Remembering Jimmy Castor

American funk musician Jimmy Castor, best known for the 1972 hit single "Troglodyte (Cave Man)" and a signature saxophone sound which has been heavily sampled in hip-hop and films, passed away early in 2012. He was 71.

Jimmy "The E-Man" (or "The Everything Man") Castor was a multi-threat singer, writer, arranger, saxophonist, percussionist, and producer. With the exception of James Brown, no other performer's music weathered the changes in R&B as well as Jimmy Castor's. From the street-corner harmonies of Sugar Hill to the scratching turntables of today, Castor's music captured the limelight for over five decades now, still vital, never dating.

In the early 1950s, Castor would perform with Sugar Hill groups like The Teenagers, The Clintonian Cubs and The Casals before cutting his own "Latin Soul" tracks inspired by the growing Puerto Rican population of Harlem. The 70s would see Castor and his band The Jimmy Castor Bunch release the masterpiece It's Just Begun featuring two of Castor's best-known classics, the title track and "Troglodyte (Cave Man)." During this time, Castor would also lay down super funky grooves on a slew of chart-toppers including "Bertha Butt Boogie," "Potential," "King Kong," "Supersound," "Bom Bom," and "Space Age," tracks that continue to be sampled to this very day.

Learn more about his life and legacy here.

Listen to Supersound at Spotify.

Get Supersound from iTunes.

Get The Everything Man: The Best of the Jimmy Castor Bunch from Amazon.com.