MEMPHIS, Tenn. Trumpeter Ben Cauley, a member of the Stax Records group the Bar-Kays and the only survivor of the 1967 plane crash that killed most of his bandmates and Stax star Otis Redding . Besides Cauley-Campbell, Cauley is survived by daughters Shuronda Cauley-Oliver, Miriam Cauley-Crisp, Monica Cauley-Johnson and Kimberly Garrett; and sons Phalon Richmond and Ben Wells. Able to hold on to a seat cushion, Cauley was the only survivor. His death was first reported by The Commercial Appeal. He formed the Bar-Kays at Booker T. Washington High School with friends: James Alexander, Ronnie Caldwell, Carl Cunningham, Jimmy King, and Phalon Jones. The cushion kept the musician afloat until a police boat arrived. I was shaking all over. Learn how and when to remove this template message, Official Rhythm & Blues Music Hall of Fame. Once he said that, I couldn't talk. It was a very distinct sound. Find the best deals on Women's Handbags & Wallets from your favorite brands. Shop the best selection of deals on Laptops now. Despite the lingering scars of his past, Cauley continued to work and perform, his horn in demand for sessions in Memphis, Muscle Shoals, even Nashville. You know, for a long time I used to tell my kids, 'One day I'm going back.' Thanks for contacting us. All Rights Reserved. I remember I got up, unbuckled my seatbelt to see what it was. Not music to our ears:Trumpeter Ben Cauley has died in Memphis at the age of 67, according toThe Commercial Appeal; here he is seen in 2009, His pal: Otis Redding looking dapper in a publicity still in the 1970s. Do not sell or share my personal information. MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) Trumpeter Ben Cauley, a member of the Stax Records group the Bar-Kays and the only survivor of the 1967 plane crash that killed most of his bandmates and Stax star Otis Redding, has died in Memphis. As the years passed, there was more sadness at Stax -- the company went bankrupt in 1975, and in 1989 they bulldozed the studio. Deals and discounts in Cookware you dont want to miss. She said some of the musicians needed permission slips from their parents to travel with the band. While he has long been known as the sole survivor of the crash that killed Redding just as his career was peaking, Cauley was a survivor in many other ways. He could jam: Musicians Derek Huston, Marc Franklin, Cauley and Joe Restivo of the Bo-Keys open for Cyndi Lauper at The Club Nokia in LA in 2011. Able to hold on to a seat cushion, Cauley was the only survivor. On Dec. 10, 1967, they were traveling on Redding's new twin engine Beechcraft when it went into Lake Monona near Madison, Wisconsin. 42,781, This story has been shared 14,281 times. Bar-Kays bassist James Alexander had taken a different flight, as there was not enough room left on Redding's plane. 12,066, This story has been shared 10,111 times. Bar-Kays would continue and prosper with new members after 1967 tragedy. The plane crashed in icy Lake Monona. After the crash, the pair rebuilt the Bar-Kays and backed Isaac Hayes on his landmark album, Hot Buttered Soul, according to the Memphis Music Hall of Fame's website. Please note that CBC does not endorse the opinions expressed in comments. She said some of the band members needed permission slips from their parents to travel with the band. See for yourself by trying this new quiz devised by cardiologists 'They told me anyone wearing Trump has to go now': Ron DeSantis book signing event in Florida turns ugly Another close call! In a way, the experience seems to have been a catharsis, providing Cauley some measure of peace. But surviving the impact of the crash was only the first hurdle. Since the crash, Cauley has played with numerous bands, including a reconstituted Bar-Kays, Isaac Hayes, and the Muscle Schoals Band. Before long, the young Bar-Kays -- most of them, still in high school -- were a hit act, and being groomed to become Stax's second house band alongside Booker T. &the MGs. His music was really his life. These days, Cauley has recovered almost fully from his stroke -- the only reminder is some occasional difficulty with his speech. Shop the best selection of deals on Cameras now. Cauley was born in South Memphis, Tennessee. ', Connected:He was a member of the Stax Records group the Bar-Kays and the only survivor of the 1967 plane crash that killed most of his bandmates and Stax star Otis Redding. "I didn't know it, but my head was swollen and bleeding, and I remember I had only one shoe". The next morning we got up real early to go to the airport, on the way to Madison.". MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) Trumpeter Ben Cauley, a member of the Stax Records group the Bar-Kays and the only survivor of the 1967 plane crash that killed most of his bandmates and Stax star Otis Redding, has died in Memphis.He was 67. He sang Reddings (Sittin On) The Dock of the Bay as part of a ceremony at the Monona Terrace on the banks of the lake. Ben Cauley. Reputation management expert reveals why it doesn't just happen to Beijing warns Elon Musk 'don't bite the hand that feeds you' after the Tesla chief - who sells 40% of his Is YOUR lifestyle good for your heart? Shop the best selection of deals on Tools & Utensils now. When those moments come, alone in the darkness, he tries to think instead of the music they made together; he tries to conjure the sweet sounds of soul and Stax, the things that have sustained him all the years since. Save up to 50% on Maternity Clothing when you shop now. On Dec. 10, 1967, they were traveling on Reddings new twin-engine Beechcraft when it went into Lake Monona near Madison, Wisconsin. Shop our favorite Makeup finds at great prices. 14,281, This story has been shared 12,066 times. In the difficult aftermath of his stroke, Cauley's musical future seemed limited. One band member, Ben Cauley, survived. Did Ben Cauley survive the 1967 plane crash? Hes been with the church for more than 20 years. Save up to 50% on Trending when you shop now. 