Cuba Gooding Sr. facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Cuba Gooding
|
|
|---|---|
.jpg)
Gooding in 2008
|
|
| Born | April 27, 1944 New York City, U.S.
|
| Died | April 20, 2017 (aged 72) |
| Resting place | Trinity Church Cemetery |
| Occupation | Singer |
| Years active | 1964–2016 |
| Spouse(s) |
Shirley Sullivan
(m. 1966; div. 1974)
(m. 1995) |
| Children | 4, including Cuba Jr. and Omar |
| Relatives | Mason Gooding (grandson) |
Cuba Mark Gooding Sr. (born April 27, 1944 – died April 20, 2017) was an American singer. He was best known as the lead singer of the soul group The Main Ingredient. He joined the group after their first lead singer, Donald McPherson, became ill.
As the main singer for The Main Ingredient, Cuba Gooding Sr. had five songs that reached the top 10 on the Billboard music charts. Their most famous song was "Everybody Plays the Fool" in 1972, which became a huge hit. Other popular songs included "Just Don't Want to Be Lonely" (1974), "Happiness Is Just Around the Bend," and "Rolling Down a Mountainside." He also released music as a solo artist.
Contents
Where Did Cuba Gooding Sr. Grow Up?
Cuba Gooding Sr. was born in Harlem, a neighborhood in New York City. His father, Dudley MacDonald Gooding, was from Barbados. Dudley Gooding moved to Cuba in 1936, where he met and married Cuba Gooding Sr.'s mother. His father worked as a taxi driver in Manhattan. Cuba Gooding Sr. was 11 years old when his father passed away.
What Was Cuba Gooding Sr.'s Music Career Like?
Cuba Gooding Sr. first joined The Main Ingredient as a back-up singer. He became the lead singer in 1971 after Donald McPherson died.
In 1973, The Main Ingredient released an album called Afrodisiac. Some of the songs on this album were co-written by the famous musician Stevie Wonder.
Gooding Sr. left The Main Ingredient around 1977 or 1978 to start a solo career. He signed with Motown Records and released two albums. His first solo album was called The 1st Cuba Gooding Album. One of his biggest international hits was "Happiness Is Just Around the Bend" in 1983. This song has been used by other artists in their music and was even remixed by a UK dance group called Altern-8 in 1991.
In 1980, Gooding Sr. returned to The Main Ingredient. They recorded two more albums together for RCA Victor. In 1991, parts of "Happiness Is Just Around the Bend" were also used in the song "Playing With Knives" by Bizarre Inc.
Later in his career, Gooding Sr. released a single called "Politics" in September 2007. He was also working on a film project about his family's history in entertainment, called Everybody Plays the Fool: The Cuba Gooding Story. This film would show three generations of the Gooding family: his father Dudley, himself, and his sons Cuba Gooding Jr. and Omar Gooding.
Cuba Gooding Sr. also appeared on a music CD called Beach Music Super Collaboration. He sang a song called "Meant To Be In Love." This led to another project with Charles Wallert called “Never Give Up,” which was released in 2009.
Cuba Gooding Sr.'s Family Life
In the 1970s, Cuba Gooding Sr. moved from the Bronx in New York to southern California. He was married to Shirley Gooding, who was also a singer. They had four children together:
- Cuba Gooding Jr., who became a famous actor.
- Omar Gooding, who is also an actor.
- April Gooding, an actress.
- Tommy Gooding, a musician.
Cuba Gooding Sr. and his wife separated in 1974, but they remarried in 1995. He also became a minor actor himself.
In 2011, he lived in Rosarito Beach, Mexico, where he performed charity concerts. He also had a home in Flagler Beach, Florida.
When Did Cuba Gooding Sr. Pass Away?
On April 20, 2017, just one week before his 73rd birthday, Cuba Gooding Sr. was found in his car in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles. Emergency services tried to help him, but they could not revive him. An examination later showed that he passed away from natural causes.
He is buried at the Trinity Church Cemetery in Manhattan, New York.
See also
In Spanish: Cuba Gooding Sr. para niños
