Bobby Caldwell dies: ‘What You Won’t Do For Love’ singer who wrote ‘The Next Time I Fall’ was 71

Bobby Caldwell, the soulful singer-songwriter who scored a Top 10 hit with “What You Won’t Do For Love” and wrote “The Next Time I Fall,” a #1 hit for Amy Grant and Peter Cetera, died today at his home in New York City after a long illness. He turned 71.

It was announced by his wife Mary Caldwell on social media, and said: “I held him tightly in my arms when he left us. I am forever sad. Thank you all for your many prayers over the years.” She added that his health had been deteriorating for more than six years since he developed an allergic reaction to an antibiotic.

Caldwell’s parents were born in Manhattan on August 15, 1951 and grew up in Miami. They were singers and hosted a music and variety TV show lunch time. He was a multi-instrumentalist whose youth band performed in Las Vegas before moving to Los Angeles, where he became the rhythm guitarist for rock pioneer Little Richard in the early 1970s. After working for more than half a decade to get a record deal, he returned to Miami.

Back in the Sunshine State, he was signed to Clouds Records, part of Henry Stone’s TK Records, which had great success with KC and the Sunshine Band. In 1978, Caldwell recorded one of his original songs, “What You Won’t Do for Love,” a smooth, sophisticated ballad punctuated by horns. Released as a red, heart-shaped 45, the song took off and entered the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100. His self-titled debut album narrowly missed the top 20 when Caldwell toured for Natalie Cole.

The enduring song has since been covered by numerous artists — Tupac Shakur famously sampled it in his posthumously released 1998 hit “Do for Love” — and has appeared in films and television series, among others. Because of last night And mind hunter

But TK Records collapsed in the early ’80s and the singer was unable to replicate that American success with his subsequent singles and albums, although he remained popular in Japan. He kept busy writing commercial jingles and wrote a few songs for them The new Mickey Mouse Cluband around this time, at the behest of his friend Boz Scaggs, Caldwell began selling his songs to other artists.

Upon his return to LA, Caldwell contributed tracks for artists such as Neil Diamond, Roberta Flack, Al Jarreau and Scaggs. In 1986, ex-Chicago singer Peter Cetera released the solo album Solitude/Solitaire, whose first single was the hit “Glory of Love.” The follow-up song played on the radio was “The Next Time I Fall”, a song written by Caldwell and recorded as a duet with Grant. It also went to No. 1 and Caldwell’s career was back on track.

“I’ve never seen myself as a songwriter for other people,” he told interviewer Steve Appleford in 1991. “It’s a completely different headspace to write for someone else’s style. But I really enjoyed doing it.”

In the mid-’80s, Caldwell wrote songs for films and television shows, including Simon And The perfect man along with other acts recording his tunes.

“I’ve never seen myself as a songwriter for other people,” he said in a 1991 interview with the Los Angeles Times. It’s a completely different headspace to write for someone else’s style. But I really enjoyed doing it.”

Caldwell would continue to write, record and tour in the 2010s and remain big in Japan.

Survivors are wife and daughters.