For nearly three decades, David Tyson was an integral part of one of the great vocal groups, The Manhattans.
The Philadelphia native grew up in a musical family, and his admiration for his older brother, Ron Tyson stoked that musical love even more. Ron was an accomplished Philadelphia songwriter who became the falsetto lead for the Temptations in the 1980s (continuing to this day) and David saw through that a possible future career.
Tyson formed the group Final Touch and began making waves in the Philadelphia area. But it was his call from Ron in 1993 that changed his life, informing David that the legendary vocal group the Manhattans were reuniting – led by Gerald Alston and Blue Lovett – and were looking for a tenor singer. David auditioned and became part of the quartet, along with Troy May. He has kept that role ever since, continuing with Alston even after the passing of Lovett in 2014. Tyson also recorded a solo single, “What Would I Do” in 2014, giving soul music fans a better sense of his expressive tenor voice outside of the group setting.
In 2021, the Manhattans (Alston, Tyson and May) released their first album in more than a decade, The Legacy Continues. The followed it at the end of 2021 with their version of “The Christmas Song,” and started 2022 picking up where they left off before COVID, treating their fans to a brand new national tour.
Sadly Tyson died in 2022 at age 62, following a brief illness.
By Chris Rizik
