Henry Fambrough was an R&B singer best known as one of the original members of the Motown group the Spinners.
- Died: February 7, 2024 (Who else died on February 7?)
- Details of death: Died in Sterling, Virginia at the age of 85.
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Henry Fambrough’s legacy
Michigan-born Fambrough first joined the band that would become the Spinners in 1954. Then called the Domingoes, they formed in Ferndale, Michigan, just north of Detroit. Tri-Phi Records signed them after they changed their name. However, Fambrough was drafted by the U.S. Army in 1961 and the band continued without him. He returned two years later at the end of his service and rejoined the group, which changed its name to the Spinners. The group signed with Motown Records after it absorbed Tri-Phi and slowly began rising on the charts.
The band had modest hits in the mid ‘60s with “I’ll Always Love You,” “Truly Yours,” and “It’s a Shame,” but it wasn’t until their 1972 signing with Atlantic Records that they became big stars, best known for “Working My Way Back to You,” “The Rubberband Man,” and “Then Came You.” Though typically a part of the Spinners’ harmony ensemble, Fambrough took the lead on “Ghetto Child,” and he sang a duet with Dionne Warwick on “Just as Long as We Have Love.”
As of 2013, with the passing of Bobby Smith (1936–2013), Fambrough became the last remaining original member of the band. The Spinners continue to perform today, though Fambrough retired in early 2023. The group was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2023.
Tributes to Henry Fambrough
Full obituary: Detroit Free Press
