Timmy Thomas Dies: Singer-Songwriter Of 1972 Hit Anti-War Anthem ‘Why Can’t We Live Together’ Was 77

deadline.com:

Timmy Thomas, the singer, songwriter and keyboardist whose minimalist yet urgent 1973 hit anti-war anthem “Why Can’t We Live Together” would eventually sell more than two million copies, died Friday, March 11, at a hospital in Miami.

He was 77.His family announced his death on Facebook and wife Lillie (Brown) Thomas told The New York Times that the cause was cancer.Accompanied only by his Lowrey organ and an early drum machine set to a staccato, bossa nova beat, Thomas delivered a fervent, melancholy vocal performance calling for an end to war as the conflict in Vietnam dragged on.

In a refrain that was as catchy as it was pleading, Thomas sang, “Everybody wants to live together/Why can’t we live together?”The song, released in August 1972, reached No.

1 on R&B charts and No. 3 on the Billboard Pop Singles chart in early 1973.Although Thomas would have various R&B singles charting modestly over the next decade, he’d never repeat the commercial success of “Why Can’t We Live Together.” He recalled in a 2015 Spin magazine interview that a record executive once told him, “Timmy, your major problem was what you said was so profound that you could never back it up.” Thomas added, “I had some nice regional records after that, but nothing that worldwide.”The song has lived on as a staple of ’70s-era oldies radio and, along with Freda Payne’s “Bring the Boys Home,” Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On,” Edwin Starr’s “War” and Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Fortunate Son,” remains a foundation of the era’s anti-war sentiment.The song received renewed attention when Drake sampled the original in his 2015 hit “Hotline Bling.”“Why Can’t We Live Together” has been covered by numerous artists, most notably Sade in 1984, Joan Osborne in