"When you consider what he's experienced and yet he can still get up and have the kind of energy that entertains people," says Porter, "it's a true testament to what's inside of this guy. Save up to 50% on Swimwear when you shop now. Able to hold on to a seat cushion, Cauley was the only survivor. Cauley urged him to hold on, but his attempts to get to his bandmates were defeated by the hard, lapping waters. Early years[ edit] He survived the 1967 plane crash that killed Otis Redding. The comments below have not been moderated. Then, he sang He Knows Just How Much You Can Bear., Having gone through all those changes, my music was something I had in my life. She said some of the band members needed permission slips from their parents to travel with the band. He's had some terrible, traumatic experiences throughout his life. Otis Redding was born on September 9, 1941 in Dawson, Georgia, USA as Otis Ray Redding Jr. On Dec. 10, 1967, they were traveling to a show near the University of Wisconsin on Reddings new twin engine Beechcraft when it went into Lake Monona near Madison, Wis. Later that same evening, they played at a popular Cleveland club, Leo's Casino. "I saw Carl come out of the water, I saw (Redding's valet) Matt (Kelly) come up on the other side. He was 67. "No one could play like him," she said. The Bar-Kays first release was supposed to be You Cant Sit Down, but when Stax founder Jim Stewart stepped out of the room during the recording session, the band had an impromptu jam. Cauley had escaped with relatively minor cuts on his head and his foot; the others -- including Redding and pilot Richard Fraser -- had not been so fortunate. Related news. Want to know what everyone in the music business is talking about. "He was there to help me.". This site is protected by reCAPTCHA Enterprise and the Google, Visit Billboard Pro for music business news, Kodak Black Arrest Warrant Issued in Florida Over Failed DrugTest, Brad Paisley Drops Song Featuring Ukrainian Pres. He had struggled with health issues for years, including a stroke he suffered in 1989, but he persevered through all of it and continued to play his trumpet. Learn how and when to remove this template message, Official Rhythm & Blues Music Hall of Fame. The Bar-Kays were inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2013. Logic or luck doesn't fully explain how Cauley escaped the plane crash or the waters that nearly consumed him 40 years ago. And this guy just looked at me and said, 'Well, son, you're the only one alive.' Deals and discounts in Cookware you dont want to miss. Cauley had two young daughters to support, so he left the group in 1971, allowing him to continue performing on his own while being able to remain home with his family. Do you hate foreplay? Suggest an edit or add missing content. He sang Reddings (Sittin On) The Dock of the Bay as part of a ceremony at the Monona Terrace on the banks of the lake. 3 on the Billboard R&B charts. Do not sell or share my personal information. Trumpeter Ben Cauley, a member of the Stax Records group the Bar-Kays and the only survivor of the 1967 plane crash that killed most of his bandmates and legendary singer Otis Redding, has died in Memphis. After the crash, the pair rebuilt the Bar-Kays and backed Isaac Hayes on his landmark album, "Hot Buttered Soul," according to the Memphis Music Hall of Fame's website. This year has been one of significant anniversaries for Cauley: the 40th anniversary of the plane crash, the 50th of Stax's founding, and his own 60th birthday, which his family -- which includes seven children from a pair of marriages -- celebrated by throwing a surprise party for him in October. Cauley's eldest daughter, Chekita Cauley-Campbell, said her father died late Monday at Methodist South Hospital. Cauley was playing with the Bar-Kays while still attending high school at Booker T. Washington High School in Memphis, his daughter said. Cauley-Campbell said Cauley toured with Hayes, and also played with Aretha Franklin, the Doobie Brothers and many others. 