Colonel Abrams, best known for his 1985 top three hit Trapped, has died at the age of 67.
Born in Detroit in May 1949, Abrams (whose real name really was Colonel) moved to Manhattan with his family where he took up guitar and piano. In the 1970s he played in bands such as Heavy Impact, Conservative Manor and later 94 East (whose line-up included Prince on guitar) before beginning a solo career in the ’80s. He achieved some success in the US with early solo efforts Leave The Message Behind The Door and Music Is The Answer but his biggest hit came in 1985 when he teamed up with British producer Richard James Burgess (formerly of Landscape). The prototype house stylings of Trapped became a huge hit in the UK, spending 24 weeks on the chart and peaking at number 3, while in the US it topped the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play Chart.
Despite the enduring success of Trapped, Abrams struggled to follow up his breakthrough hit, his only other UK top forty entry coming in February 1986 when I’m Not Gonna Let You reached number 24. His last hit, ironically titled How Soon We Forget reached number 75 in 1987. In the US Abrams continued to score hits on the R&B and dance charts and was still recording as recently as 2011. No cause of death has yet been officially confirmed, although in recent years Abrams suffered from diabetes, causing him financial hardship and reportedly leaving him homeless by 2015, when friends launched a crowdfunding campaign to help him.
Just learned Colonel Abrams passed away, never to be forgotten, R.I.P.
— Marshall Jefferson (@MarshallJeffers) November 27, 2016
