In the mid-1960s trumpeter and flugelhorn player Chuck Mangione was a member of Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers and recorded two albums with them. Mangione was in the chair that had previously been filled by such jazz trumpet luminaries as Clifford Brown, Lee Morgan, Kenny Dorham and Freddie Hubbard. A decade later he was one of the most popular solo artists in the world releasing a series of records that made their mark on both the jazz and pop charts. Chuck Mangione was born in Rochester, New York on November 29, 1940, 85 years ago today.

Early in his career Chuck Mangione worked with his pianist brother and released three albums as The Mangione Brothers on Riverside Records. Chuck studied at the Eastman School of Music in his hometown before joining the Jazz Messengers. From 1968 until 1972 he served as the director of the Eastman Jazz Ensemble.

Chuck Mangione’s big breakthrough came with the 1973 record “Land of Make Believe” which received significant airplay. It was Chuck’s eighth album as a leader and featured his brother Gap, Jon Faddis on trumpet and vocalist Esther Satterfield. Three years later, Mangione’s composition Chase the Clouds Away was featured at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal.

Mangione reached the pinnacle of his popularity with the huge success of the 1978 album “Feels So Good,” and its title track which reached #4 on the U.S. pop charts. The song was #1 on the Billboard magazine adult contemporary charts. That same year Mangione composed the soundtrack for the movie “Children of Sanchez.” His performance of the title tune won him a Grammy for Best Pop Instrumental Performance.

In addition to his career as a musician, Chuck Mangione also appeared as an actor in Magnum P.I. and had a recurring role as a voice actor in the animated television series “King of the Hill” where he played himself in cartoon form. Chuck Mangione passed away in 2025.

Here is a link to Chuck Mangione’s best-known song:

"FEELS SO GOOD"