Arthur Conley: The gay man who made “Sweet Soul Music” & then disappeared
The Magnificent Seven. The song, clocking in at just two minutes and 20 seconds, proved a hit, reaching No. 2 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and Billboard R&B charts.
Sam Cooke died in 1964, but the late singer’s estate did not take kindly to the fact Redding and Conley were listed as sole co-writers of “Sweet Soul Music.” Cooke’s late business partner successfully sued and Cooke’s name was added to the credits.Conley recorded a couple more songs with Redding, but then tragedy struck.
On 10 December 1967, on a flight to a concert in Wisconsin, Redding was killed in a private plane crash, alongside five others.Conley struggled to repeat the alchemy he’d found with Redding.
He worked with a succession of songwriters and producers, but the results were mixed. He enjoyed another hit with “Funky Street,” and recorded a cover of the Beatles’ track “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da.” The b-side was a tribute he wrote for Redding, called “Otis Sleep On.” The single went to number 51 on the Billboard chart in 1969.
