Arlester “Dyke” Christian was shot and killed today (March 13, 1971), on a street in Phoenix, Arizona.
Dyke and The Blazers, who were originally The O’Jays’ backing band, are best known for their 1967 hit single “Funky Broadway.”
They were the first act to use the word “Funk” on a song that charted on the R&B charts.
Dyke, originally from Buffalo,’New York, was involved in a dispute, which sources claimed was over a drug deal gone bad.
The singer was killed by a man named Clarence “One-Eyed Clancy,” Daniels.
One-Eyed Clancy allegedly owed Dyke money for heroin, so a meeting was prepared on Buck Eye Road, in downtown Phoenix.
Dyke, was sitting in his car went One-Eyed Clancy fired upon him, killing him instantly.
The murder made Dyke a member of the infamous “27” club, which includes artists like Robert Johnson, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, Kurt Kobain, Amy Winehouse and other famous musicians, who died at the young age.
As for One-Eyed Clancy, who was allegedly a police informant, he was set free after a jury ruled he acted in self-defense.
Dyke’s body was sent back to Buffalo, where he is buried.
Waxfact: Just before his death, Dyke and The Blazers were set to record with Barry White producing.
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