Dean Daughtry

{{short description|American musician (1946–2023)|bot=PearBOT 5}} {{Use mdy dates|date=March 2024}} {{Infobox musical artist | name = Dean Daughtry | image = Dean Daughtry 1977 (cropped).JPG | caption = Daughtry in 1977 | birth_name = William Dean Daughtry | birth_date = {{birth date|1946|9|8}} | birth_place = Kinston, Alabama, U.S. | death_date = {{Death date and age|2023|1|26|1946|9|8}} | death_place = Huntsville, Alabama, U.S. | genre = Soft rock, southern rock | occupation = Musician | instrument = Keyboards | years_active = | label = }}

'''William Dean Daughtry''' (September 8, 1946 – January 26, 2023) was an American musician.

Daughtry was the keyboardist for The Candymen, a group that was known for being Roy Orbison's backup band. Daughtry also became the keyboardist for the Classics IV, a group known primarily for the hit songs "Spooky", "Stormy", and "Traces". He, along with Classics IV bandmate J. R. Cobb and Candymen bandmates Robert Nix, Barry Bailey, and Rodney Justo, founded the Atlanta Rhythm Section in 1971. He was the sole constant member<ref>{{cite web |url={{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p52901/biography|pure_url=yes}} |title=Biography: Atlanta Rhythm Section|last=Prato |first=Greg |publisher=AMG |accessdate=May 7, 2010}}</ref> until retiring in 2020. They had two US top ten hits: "So in to You" (in 1977) and "Imaginary Lover" (in 1978), both of which reached #7 on the Billboard Hot 100. A new rendition of "Spooky" also made it to #17 in 1979.

Daughtry was born in Kinston, Alabama. He died in Huntsville, Alabama, on January 26, 2023, at the age of 76.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://ultimateclassicrock.com/dean-daughtry-atlanta-rhythm-section-dies/|title=Dean Daughtry, Co-Founder of Atlanta Rhythm Section, Dead at 76 |access-date=January 27, 2023 |publisher=Ultimate Classic Rock |date=January 26, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Ruggieri |first1=Melissa |title=Dean Daughtry, co-founder of Atlanta Rhythm Section, dies at 76: 'He left his imprint' |url=https://eu.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/music/2023/01/26/dean-daughtry-dies-atlanta-rhythm-section-keyboardist-co-founder/11128468002/ |access-date=January 27, 2023 |publisher=USA Today |date=January 26, 2023}}</ref>

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== * {{discogs artist|Dean Daughtry}} * {{IMDb name|2048540}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Daughtry, Dean}} Category:1946 births Category:2023 deaths Category:20th-century American keyboardists Category:Atlanta Rhythm Section members Category:People from Coffee County, Alabama