Chuck Mangione, Grammy-winning flugelhorn master, bridged jazz musician and ‘Feels So Good’ creator, passes at 84
Chuck Mangione, the distinguished jazz composer and bandleader who achieved unexpected mainstream success with his 1978 jazz instrumental “Feels So Good,” has passed away at 84, as announced on his official website.
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A native of Rochester, New York, where he was born on Nov. 29, 1940, he initially performed and recorded alongside his brother, keyboard player Gaspare “Gap” Mangione, as the Mangione Brothers. Following his studies at the esteemed Eastman School of Music in his birthplace, he played trumpet with legendary bandleader Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers and various other groups, including collaborating with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra for the 1970 album “Friends & Love…A Chuck Mangione Concert.”
Chuck Mangione – Cinemagic 2006 – Plock / Poland
Photo credit: Mieszko64, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
His reputation expanded through subsequent releases of his compositions, including the 1975 RIAA gold-certified album “Chase the Clouds Away,” whose title piece was featured during the 1976 Summer Olympics coverage, and the Grammy-winning “Bellavia” in 1977.
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However, it was his 1977 release “Feels So Good” and its radio-friendly title track that catapulted him to mainstream recognition. The recording, which showcased him on flugelhorn accompanied by his established quartet – guitarist Grant Geissman, bassist Charles Meeks, multi-instrumentalist Chris Vadala, and percussionist James Bradley Jr. – reached No. 4 on Billboard’s Hot 100 singles chart, while the album secured the No. 2 spot on the comprehensive Billboard 200 albums chart, surpassed only by the Bee Gees’ “Saturday Night Fever” soundtrack. “Feels So Good” eventually achieved double-platinum status, signifying sales exceeding two million units.
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His subsequent works included the 1978 gold-certified soundtrack for the Anthony Quinn film “Children of Sanchez,” whose title song earned him his second Grammy Award. The 1979 gold-certified album “Fun and Games” featured “Give It All You Got,” which ABC used in their 1980 Winter Olympics coverage and received two Grammy nominations; he accumulated 13 Grammy nominations throughout his career, including his two victories.
Throughout his career, he recorded approximately 30 albums, concluding with the 2000 release “Everything for Love.” Though his widespread popularity diminished after his 1970s peak, he remained culturally relevant into the 2000s, poking fun at his image through voice acting in the animated series “King of the Hill,” portraying an exaggerated version of his “Feels So Good” album cover persona.
In 2012, the Rochester Music Hall of Fame inducted him, where he was quoted saying, “If you’re honest and play with love, people will sit down and listen… my music is the sum of all I have experienced.”
Source:
Christopher Watson (July 24, 2025). Chuck Mangione, ‘Feels So Good’ musician and bandleader, dead at 84. ABC News. https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Culture/chuck-mangione-feels-good-musician-bandleader-dead-84/story?id=124040942
Header Image: Chuck Mangione – Cinemagic 2006 – Plock / Poland
Photo credit: Mieszko64, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
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