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Timmy Thomas 1973: An Organ Forever
Photo:
Antonia Hille/Getty Images
In 2017, one of the greatest rappers of our time, Canadian Drake, went quiet for a moment during his concerts.
The stoic rhythm accompaniment of a Lowrey home organ and some melancholic chords sounded from the off.
Of course, Drake's fans recognized this as the basis of one of his biggest hits - "Hotline Bling" is based on a faster-playing sample of the recorded song: "Why Can't We Live Together" by Timmy Thomas.
"Why Can't We Live Together" is by far the biggest hit of soul musician Timmy Thomas' career.
Released in October 1972, the song reached number three in the US singles chart, more than a million records were sold, and the song also became a hit parade success in Great Britain and Germany.
Timothy E. Thomas was born in Evansville, Indiana in 1944 and worked as a session musician in Memphis before settling in Florida in the early 1970s.
He became part of Henry Stone's label empire around TK Records, which would also grow acts such as Betty Wright, George McRae and KC & The Sunshine Band.
coolness and soulfulness
According to Thomas, the impulse for "Why Can't We Live Together" came about while watching television, under the impression of the coverage of the Vietnam War.
"No more wars, no more wars" sings Thomas expressively and in contrast to the stoic rhythm.
In this combination of coolness and soulfulness, the song recorded by Thomas solo was way ahead of its time.
This is supported by the fact that "Why Can't We Live Together" has been covered again and again.
One of the most prominent versions appeared on British singer Sade's 1984 debut album.
Later there were also versions by Steve Winwood or Joan Osborne.
The organ jazz virtuoso Dr.
Lonnie Smith recorded the song on his final album in 2021 with Iggy Pop guesting.
In 1990, a modernized remix version of Timmy Thomas' "Why Can't We Live Together" was released in Germany and made it into the German single charts again.
But Drake's sample on »Hotline Bling« – which in turn was covered by R&B colleague Erykah Badu – ensured the definitive comeback of this organ groove in pop perception.
Mandela had tears in his eyes
Timmy Thomas was reportedly grateful to Drake for the new attention.
However, he reported several times about another unexpected context in which "Why Can't We Live Together" appeared: in 1974 he also appeared in South Africa as part of his tours as a hit musician.
There he was celebrated by thousands in Soweto, who saw the song as an anthem for their fight against apartheid.
In 1994 he played at Nelson Mandela's inauguration - with tears in his eyes.
Timmy Thomas continued to release R&B chart-topping songs well into the 1980s, but none had anything like the impact of "Why Can't We Live Together."
Thomas later worked in the school service, did administrative work, but also taught music.
Ironically, a 16-year-old Brit brought Timmy Thomas back into the limelight as a musician: under the supervision of Betty Wright, the young Joss Stone recorded her debut album in Miami with some virtuosos of the Florida soul scene from the seventies, including Timmy Thomas at the organ.
»The Soul Sessions« became a big hit for the debutante in 2003;
Thomas also played on their following album.
In 2014, Thomas recorded another version of his biggest hit with the much younger producer Obá Frank Lords.
As several relatives made public on Facebook, Timmy Thomas died on Friday at the age of 77.
Miami radio station WSVN also reported Thomas' death.
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