What’s poppin’, my culture-savvy darlings? Fasten your seatbelts ’cause we’re heading straight into the swirl of nostalgia while spilling some piping hot tea on this musical journey. We’re going back to the era of slick moves and silky tunes, reminiscing over the life of a man who knew how to make a crowd’s heart throb in beat with his rhythm. His name was Michael Sumler, but his fans, his squad, they knew him better as “Chicago Mike.” A maestro in his own right, our boy Chicago was blending passion and pleasure with Kool & the Gang for over three decades. His passing has left a crackling silence that echoes in the hearts of the R&B faithful worldwide.
Our tea leaves turned bitter this weekend as news rang through Cobb County, Georgia, that our adored star had his last curtain call. Chi-Mike’s vehicle collided with another on Veterans, just on the cusp of midnight this past Saturday. Our hearts may be heavy, but they’re also full of love remembering this beloved brother-in-beats, rhythm generator, an astounding leader, and blazing emblem of Black excellence.
Sumler, a giant among pygmies, master of grooves, and a sentimental poet behind the keys, brought the thunder with his energy. He was impossible to forget once you’d heard him play, laying down beats that hummed soulful symphonies into every ear they caressed. The sheer life that sprang forth from his agile fingers bouncing on that keyboard was sheer magic. An euphoria, we can agree, that’s left a tantalizing aftertaste, and some might say, an irreplaceable void in the hearts of his loyal fan base.
That was Chi-Mike for you – a man who could rock a joint like nobody’s business while being everybody’s best friend. Saying he was ‘just known’ to the music industry would be understating the scale of his social repertoire. Our boy had an affable spirit that drew people towards him, like bees to honey – or better yet, like us to a hot cup of zesty, bubbling cultural tea.
The timeless rhythms of Kool & the Gang perpetuated Sumler’s inextricable tide with that grand era of music, leaving behind traces of a golden period that’s both deeply heart-wrenching yet beautifully reticent. He was integral to the group, but words don’t do justice. In the music biz, we’d call him a “sleeper hit,” generally unassuming but possessing a thunderous presence that was felt in every note he played.
At this moment, it has gone quiet over here in the blogosphere. As we mourn, we also celebrate – in honor of a musical force that lit up stages and warmed hearts. We remember a friend who became family to many, spinning his delicious beats into the core of our culture. A relentless echo of a time that was, a time deeply marinated in the oils of soul, jazz, and R&B, his spirit will continue to reverberate through each one of us.
So here’s our final fanfare for this friend to many, this magnificent embodiment of music – our very own Chicago Mike. You played your heart out, your tunes blending with our heartbeats, etching your presence onto our souls. You may have exited the stage, but your spirit will keep playing in our hearts, one soulful melody at a time. Now that, my darling skankitties, is the ultimate tribute to a legend.
