(March 21, 2024) The news from the family of Kevin Toney this morning hit us like a ton of bricks: After a brief battle with cancer, our beloved Kevin Toney peacefully transitioned on Monday March 18th, 2024. We want to thank our village for their prayers, love, and support over the last few months. The family requests privacy during this time.
There weren’t many musicians more talented or versatile than Kevin Toney. The 70 year old Detroit native earned his chops as a child in the music-filled city, learning piano, cello and sax. After graduating high school, he further honed his musical skills at Howard University, where he studied music theory and composition.
(March 21, 2024) The news from the family of Kevin Toney this morning hit us like a ton of bricks: After a brief battle with cancer, our beloved Kevin Toney peacefully transitioned on Monday March 18th, 2024. We want to thank our village for their prayers, love, and support over the last few months. The family requests privacy during this time.
There weren’t many musicians more talented or versatile than Kevin Toney. The 70 year old Detroit native earned his chops as a child in the music-filled city, learning piano, cello and sax. After graduating high school, he further honed his musical skills at Howard University, where he studied music theory and composition.
Toney's career took flight when he joined The Blackbyrds, a legendary jazz-funk group, in the 1970s. His keyboard virtuosity and knack for crafting infectious melodies became signature elements of the band's sound. Hits like "Rock Creek Park" and "Walking in Rhythm" catapulted The Blackbyrds to international fame, solidifying Toney's reputation as a musical force to be reckoned with.
Following his success with The Blackbyrds, Toney embarked on a solo career marked by innovation and artistic exploration. He turned heads with 1982’s Special K, but became a household name in the jazz world a dozen years later with Lovescape and the contemporary jazz smash song “Kings.” After the turn of the century, Toney’s album Strut became part of the chosen original music of the 2002 Winter Olympics.
In between his numerous solo projects and albums leading his own bands, Toney worked with a “who’s who” of popular artists, including Stevie Wonder, Frank Sinatra, Isaac Hayes and Aretha Franklin.
Kevin contacted me a decade ago with immense pride, hoping SoulTracks would cover the debut album by his daughter, the talented singer and actress Dominique Toney. The Kevin Toney-produced “Loving You’s So Easy” was a great introduction of Dominique, and became a hit with SoulTracks readers.
Kevin’s wife, costume designer Phyllis Toney, released the following quote: “Dominique and I have come to find out just how many lives he changed through the people he mentored, young and old – guiding them through their various struggles back into The Light. Since he passed, the love and appreciation for Kevin revealed to us from so many - people we never knew - is overwhelming. From giving people their first musical gigs to his guidance as a life mentor and spiritual teacher.”
The loss of Kevin Toney is a big one to the musical world, and we’ll be mourning it with three generations of jazz and soul fans. Rest in peace, Kevin.
By Chris Rizik