BB Dickerson – one of the founding members of the funk band War – is apparently dead.
A rep confirms his death to Billboard, citing a battle with a long, unknown illness. He said BB – whose real name was Morris – died peacefully in his home in Long Beach.
Dickerson was one of the OG band members who helped put War on the map in the late ’60s and’ 70s – this after he was discovered by the record label Jerry Goldstein and with lead singer Eric Burdon … which subsequently served as the face of the group.
He was the main bassist of War and also regularly contributed to singing – including as lead singer duties for their 10-minute opus plus “The World is a Ghetto” – which has been repeatedly rethought and covered over the years. .
BB was also there for War’s biggest hit single to date, “Why Can We Be Friends?” plus a long list of other well-known tracks, such as ‘Spill the Wine’, ‘Gypsy Man’, ‘Low Rider’, ‘Me and Baby Brother’, ‘The Cisco Kid’, ‘All Day Music’, ‘Slippin’ Into Darkness , “” Summer “and many others.
He also performed with War when they especially shared the stage Jimi Hendrix in London in 1970 – which became the latter’s last public appearance before he died.
BB toured and performed with War until 1979 – when he left, only to reunite with other founding members in the 1990s under a new stage name, the Lowrider Band, while trying to get under Goldstein’s thumbs up. the rights to ‘War’.
BB is said to have survived his mother, uncle and children. He was 71.
TEAR