Timmy Thomas - Songs

ABOUT

Timmy Thomas (b. November 13, 1944) is an R&B/soul singer-songwriter, keyboardist, and record producer who became famous during the early 1970s. Born in Evansville, Indiana, he began in the early 1960s as an accompanist with Donald Byrd and Cannonball Adderley before becoming a session musician in Memphis, Tennessee. He launched his solo career during the late 1960s with the release of "It's My Life" and other singles on Goldwax before signing with Glades Records in 1972.

Thomas made his debut in 1972 with the self-penned "Why Can't We Live Together," which topped the R&B charts, became a Top 5 Pop/Rock hit, and soon after went gold. This smash, which also peaked at #12 on the U.K. charts, is a jazzy, soulful ballad about universal tolerance with an extended organ introduction featuring Thomas' imploring, passionate vocals backed with a bossa nova beat. His string of hits, which continued through 1984 on the R&B charts, also included such Pop/Rock crossovers as "People Are Changin'" (1973), "Let Me Be Your Eyes" (1973), and "What Can I Tell Her" (1973), as well as two other Top 40 hits, "I've Got To See You Tonight" (1974) and "Gotta Give A Little Love (Ten Years Later)" (1984).

Timmy Thomas continued to perform and record actively through the 1990s, working as a solo artist, session musician, and producer. His most recent album came out in 1994 on DTM Records, "With Heart And Soul." Thomas' signature song, "Why Can't We Live Together," has been covered and/or sampled by such bands and artists as Mike Anthony, Maria Muldaur, MC Hammer, Joan Osborne, Sade, Santana, Steve Winwood, and Jamaican singer Tinga Stewart. This song was most recently used by Canadian rapper Drake to great effect in his Grammy-winning smash, "Hotline Bling," the lead single from his 2016 album, "Views."

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MERCHANDISE

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SONGS

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Timmy Thomas

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