Fame does not exclude those affected

To the shock of the rock, blues and jazz community that an icon like Bobby Caldwell has passed. He has alleged and confirmed that his issues were due to taking a fluoroquinolone antibiotic 6 years prior. His family also confirmed this in a recent USA today article. News like this helps our efforts to let the rest of the world know the harm of these drugs.

Bobby, A Music Legend harmed by Fluoroquinolones

Caldwell was born in New York in 1951 and was raised in Miami. According to his website, he grew up listening to famed musicians including Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra and The Beatles. 

He was the son of singers who hosted a musical variety TV show called “Suppertime.” A multi-instrumentalist, he began performing professionally at 17, and got his break playing guitar in Little Richard’s band in the early 1970s. In the mid ’70s, Caldwell played in various bar bands in Los Angeles before landing a solo record deal.

His debut album cover featured a silhouette of a man observing a sunset, not revealing his face. In a 2005 interview with NPR, the “blue-eyed soul” singer said the cover was the label’s choice so that his race wasn’t identified in the R&B market.

“I was on a label that was located in Miami, Florida. It was TK Records. And their base to launch their product was basically an R&B format,” Caldwell said. “So they really didn’t want it to be well-known that I was white. Today, as we speak, there are still a few holdovers that don’t know that.” 

He told the national public radio station that the label’s efforts to hide his identity quickly faded when he went on tour with Natalie Cole, Nat King Cole’s daughter. 

Caldwell’s released his latest album, “Cool Uncle,” in collaboration with Jack Splash in 2015. 

Beyond making his own music, Caldwell wrote songs for other artists, including Amy Grant and Peter Cetera’s Grammy-nominated 1986 duet “The Next Time I Fall.”

In addition to Mary, his wife of 19 years, Caldwell is survived by daughters Lauren and Tessa and stepdaughter Katie. [1]

A community acknowledged

His wife, Mary Caldwell said her husband had been struggling with health issues for the past six years after being “floxed,” a condition that arises after an adverse effect from consuming a fluoroquinolone antibiotic.

We can be grateful for doctors working in the area to heal those affected and can only hope that others will find help to relive symptoms. Please check out the USA today article and share this post with others to spread the word about FQ toxicity.