On Saturday, news broke that Moris “B.B.” Dickerson, who was the co-founder and the bassist for the group War, died. According to TMZ, Dickerson passed away at 71. A representative for the late musician confirmed his passing to Billboard, telling the publication that he died after battling a long, undisclosed illness.
Dickerson reportedly died on Friday at a hospital in Long Beach, California. He is said to have passed away peacefully after battling an illness. The musician was one of the founding members of the band War. However, before he became one of the founding members of that band, Dickerson was in a group called The Creators with his uncle Howard E. Scott. During the Vietnam War, The Creators disbanded. Scott eventually joined a band that was later known as The Nightshift. While Dickerson moved to Hawaii following the disbanding of The Creators, he ended up joining his uncle in The Nightshift, which would end up becoming War.
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Dickerson, Scott, and Eric Burdon were the original members of War, which released its first track, “Spill the Wine,” in 1970. One of War’s most well-known performances came that very year in London. According to Billboard, Jimi Hendrix joined War onstage when they performed in the United Kingdom. Hendrix’s appearance with the band ended up being his last public performance before his death. Over the course of the years, War enjoyed a great deal of success. The group dominated the Billboard charts in 1973, as their album, The World Is a Ghetto, reached the number one spot, and their single, “The Cisco Kid,” reached number two.
In addition to being the band’s bassist, Dickerson also lent his vocals to a number of War’s songs. He took the lead when it came to their hit, “The World Is A Ghetto,” which, as previously mentioned, was a part of one of the group’s most celebrated albums. Dickerson also co-wrote and played on many of War’s other tracks including “Low Rider,” “Summer,” and, what may be one of their most well-known songs, “Why Can’t We Be Friends?” Dickerson was a member of the band until 1979. Although, he reunited with the group’s original members under their new name, the Lowrider Band, in the 90s. The musician is reportedly survived by his mother, uncle, and children. Billboard noted that donations can be made in Dickerson’s name to MusiCares.
