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Jim Gilstrap, Stevie Wonder and ‘Good Times’ Vocalist, Dies at 79
Jim Gilstrap, the session vocalist best known for singing lead on Stevie Wonder's "You Are the Sunshine of My Life" and co-leading the theme song for the TV series Good Times, has died aged 79. He died of natural causes in Los Angeles on 18 July, closing out a career spanning more than five decades in which he became one of the music industry's most versatile and sought-after session singers.
Born in Texas on 10 November 1946, Gilstrap joined Stevie Wonder's backing band Wonderlove in the early 1970s, contributing to landmark albums including Talking Book, Innervisions and Fulfillingness' First Finale. He also had two US R&B chart hits as a solo artist in 1975, "Swing Your Daddy" and "I'm on Fire", and lent his voice to recordings by artists including Michael Jackson, Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston and Quincy Jones. He was the last surviving of ten siblings and is survived by his wife Gloria, along with children and grandchildren; memorial arrangements are pending.
In short
- Session singer Jim Gilstrap has died aged 79 in Los Angeles
- Sang lead on Wonder's "Sunshine" and Good Times theme
- Worked with Michael Jackson, Aretha Franklin and Whitney Houston
Explained simply
Jim Gilstrap was a session vocalist whose voice featured on some of the most widely heard songs in popular music. He is best known for singing lead on Stevie Wonder's "You Are the Sunshine of My Life" and for co-singing the theme song of the television series Good Times.
Over more than fifty years, Gilstrap became one of the music industry's most sought-after studio singers, hired to provide vocals on recordings by artists including Michael Jackson, Aretha Franklin and Whitney Houston. Session singers typically work behind the scenes and often go uncredited, making their contributions less visible to the public than those of named recording artists.
Beyond his work as a session musician, Gilstrap also achieved chart success as a solo artist in the 1970s with R&B hits including "Swing Your Daddy" and "I'm on Fire". His career demonstrated both the technical skill required to work across multiple genres and styles of music, and the significant influence that studio musicians have on the recorded music we hear.