'That is NOT fair': Teacher's union boss Randi Weingarten has complete meltdown over student debt outside Biden claims he had a nurse who would whisper in his ear and BREATHE on him to make sure there was a 'human House votes to block 'woke' Biden plan pushing retirement planners to invest in ESG in 401ks. Ben S. Cauley, Jr. (October 3, 1947 September 21, 2015) was an American trumpet player, vocalist, songwriter, and founding member of the Stax recording group the Bar-Kays. Into the 2000s, Cauley could be heard backing up Liz Lottmann,[5] jazz and blues singer, or performing live at the Memphis club Rum Boogie, located downtown on Beale Street. "No one could play like him," she said. Plans for a memorial service are pending. Like so many Stax stories, Ben Cauley's tale begins in South Memphis. Inside the forest palace 'Putin shares with his gymnast lover and their secret children': Luxury estate Ukrainian military unit named after Boris Johnson 'is wiped out by Wagner troops', the Russian mercenaries How did Russia lose HALF of its 45,000 elite paratroopers in just seven months? When he was a senior he would be picked up at high school on a Friday, travel and play with Otis Redding on the weekends and then come back to school the next week. At this tiny detail, Cauley suddenly stops his narrative and drops his head. On the eve of the crash's 40th anniversary, the 60-year-old Cauley sits in his home recording studio in Southeast Memphis with two of his daughters, Chekita Cauley-Campbell and Shuronda Cauley-Oliver, talking emotionally and candidly about his remarkable life. Able to hold on to a seat cushion, Cauley was the only survivor. He didnt know how to swim, but he held on to a seat cushion, I couldnt swim, Cauley said, I didnt try.. His body was perhaps a couple minutes away from going into hypothermia when he was pulled from the waters. "He was just laying there with his eyes open. To some, Ben Cauley is the answer to a tragic trivia question: the trumpeter was the sole survivor of the plane crash Dec. 10, 1967, outside Madison, Wis., that claimed eight people, including Stax Records star Otis Redding, and Cauley's Bar-Kays bandmates Phalon Jones, Carl Cunningham, Jimmy King . After the crash, the pair rebuilt the Bar-Kays and backed Isaac Hayes on his landmark album, Hot Buttered Soul, according to the Memphis Music Hall of Fame's website. 'He was just a real humble, debonair gentleman,' Cauley-Campbell said. Closed Captioning and Described Video is available for many CBC shows offered on CBC Gem. His music was really his life. Yall dont know, but yall just cut a hit., The groups debut single reached No. Like, what's going on? The Bar-Kays were inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2013. Before long, the young Bar-Kays -- most of them, still in high school -- were a hit act, and being groomed to become Stax's second house band alongside Booker T. &the MGs. Besides Cauley-Campbell, Cauley is survived by daughters Shuronda Cauley-Oliver, Miriam Cauley-Crisp, Monica Cauley-Johnson and Kimberly Garrett; and sons Phalon Richmond and Ben Wells. Female firefighters in Richton Park lead by example: You dont have to be a man to do this job, Kam Buckner: The next mayor of Chicago has a reform mandate, Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. Trumpeter Ben Cauley, a member of the Stax Records group the Bar-Kays and the only survivor of the 1967 plane crash that killed most of his bandmates and Stax star Otis Redding, has died in Memphis. On Dec. 10, 1967, they were traveling on Reddings new twin-engine Beechcraft when it went into Lake Monona near Madison, Wisconsin. "Carl (Cunningham) asked an attendant at the airport to crank up (the plane) so the cabin could warm up,"; says Cauley. On December 10, on their commute to Madison, Wisconsin, at 3:28 in the afternoon, the planecarrying Otis Redding, his partner, and the majority of the Bar-Kayscrashed into the Wiicawac Bay (formerly Squaw Bay) area of Lake Monona, on the outskirts of Madison. 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He was a member of the Stax Records group the Bar-Kays and the only survivor of the 1967 plane crash that killed most of his bandmates and Stax star Otis Redding. He was 67. By submitting a comment, you accept that CBC has the right to reproduce and publish that comment in whole or in part, in any manner CBC chooses. 12,066, This story has been shared 10,111 times. Comments on this story are moderated according to our Submission Guidelines. He really loved his music. We give Mehr's story encore presentation today. His music was really his life. But he's always been the same Ben, hitting them high notes like he always does.". Ben was the only survivor of the Otis Redding plane crash. He was the only survivor of the 1967 plane crash that claimed the lives of soul singer Otis Redding and four members of the Bar-Kays. On Dec. 10, 1967, they were traveling on Reddings new twin engine Beechcraft when it went into Lake Monona near Madison, Wisconsin. "He really loved his music. Besides Cauley-Campbell, Cauley is survived