Tribute to Chuck Mangione: Jazz Icon and Composer of the Hit "Feels So Good" Dies at 84

Chuck Mangione, the Grammy-winning jazz musician and bandleader famous for his instrumental hit "Feels So Good" (1978), has passed away at the age of 84, as announced on his official website. Born in Rochester, New York, on November 29, 1940, Mangione began his career alongside his brother, keyboardist Gaspare "Gap" Mangione, in the duo The Mangione Brothers.

A graduate of the prestigious Eastman School of Music, Mangione played trumpet with legendary jazz artist Art Blakey and his Jazz Messengers, as well as recording acclaimed albums like "Friends & Love… A Chuck Mangione Concert" (1970) with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra.

His fame grew with compositions such as "Chase the Clouds Away" (1975), featured in coverage of the 1976 Olympics, and "Bellavia" (1977), which earned him a Grammy. However, it was his 1977 album "Feels So Good" that made him a household name. The title track, featuring his signature flugelhorn playing, reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100, while the album peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard 200, second only to the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack. The record sold over 2 million copies, achieving double-platinum certification.

In the following decade, Mangione continued his success with the soundtrack for the film "Children of Sanchez" (1978)—which won him his second Grammy—and the album "Fun and Games" (1979), featuring the single "Give It All You Got," used in ABC’s coverage of the 1980 Winter Olympics. Throughout his career, he earned 13 Grammy nominations.

Though his popularity waned after the 1970s, Mangione remained a pop culture figure, even making a humorous appearance on "King of the Hill" as a parody of himself. In 2012, he was inducted into the Rochester Music Hall of Fame, where he summarized his musical philosophy: "If you’re honest and play with love, people will sit down and listen… my music is the sum of all I have experienced."