Influential Guitarist, Songwriter & Producer Delaney Bramlett Dies
Singer, producer and longtime BMI songwriter Delaney Bramlett died Saturday, December 27 in Los Angeles. He was 69 years-old. Revered as one-half of Delaney & Bonnie, the duo which he cofounded with his then wife Bonnie Lynn O’Farrell, Bramlett influenced icons including Eric Clapton and George Harrison through his skilled guitar and slide guitar playing. In the late 1960’s, Delaney & Bonnie expanded to Delaney & Bonnie & Friends, a band that featured a revolving lineup of future legends including Leon Russell, Rita Coolidge, Duane Allman, Dave Mason, and Clapton.
As a producer, he helmed the boards for landmark projects including Eric Clapton’s eponymous solo debut. Bramlett’s most familiar work as a composer was a collaborator effort with Russell and Bonnie called “Superstar (Groupie),” a BMI Pop and Million-Air Award-winning song recorded by stars including The Carpenters, Joe Cocker, Bette Midler, Woody Herman, and Usher. The song has generated more than 3 million performances in the United States alone. He also co-penned BMI Pop, Country and Million-Air Award winner “Never Ending Song of Love,” recorded by Delaney & Bonnie, Ray Charles, The Statler Brothers, and Crystal Gayle, along with Eric Clapton’s “Let It Rain.”
After the break-up of Delaney & Bonnie, Bramlett proceeded to release several well-received solo albums.
In addition to his daughter Bekka Bramlett, also a singer and BMI songwriter, Delaney Bramlett is survived by his wife Susan Lanier-Bramlett, brother John and two addition daughters, Michele, and Suzanne and a son, Dylan Thomas, according to the Associated Press.
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