Obituary: ‘Drift Away’ singer Dobie Gray dies aged 71

Dobie Grey, the American singer best known for his 1973 hit Drift Away, has died at the age of 71. The cause of death has not been revealed.

Born in Texas, Dobie Gray had his first taste of success in 1963 with single Look at Me. Throughout the 60s he wrote and recorded new material, with The In Crowd becoming a hit in 1965. He also acted, spending two years in the musical Hair while continuing to record for a variety of smaller record labels.

In 1972 he signed with Decca Records and recorded Mentor Williams’ Drift Away, which hit number 5 on the US charts and remains his most popular and well-known recording. In 2003 Gray featured on a re-recording of the song with Uncle Kracker, which was also a hit, but by this point he had almost stopped recording.