Philippe Wynne's tragic life and death

So often we enjoy the music of individuals and groups but have no idea of the pain they may have endured. Television shows such as CENSORED, BEHIND THE MUSIC,and UNSUNG have told some pretty horrific stories about those who entertain us. You can also find out about the lives of popular musicians and singers by searching the Internet. I was recently listening to Knee Deep by Parliament/Funkadelic where Philippe Wynne had a lead part. I recalled that he had died young from a heart attack and decided to research his story. I had no idea of the harsh life he lived and the tragedies that befell his family.

Before joining Parliament/Funkadelic on their hit Knee Deep, Phillippe Wynne was the lead singer for the group The Spinners. He was born Philippe Escalante Walker on April 3, 1941 and sang solo on the Spinners hits How Could I Let You Get Away", "The Rubberband Man", and "One of a Kind (Love Affair)".

The entertainer was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, to DeGree Walker and Annie Wynn Walker who divorced in November 1947. Their father, DeGree Walker, was granted custody after the divorce, because their mother, Annie, had run off to Detroit with another man. Around 1952, Philippe and his three siblings were sent to the New Orphanage Asylum for Colored Children in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Around 1956, Philippé and his brother, Michael, ran away from the orphanage and went to Detroit, Michigan to locate their mother. In Detroit, the siblings formed a gospel group in the early 1960s called the Walker Singers. Philippe later began using his mother's sir name of Wynn without the e and switched to R&B music. In 1981 Wynne said the hardest thing about being sent to an orphanage was knowing that both of his parents were still alive.

Philippe achieved some measure of success, in 1968 singing with Bootsy Collins's Pacemakers and later with James Brown's J.B.'s. Wynne spent some time in Germany as the lead singer of the Afro Kings, a band from Liberia. He replaced his cousin, G. C. Cameron, as one of the lead vocalists for The Spinners when Cameron went solo. During his time with The Spinners, the group had a number of successful singles and albums.

Wynne wanted the group's name changed to Philippe Wynn and the Spinners. When this was denied, he left the group in 1977 and launched his solo career, Neither Wynn nor the Spinners would experience the level of success they achieved when they were together. Wynne's first album Starting All Over was released in 1977 on Cotillion Records but had no hit singles and limited success. and no hit singles.

After Cotillion Records released him from his contract Wynne began working with George Clinton and Parliament-Funkadelic in 1979. Wynne also connected again with Bootsie Collins and appeared on the album Sweat Band. Wynne released his second solo album, Wynne Jammin', in 1980 on Uncle Jam Records, but the album did not sell very well.

Wynne later made a guest appearance on the song "Something Inside My Head" by Gene Dunlap, and in the song "Whip It" by the Treacherous Three. His final album was self-titled Philippé Wynne and released in 1984 by Sugar Hill Records. On July 13, 1984, Philippe Wynne was performing at Ivey's nightclub in Oakland, California. He suffered a heart attack and died the following morning at the age of 43.

On February 1, 1973 Philippe Wynne married Ava Leflor in Las Vegas, Nevada. They had two sons, Emmanuel Wynn born in 1973 and Alvarez Escalante Wynn came along in 1975. Philippé and Ava eventually divorced and both of his sons died tragically. Alvarez was killed in a drive-by shooting in 1999 in Compton, California. Emmanuel, who was living in Daytona Beach, Florida, died one year later. He tried to save a man from drowning in 2000 and he drowned in the process. Emmanuel was posthumously awarded a medal of honor.