Penfield Library Blog: News & Highlights

Remembering Some Who Rocked Oswego

Some of the artists featured in the Oswego Rocks! exhibit passed away this year - namely Chuck Mangione, Rick Derringer, Roberta Flack, and Sly Stone. Each one performed for the students at SUNY Oswego and were part of a vibrant concert scene here in the 1960s and 1970s. This blog post includes brief biographical sketches of each artist and links to articles, books, music, and documentaries about these artists available through Penfield Library. 

Also, check out our previous Oswego Rocks! posts

The Beginnings and Laker Hall

The Rock Continues, Student Organizations, and Infamous Concerts

Sly Stone

Sylvester “Sly” Stone died on June 9^th, 2025. A true multi-talented musical genius, Mr. Stone played guitar, keyboards, bass guitar, and harmonica. He was the founder and leader of Sly & The Family Stone, a group remembered for delivering a message of togetherness by blending rock & roll music with funk. He wrote and recorded hits such as “Dance To The Music”, “Everyday People”, “I Want To Take You Higher”, “Family Affair”, and “Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)”. His performance in Lake Hall in October 1969 came just months after playing both the Harlem Cultural Festival and  Woodstock.  

“Sly Burns”, The Oswegonian , October 31, 1969, page 7 https://www.nyshistoricnewspapers.org/?a=d&d=osw19691031-01.1.7.

“Sly Stone, Maestro of a Multifaceted Hitmaking Band, Dies at 82” by Joe Coscarelli, New York Times, https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/09/arts/music/sly-stone-dead.html?smid=url-share

Roberta Flack

Roberta Flack died on February 24^th, 2025. Ms. Flack was a master of the piano and was known for hits like “The First Time I Ever Saw Your Face, “Killing Me Softly With His Song”, and “Where is the Love”. Her musical talents were wide-ranging, from classical to folk, jazz to pop, and soul to R&B. She won four Grammy’s, including the first ever to win back-to-back Best Album awards (The First Time I Saw Your Face in 1973 and Killing Me Softly in 1974), as well as a Lifetime Achievement Award Grammy in 2020. Her performance in Laker Hall kicked off Black Week in April 1971, mere months before reaching the top of the Billboard charts for the first time. 

“Black Week”, The Oswegonian, April 16, 1971, page 18 https://www.nyshistoricnewspapers.org/?a=d&d=osw19710416-01.1.18

‘Roberta Flack, Virtuoso Singer-Pianist Who Ruled the Charts, Dies at 88” by Giovanni Russonello, New York Times, https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/24/arts/music/roberta-flack-dead.html?smid=url-share

Chuck Mangione

Charles “Chuck” Mangione died on July 22nd, 2025. A native of Rochester, NY, Mangione was a master of the fluegelhorn and was known for instrumental hits like “The Children of Sanchez”, “Land of Make Believe”, and Top 10 hit “Feels So Good”.  He won two Grammys and one Emmy, composed the theme song for the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, and had a certified 2X Platinum album with Feels So Good.  Later in life Mangione re-entered popular culture by playing himself in nine episodes of the animated series King of the Hill. His performance at Laker Hall in February 1972 was one of many examples of musicians performing at SUNY Oswego before achieving stardom, and concert attendees at his second performance in May 1980 were rewarded by hearing all his hits. 

“Words Inadequate for Mangione’s ‘Together’”, The Oswegonian, February 25, 1972, page 21 https://www.nyshistoricnewspapers.org/?a=d&d=osw19720225-01.1.21.

“Mangione's magic never sounded so good”, The Oswegonian, May 8, 1980, page 1 https://www.nyshistoricnewspapers.org/?a=d&d=osw19800508-01.1.1

Chuck Mangione, a ‘Smooth Jazz’ Hitmaker With a Fluegelhorn, Dies at 84” by Barry Singer, New York Times, https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/24/arts/music/chuck-mangione-dead.html?smid=url-share

Rick Derringer

Rick Derringer (born Richard Zehringer) died on May 26^th, 2025. A guitar genius, Mr. Derringer began his musical career with a number one hit with “Hang On Sloopy” hen he was just 17 years old. Later, he would be responsible for hit songs like “Rock and Roll Hoochie Koo”, the guitar riff on Weird Al Yankovic’s song “Eat It” (a parody of Michael Jackson’s “Beat It” featuring an Eddie Van Halen guitar solo), and the entrance theme song “Real American” for wrestler Hulk Hogan. Mr. Derringer and his band headlined Fall Fest in September 1977, after already being in the public eye for more than ten years as lead guitarist with the bands the McCoys, Johnny Winter And, and the Edgar Winter Group. While one review expressed disappointment in his performance (“SA Fall Festival Falls Flat”), one student wrote a letter supporting Mr. Derringer’s performance and commitment to concert attendees (“The pro’s concert cons”).

“Rick Derringer, Rocker Known for ‘Hang On Sloopy” and Other Hits, Dies at 77” by Alex Williams and Neil Vigdor, New York Times, https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/27/arts/music/rick-derringer-dead-hang-on-sloopy.html?smid=url-share

Select Articles, Media, and Books:

DVD, Summer of soul (... or, when the revolution could not be televised), https://suny-osw.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/01SUNY_OSW/8kqel5/alma996529335204851

DVD, Woodstock: 3 days of peace & music, https://suny-osw.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/01SUNY_OSW/8kqel5/alma990004048380204851

Audio CD, Sly and the Family Stone, https://suny-osw.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/01SUNY_OSW/8kqel5/alma990003893640204851

Streaming Video, Killing Me Softly : The Roberta Flack Story, https://login.ezproxy.oswego.edu/login?url=https://video.alexanderstreet.com/p/lRP1Yn9Q1

Article, “A Porkpie Hat and a Floppy Bag: Chuck Mangione” by Tomas MacCluskey, https://www.jstor.org/stable/3395758

Article, “Lessons under investigation: Rick Derringer in the '70s” by Jesse Gress, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A364575887/STOM?u=oswego&sid=bookmark-STOM&xid=6953a515

Book, Mystery train : images of America in rock'n'roll music by Greil Marcus, https://suny-osw.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/01SUNY_OSW/8kqel5/alma990000574180204851

Book, Thank You (Fallettinme Be Mice Elf Agin): A Memoir by Sly Stone and Ben Greenman, https://suny-osw.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/01SUNY_OSW/1ifajrg/alma991062333823804801