Warren Tipton obit

R.I.P. Warren Tipton of R&B greats the Chi-Lites

 

He was not on the list.

(May 9, 2026) Longtime SoulTrackers know that the Chi-Lites are among our all-time favorite groups, so much so that they were awarded our 2014 Lifetime Achievement Award. Sadly, group co-founder and last living original member Marshall Thompson posted on social media today that one of the group’s more recent members, Warren Tipton, has died.

Good morning everyone. I regret to inform my fans, friends, and family that Warren Tipton, from The Chi-Lites family, has passed away this morning. My heartfelt condolences go out to his wife and family during this difficult time. Please keep them lifted in prayer

Tipton joined Marshall and Tara Thompson in the group in 2018, handling many of the lead vocals in concert after the death of singer Frank Reed.

Like many popular soul groups of the 60s and 70s, the Chi-Lites found each other as teens, singing together and apart in various groups in their native Chicago until joining together as the Hi-Lites in the mid 60s. By the time they signed with the local Brunswick label in the late 60s, they had added a “C” and become the Chi-Lites. The Chi-Lites marriage with Brunswick bore fruit quickly, as they had their first R&B hit in 1968 with the sweet ballad, “Give It Away.”

For the next decade, the Chi-Lites were among the biggest groups in the world, developing a unique sound around the writing and production of lead singer Eugene Record, along with impeccable harmonies of Marshall Thompson, Squirrel Lester and Craedel Jones. #1 hits “Oh Girl” and “Have You Seen Her” were complemented by tasty others such as “(For God’s Sake) Give More Power to the People,” “Homely Girl,” “Stoned Out of My Mind,” and “Toby.”

Record left in the late 70s for a solo career, but returned for a second run of hits in the 80s, including the top 10 “Bottoms Up.” He ultimately went solo again, becoming a Gospel performer for over a decade before dying in 2005.

Thompson has kept the fire burning for the group ever since, touring regularly and keeping the act on stage after the deaths of Lester and Jones, as well as replacement lead singer Frank Reed. And he received his well deserved flowers on September 30, 2021, when he accepted on behalf of the group a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Chi-Lites fans will be mourning the loss of Warren Tipton, who for several years helped continue the legacy of this all-time great group.