The music world is mourning the loss of Chuck Mangione, the Grammy-winning flugelhorn player, trumpeter, composer, and proud Rochester native whose sound defined an era and whose generosity shaped generations of musicians.
His parents, jazz enthusiasts who owned a local grocery store, helped spark his early interest in music. Mangione began taking piano lessons in elementary school, but it was the 1950 film Young Man with a Horn that inspired him to switch to the trumpet. With his pianist brother, Gap, Chuck started a band while still in high school and soon found himself playing alongside jazz legends like Dizzy Gillespie and Miles Davis.
Chuck’s musical journey led him to the Eastman School of Music from 1958 to 1963, where he discovered the flugelhorn—the instrument that would become his signature. His breakthrough came in the 1960s as a member of Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, and later with his brother in their group the Jazz Brothers. From 1968 to 1972, he served as director of the Eastman jazz ensemble, guiding young musicians while continuing to perform and compose.
In 1970, Mangione’s Friends and Love, a live collaboration with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, earned him his first Grammy nomination and set the stage for his national recognition. Chuck Mangione became a household name in 1977 with the release of Feels So Good, a smooth jazz-pop instrumental that reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100—a rare feat for an instrumental track.
Beyond the charts, Mangione’s compositions resonated on the world stage. His piece Chase the Clouds Away was featured at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, and Give It All You Got became the theme of the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, where he performed it live during the closing ceremony.
With over 30 albums to his name and 14 Grammy nominations, Mangione won twice—first in 1977 for Bellavia, a tribute to his mother, and again for the soundtrack to The Children of Sanchez, which also earned a Golden Globe nod. In 2009, he donated his famous brown felt hat, original scores, and other artifacts to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History.
Mangione found new audiences through television. He made appearances on Magnum, P.I. and enjoyed a recurring animated role as himself on King of the Hill. He embraced the pop culture exposure with good humor—his 2000 album even includes a track titled “Peggy Hill” in homage to the series.
In 2012, Chuck was inducted into the inaugural class of the Rochester Music Hall of Fame—a fitting honor for a hometown hero whose music touched the world.