Jimmy Castor Dead At 64

Jimmy Castor has died at the age of 64.

He passed away of unknown causes in Las Vegas on Monday (16Jan12).

The legendary saxophonist recorded a number of hit songs including Hey Leroy, Your Mama's Callin' You and I Promise to Remember, and he also featured on Dave 'Baby' Cortez's hit Rinky Dink.

He also formed the Jimmy Castor Bunch in 1972, which was composed of trumpeter Gerry Thomas, bassist Doug Gibson, guitarist Harry Jensen, conga player Lenny Fridle, Jr., and drummer Bobby Manigault.

Together they went on to win commercial success with hits like It's Just Begun, The Bertha Butt Boogie, King Kong and Potential.

The band's popularity largely faded at the end of the disco era, but its music has since been sampled by a number of artists, including hip-hop stars Kanye West, Pharrell Williams and Mos Def.

The group's tune It's Just Begun also served as the back-up track for the Rock Steady Crew in the 1983 film Flashdance.