which was also featured in an ’80s film, “Risky Business.” Seems almost certain Dave Stewart would have seen the film and the scene with the Porsche where Beck’s song is featured.
*… and lead guitar.
Feels So Good is a great song.
Chuck Mangione, one more reason to try to get to Heaven. The music just got even better!
The cry of the “old” person, it’s not as good as it used to be!!
Be sure to listen (again, for many) to Chuck Mangione’s Children of Sanchez. Great instrumental music of course, but also a brief, haunting song about a child losing a father.