'He really loved his music. "Honestly, I didn't even know what it was. The effort to retrieve bodies, personal effects and the parts of the plane took place over 10 days. Save up to 50% on Women's Clothing when you shop now. Three members of the southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd die in a Mississippi plane crash. "They had given him three days to live after his stroke," says Cauley's daughter Chekita. His body was perhaps a couple minutes away from going into hypothermia when he was pulled from the waters. 'It was a very distinct sound. Audience Relations, CBC P.O. I was conscious at that time," says Cauley. Cauley started attending LeMoyne College in 1965, before becoming a professional musician.[1]. Trumpeter Ben Cauley, a member of the Stax Records group the Bar-Kays and the only survivor of the 1967 plane crash that killed most of his bandmates and Stax star Otis Redding, has died in Memphis. In 2007, Bob Mehr told the story of Ben Cauley, trumpet player for the Bar-Kays, who was the lone survivor of the crash. Able to hold on to a seat cushion, Cauley was the only survivor. "He really loved his music. Otis went wild. The Bar-Kays were inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2013. He was the only survivor of the 1967 plane crash that claimed the lives of soul singer Otis Redding and four members of the Bar-Kays. But we took off going to Madison with no problems. On the eve of the crash's 40th anniversary, the 60-year-old Cauley sits in his home recording studio in Southeast Memphis with two of his daughters, Chekita Cauley-Campbell and Shuronda Cauley-Oliver, talking emotionally and candidly about his remarkable life. When he was a senior, he would be picked up at high school on a Friday, travel and play with Redding on the weekends and then come back to school the next week. Able to hold on to a seat cushion, Cauley was the only survivor. Several hundred people came and listened, and bathed him in appreciative applause. "It's really that simple. His music was really his life. Mr. Cauley started playing with the Bar-Kays while attending Booker T. Washington High School in Memphis, his daughter said. Trumpeter Ben Cauley, a member of the Stax Records group the Bar-Kays and the only survivor of the 1967 plane crash that killed most of his bandmates and Stax star Otis Redding, has died in Memphis. Another band member, bassist James Alexander, was on a different plane. Ben S. Cauley, Jr. was an American trumpet player, vocalist, songwriter, and founding member of the Stax recording group the Bar-Kays. He was a member of the Stax Records group the Bar-Kays and the only survivor of the 1967 plane crash that killed most of his bandmates and Stax star Otis Redding. Shop our favorite Women's Shoes finds at great prices. It was a pitch above the roof.. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA Enterprise and the Google, Visit Billboard Pro for music business news, Kodak Black Arrest Warrant Issued in Florida Over Failed DrugTest, Brad Paisley Drops Song Featuring Ukrainian Pres. They had three gigs booked between Dec. 8 and 10, 1967, and most of the entourage was traveling on Redding's new twin engine Beechcraft. Madison Police Inspector John Harrington was quoted as saying that a person without insulated SCUBA gear "wouldn't live longer than 20 or so minutes" in the icy water.[4]. 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", Martin Luther King, Junior accepts Nobel Peace Prize; Women get the right to vote in Wyoming Territory; America's first domestic passenger jet flight takes off; Soul singer Otis Redding, General Augusto Pinochet die. He didn't really know he was there at that point. After the crash, Cauley reformed the Bar-Kays, who celebrated their 50th anniversary this year. Trumpeter Ben Cauley, a member of the Stax Records group the Bar-Kays and the only survivor of the 1967 plane crash that killed most of his bandmates and Stax star Otis Redding, has died in Memphis. It was a very distinct sound. Ben Cauley, musician and sole survivor in Otis Redding plane crash, dead at 67 | CBC News Loaded. No one could play like him, she said. ', Drama on set! Trumpeter Ben Cauley has died in Memphis at the age of 67. After the crash, Mr. Cauley and Mr. Alexander rebuilt the Bar-Kays. "When you consider what he's experienced and yet he can still get up and have the kind of energy that entertains people," says Porter, "it's a true testament to what's inside of this guy. Besides Cauley-Campbell, Cauley is survived by daughters Shuronda Cauley-Oliver, Miriam Cauley-Crisp, Monica Cauley-Johnson and Kimberly Garrett; and sons Phalon Richmond and Ben Wells. He'd raise his trumpet, close his eyes and with intensity signaled by the tightening of his brows send air flowing through his horn routinely causing goose Continued "I had to see it. ", Porter marvels not just at Cauley's resilience, but at how he continues to play and perform with the same exuberance and joy he exhibited on the Bar-Kay's delirious debut, the immortal "Soul Finger." The Bar-Kays joined the Stax studio by 1966, and were signed on to Stax's subsidiary Volt Records in the beginning of 1967. Although initially paralyzed, he relearned how to walk and talk (with occasional speech difficulty), and read and write. ", In the wake of the accident, the entire Stax family was shaken to its core. He then played some trumpet and sang elegiac renditions of Redding's "Try A Little Tenderness" and "(Sittin On) The Dock of the Bay.". Trumpeter Ben Cauley, a member of the Stax Records group the Bar-Kays and the only survivor of the 1967 plane crash that killed most of his bandmates and Stax star Otis Redding, has died in Memphis. Somehow, in between blacking out and rising to the surface of the water, he'd gotten hold of a seat cushion, which was keeping him afloat. On September 12, 2008, the scholarship was founded. In early December, Redding and the Bar-Kays were back out on the road, doing weekenders at colleges. We've received your submission. Cauley was playing with the Bar-Kays while still attending high school at Booker T. Washington High School in Memphis, his daughter said. 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