by daughters Shuronda Cauley-Oliver, Miriam Cauley-Crisp, Monica Cauley-Johnson and Kimberly Garrett; and sons Phalon Richmond and Ben Wells. He then played some trumpet and sang elegiac renditions of Redding's "Try A Little Tenderness" and "(Sittin On) The Dock of the Bay.". These are the best Fashion deals youll find online. And while he. He was the only survivor of the 1967 plane crash that claimed the lives of soul singer Otis Redding and four members of the Bar-Kays. ", After months of shock and mourning, Cauley and Alexander decided to try and pick up the pieces of their shattered lives and re-form the band. Cauley survived a debilitating stroke and a plane crash in 1967 that killed the other founding members of the Bar-Kays. I was shaking all over. Save up to 50% on Smart Home when you shop now. It is a priority for CBC to create products that are accessible to all in Canada including people with visual, hearing, motor and cognitive challenges. He was 67. The cause of the crash was never clearly determined. Hes been with the church for more than 20 years. These are the best Videogames deals youll find online. ', Drama on set! The lake had not frozen over, but water was chilly and divers were taxed. ", Waiting at the airport in Milwaukee, Alexander eventually got word of the accident and arrived in Madison to find Cauley laid up in a hospital bed. Croce's letter announcing his intention to. But I went over and picked it up and started playing -- ba-de-dum-dum-ba-dum-dum," says Cauley, aping the first notes of "Soul Finger.". He was previously married to Shirley. Bar-Kays bassist James Alexander, who'd volunteered to return the band's rental car in Cleveland and hop a commercial flight to Wisconsin, dropped them off at the hangar. (Dec. 10), Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. They had three gigs booked between Dec. 8 and 10, 1967, and most of the entourage was traveling on Redding's new twin engine Beechcraft. Cauley was the sole survivor of the plane crash that claimed the lives of Otis Redding and four band members of the Bar-Kays outside of Madison, Wisconsin, on December 10, 1967. He also directed the choir of Calvary Longview United Methodist Church, attended by him and his wife Shirley. This past Monday, with the anniversary of the crash approaching, Cauley did something he long promised himself he'd do: he returned to Madison, to the site of the crash. While he has long been known as the sole survivor of the crash that killed Redding, Cauley was a survivor in many other ways. On June 6, 2015, Cauley was on hand to be inducted into the Official Rhythm & Blues Music Hall of Fame in Clarksdale, Mississippi, along with the other Bar-Kays. Trumpeter Ben Cauley, a member of the Stax Records group the Bar-Kays and the only survivor of the 1967 plane crash that killed most of his bandmates and Stax star Otis Redding, has died in Memphis. He didn't know how to swim, but he held on to a seat cushion, "I couldn't swim," Cauley said, "I didn't try.". ", "We kinda looked at each other, as young fellows do, and said, 'The battery's low?' Besides Cauley-Campbell, Cauley is survived by daughters Shuronda Cauley-Oliver, Miriam Cauley-Crisp, Monica Cauley-Johnson and Kimberly Garrett; and sons Phalon Richmond and Ben Wells. Bar-Kays would continue and prosper with new members after 1967 tragedy. Ben Cauley, who played trumpet with the rhythm-and-blues group the Bar-Kays and was the only survivor of the 1967 plane crash that killed Otis Redding, died on Monday in Memphis. His death was first reported by The Commercial Appeal. His music was really his life. ', Connected:He was a member of the Stax Records group the Bar-Kays and the only survivor of the 1967 plane crash that killed most of his bandmates and Stax star Otis Redding. We've received your submission. To encourage thoughtful and respectful conversations, first and last names will appear with each submission to CBC/Radio-Canada's online communities (except in children and youth-oriented communities). The cushion kept the musician afloat until a police boat arrived. Comments are welcome while open. Another band member, bassist James Alexander, was on a different plane. Three members of the southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd die in a Mississippi plane crash. "He asked about us doing some gigs. Doctors gave him three days to live. . Somehow, in between blacking out and rising to the surface of the water, he'd gotten hold of a seat cushion, which was keeping him afloat.
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