TIMMY THOMAS

Timothy Earle Thomas was born in Evansville, Indiana, on November 13, 1944, one of twelve children. By age ten, he was playing the organ at his father’s church. In high school, Thomas formed his first band. In 1962, he won a scholarship to the Stan Kenton Jazz Clinic. There he studied with Cannonball Adderley, Donald Byrd, and Woody Herman.

Thomas told Blues & Soul magazine, “When I got a scholarship to attend Lane College in Hendersonville, Tennessee, I started messing with a lot of the dudes who were into a soul thing. I started getting session work with Stax, and I played on a lot of Stax/Volt Records. I played with the Mar-Keys, filling in when Booker T took leave.”

Thomas also worked as a studio musician for another Memphis label, Goldwax. His keyboards accompanied acts like James Carr, Percy Milem, Spencer Wiggins, and O.V. Wright. Thomas also belonged to a group called Phillip & The Faithfuls, who released material on Goldwax. Label owners Bobby Russell and Quinton Claunch were impressed with Thomas’ playing and let him record two singles (accompanied by Willie Mitchell’s band), but neither “Have Some Boogaloo” nor “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On” did anything.

When Goldwax folded in 1969, Thomas returned to college to further his musical studies. In 1970, he released a single on Climax Records called “What’s Bothering Me.” Like his Goldwax sides, it was commercially unsuccessful. By 1972, Thomas was in Miami, where he took a teaching position at Florida Memorial College. He also opened a lounge on the beach and would often provide the entertainment himself.

One song in particular resonated with his audiences. As Thomas had done session work with the Miami-based TK label, he presented his song to owner Henry Stone, who released it on his Glades imprint. With its lengthy organ intro, metronome-like beat, and lyrics about peace, love and brotherhood, “Why Can’t We Live Together” took off nationally, hitting #1 on Billboard magazine’s Soul singles chart and #3 pop in early 1973. It also reached #6 in Canada and #12 in England.

Thomas remained with TK until the label went out of business in 1980. He continued to record while also providing back-up for Betty Wright and KC & The Sunshine Band (among others). In 1984, the Nigerian-born soul singer Sade did a cover version of “Why Can’t We Live Together.”

While Thomas was never able to duplicate his initial success, thirteen of his singles made the Soul chart through 1984. He also continued to run his lounge while recording for Gold Mountain Records. In the ‘90s, Thomas did production work for LaFace Records. And in 2015, Drake sampled “Why Can’t We Live Together” on his song, “Hotline Bling.”

Timmy Thomas, 77, died in Miami of cancer on March 11, 2022.

Charted singles:

“Why Can’t We Live Together” (1972-73) R&B #1 (2 weeks), Pop #3
“People Are Changin’” (1973) R&B #23, Pop #75
“Let Me Be Your Eyes” (1973) R&B #48, Pop #107
“What Can I Tell Her” (1973) R&B #19, Pop #102
“One Brief Moment” (1974)
“I’ve Got to See You Tonight” (1974) R&B #31
“You’re the Song (I’ve Always Wanted to Sing)” (1974) R&B #78
“Sexy Woman” (1975) R&B #69
“Stone to the Bone” (1977) R&B #74, Dance #12 “
Touch to Touch” (1977) Dance #32
“Freak In, Freak Out” (1978) R&B #92
“Are You Crazy??? (Part 1)” (1981) R&B #73
“Gotta Give a Little Love (Ten Years After)” (1984) R&B #29, Pop #80, Dance #28
“Love Is Never Too Late” (1984) R&B #90