Tony Wilson, Hot Chocolate Bassist/Songwriter of ‘You Sexy Thing’ Dies at 89
Categoria: Musica
The co-founder of the soul band who were the first predominantly black British band to have chart success in the U.S. in the 1970s, passed at his home in Trinidad last week.
Por Billboard | 01/05/2026
Tony Wilson, the bassist and co-founder of 1970s British funk/soul group Hot Chocolate , has died at age 89. The singer, guitarist and songwriter known for such iconic 1970s funk tunes as “You Sexy Thing” and “Emma,” passed on April 24 in his native Trinidad, according to his family, with no cause of death announced at press time. Wilson’s death was confirmed in a Facebook post by his daughter, who wrote, “He left a lot of music behind…forever and ever. I am thankful that on Friday 17th during our conscious talk time he was led to the Lord with understanding. Some mornings later he asked for prayers. He said that he was leaving. The peace that I have is knowing that his soul escaped. He is in and at peace. That is the peace I also have. I give God thanks and praise. Look around….We carry nothing with us. We have to make our election sure. This is serious. The question remains, in the end, where will we spend eternity?” The singer’s son, Danny Wilson, also posted a remembrance of the singer and songwriter who died at his home in Trinidad, saying, “Words don’t do justice to the admiration I have for him as a human being or for his dedication to make his dream of getting the songs he wrote be heard. It wasn’t until my mum dug out some old diaries of his from 1970 and ’71 that I realised just how hard he had to work to achieve this dream. Trust me, it is truly staggering. The knock backs, the interviews, the touring, the radio shows, the meticulous documenting of record sales. All the pressures of what was a cut throat music industry in the 70s. It’s all in those diaries.” Anthony Wilson was born in Trinidad on Oct. 8, 1936 and performed in a series of bands as a teenager before becoming a go-to songwriter for a number of British pop and folk acts, including Herman’s Hermits (“Bet Yer Life I Do”), Julie Felix (“Heaven Is Here”) and Mary Hopkin (“Think About Your Children”). His life changed in the late 1960s when he met British-Jamaican singer-songwriter Errol Brown, with whom he founded the British soul funk group Hot Chocolate in 1968. The group — the first predominantly black British band to achieve major chart success in the U.S. — scored a series of hits beginning in 1974 with the release of their debut album, Cicero Park , which combined funk, soul, folk and proto-disco beats on tracks including the title song, as well as the ballads “A Love Like Yours” and “Emma” as well as the body moving jams “Disco Queen,” “Funky Rock ‘n’ Roll” and “Bump and Dilly Down.” Wilson is best known for co-writing the band’s 1975 smash “You Sexy Thing” from their second album, Hot Chocolate , which hit No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was blocked from topping the U.K. singles chart — where it topped out at No. 2 — by none other than Queen&