In Memoriam

In Memoriam: Howard Tate, soul singer, dead at 72

Soul singer Howard Tate has died in his New Jersey apartment a decade after a career resurrection that followed years of tragedy and obscurity.

Published

14 years ago

December 7, 2011

UVM Staff

Howard Tate dead at 72 Wikimedia Commons

Photo by Olivier Ménart (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Howard-Tate.jpg)

Soul singer Howard Tate has died at 72.

Table of Contents

Passing details for Howard Tate

According to reports, Tate passed away in his New Jersey apartment from natural causes Friday in Burlington City, a spokesman for the Burlington County medical examiner said.

Music Career

Tate was born in Macon, Ga., and grew up in Philadelphia.

In the late 1960s and early ’70s, he had three top 20 R&B hits, including “Get It While You Can,” written by his longtime producer Jerry Ragovoy and made more famous by singer Janis Joplin.

But Tate fell into drug addiction and ended up homeless. Ragovoy believed he had died.

Howard Tate’s comeback

He made a comeback a decade ago and got back with Ragovoy, making music.

His 2003 release “Rediscovered” was nominated for a Grammy for best contemporary blues album.

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Unheard Voices, an award-winning, family-operated online news magazine, began in 2004 as a community newsletter serving Neptune, Asbury Park, and Long Branch, N.J. Over time, it grew into a nationally recognized Black-owned media outlet. The publication remains one of the few dedicated to covering social justice issues. Its honors include the NAACP Unsung Hero Award and multiple media innovator awards for excellence in social justice reporting and communications.