Peter Cetera and Amy Grant

Caldwell co-wrote the duo’s 1986 duet smash “The Next Time I Fall,” which hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Cetera was a couple years into his solo career after leaving the band Chicago. Later, Caldwell co-wrote a top-five hit for Chicago in “What Kind of Man Would I Be?,” first released in 1988.

Lil Nas X

According to a July 2019 article from The Hollywood Reporter, The Music Force label sued Lil Nas X for copyright infringement because his song “Carry On” appropriated parts of Caldwell’s tune of the same name. The company claimed the song was a joint work and asked the court to award more than $25 million in damages. A December 2022 article reported the outcome of the lawsuit was unclear.

Common

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Neil Diamond

Tupac Shakur

Tupac sampled “What You Won’t Do for Love” on his own track “Do For Love,” which was part of the posthumous R U Still Down? album from 1997.

Other artists who have covered Caldwell’s biggest song include Go West, Michael Bolton, Boyz II Men, Aretha Franklin, and Natalie Cole and Peabo Bryson.

Biggie Smalls

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Chance the Rapper

Chance the Rapper shared an Instagram post on March 15 of a text message conversation between him and Caldwell from September 2022. