*Ralph Tavares of the R&B group Tavares died Wednesday at his home in South Dartmouth, Massachusetts. He was 79, and would’ve turned 80 today, Dec. 10. His cause of death has not yet been released.
The Grammy-winning group featured Ralph and his four other brothers, Antone Laurence “Chubby” Tavares, Perry Lee “Tiny” Tavares, Feliciano Vierra “Butch” Tavares Jr., and Arthur Paul “Pooch” Tavares. Ralph Tavares was the eldest. In 1975, they released their smash hit “It Only Takes a Minute.” They performed it on “Soul Train” below;
A string of hits followed including “Heaven Must be Missing an Angel” and “More Than a Woman.”
Hailing from New Bedford, Massachusetts, Ralph Tavares worked at the New Bedford and Fall River courts for over 30 years, retiring in 2015.
Tavares won a Grammy in 1978 for the single “More Than a Woman” on the “Saturday Night Fever” soundtrack, which won Album of the Year. The group was nominated for a Grammy in 1982 for their hit single “A Penny for Your Thoughts.”
They had six gold and two platinum albums, a Grammy Award and fans around the world when, in 1984, Ralph Tavares quit the group. He reunited with his brothers in 2014 and continued performing with them until his death.
The group’s manager David Oriola said they had a show booked for Saturday night in the Poconos, where they were going to celebrate his 80th birthday.
