Noted
The Commercial Appeal reports police say, the 70-year-old
Cunningham, a security guard in a apartment complex, heard a shot
in the Cherry Crest Apartments in Southeast Memphis
just before 2am Sunday and went to investigate. When police arrived at the
complex at 1460 Cherry, both Cunningham and a 16-year-old boy were found dead
from gunshot wounds.
Reached at his home in the Washington
D.C. area, Cunningham's brother Bill, a
founding member of '60s Memphis
pop-soul band the Box Tops, could only verify that his brother had been shot
and killed in the incident.
During a career that spanned more than 50 years, Cunningham
proved one of the most versatile talents in Memphis , working as a musician, frontman,
songwriter, session player, engineer and producer.
Born Blake Baker Cunningham Jr., he established a national
reputation in 1965 as a member of Ronnie and the Daytonas, known for the song
"G.T.O."
That band would eventually morph into the Hombres.
Cunningham would play keyboards and sing for the group, which scored a #12
chart hit with "Let It All Hang Out" in 1967.
After the Hombres career slowed, Cunningham went to work
behind the scenes at the famed Sounds of Memphis Studios. In 1971, he moved to Los Angeles where he
served as chief engineer at Independent Recorders, working with the likes of
Billy Joel, Elton John, and Lou Rawls.
He would ultimately return to Memphis a few years later, launching his own
studio. Since 1997, Cunningham had also been a member of Jerry Lee Lewis' band.
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