Departures of note

Benjamin William Lattimore, known professionally as Latimore, was an American blues and R&B singer, songwriter, and pianist. Born in Charleston, Tennessee, he was influenced by country music, his Baptist church choir, and the blues, and began his professional career as a pianist for various Florida-based groups before recording for Henry Stone's Dade label in Miami in the mid-1960s.

His breakthrough came in the early 1970s after moving to the Glades label, with a jazzy reworking of T-Bone Walker's 'Stormy Monday' reaching the R&B chart. His greatest success arrived in 1974 with 'Let's Straighten It Out,' which spent two weeks at number one on the R&B singles chart and reached number 31 on the Billboard Hot 100. He followed with further hits including 'Keep the Home Fire Burnin'' and 'Somethin' 'Bout 'Cha.'

Latimore moved to Malaco Records in 1982, releasing seven albums of modern blues music, and continued recording into the 2000s. He also worked as a session pianist, appearing on Joss Stone's albums and on The Tonight Show. In 2017 he was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame. He died on August 22, 2026, at the age of 86.