Dennis Locorriere, the guitarist and vocalist best known as the co-frontman of the soft rock band Dr Hook, has died at the age of 76. A statement from his management confirmed that he passed away on Saturday after a long battle with kidney disease, describing him as having faced his illness with remarkable strength and dignity.
Locorriere shared lead vocal duties with Ray Sawyer and was part of the band throughout its entire run from 1969 to 1985. He sang lead on the group's biggest UK hit, 'When You're in Love With a Beautiful Woman', which spent three weeks at number one in 1979. Other notable successes included 'Sylvia's Mother' (a Top Five hit in both the US and UK in 1972) and 'A Little Bit More', which spent five consecutive weeks at number two in the UK in 1976.
Born in New Jersey in 1949, Locorriere joined the band as a teenager, playing vocals, bass, guitar and harmonica. The group, initially called Dr Hook and the Medicine Show, was signed to CBS in 1971 and quickly achieved commercial success. Their appeal lay partly in their multi-voiced harmonies, with Locorriere's boyish yet soulful voice complementing Sawyer's grizzled country tones.
Locorriere admitted to being upset that audiences often mistook Sawyer for the lead singer, saying it 'really hurt my feelings'. Sawyer left the band in 1983, and Dr Hook continued until a farewell tour in 1985. After the band's dissolution, Locorriere toured as 'the voice of Dr Hook' and released three solo albums between 2000 and 2010.
He co-wrote some of Dr Hook's songs, including 'A Couple More Years' and 'You Ain't Got the Right', which were covered by Bob Dylan and Olivia Newton-John respectively. Locorriere was married three times and eventually settled with his third wife in Sussex, UK.
