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Lead singer of ‘60s group the Classics IV dies

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Dennis Yost

Lead singer of the group Classics IV


FOR THE RECORD:
Dennis Yost obituary: A brief obituary of Dennis Yost, the lead singer of the Classics IV, in Tuesday’s California section gave the name of the group’s song “Traces” as “Traces of Love.” —


Dennis Yost, 65, the lead singer of the 1960s soft rock group the Classics IV, died Sunday at Fort Hamilton Hospital in Hamilton, Ohio, of respiratory failure, according to a hospital spokeswoman.

Yost had been in failing health since suffering a traumatic brain injury in a fall at his home in 2005.

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The Classic IV had a series of hits, including “Spooky,” “Traces of Love” and “Stormy.”

Yost, a native of Detroit, played drums and sang. He was an original member of the band, which formed in Jacksonville, Fla., where Yost was raised, in the early 1960s. In 1967, the band relocated to Atlanta, and a year later they had their first national hit with “Spooky.”

A year later “Stormy” was a hit, and “Traces of Love” made it to No. 2 in 1969. That same year, the group had a top 20 hit with “Everyday With You Girl.”

Buddy Buie, co-writer of the group’s songs with guitarist J.R. Cobb, said: “Dennis had an incredible voice -- just a great voice for love songs.”

The group eventually changed its name to “Dennis Yost and the Classics IV.”

Although the group’s lineup changed, Yost continued to perform with the group until 2005.

Jan Kemp

Critic of school’s treatment of student athletes

Jan Kemp, 59, the University of Georgia English professor who was fired after publicly criticizing the university for allowing athletes who failed remedial classes to continue playing sports and stay in school, died Thursday at a nursing home in Athens, Ga., of complications from Alzheimer’s disease.

Kemp sued in federal court after being fired by the university in 1982, contending that she was targeted because she protested the preferential treatment of athletes.

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She was awarded $1.08 million and reinstated. She retired in 1990 on a disability after being hurt in a car crash.

Before the Kemp case, athletes with SAT scores reflecting little academic prowess were routinely admitted to Georgia.

Today, all NCAA schools must adhere to standards on test scores, grade-point averages and the type of courses taken in high schools.

Kemp’s son Will described his mother as a person who wanted to battle injustice.

“My mom didn’t do it for the attention,” he said. “It was in her nature. If she saw something unfair, she would always handle it.”

-- times wire reports

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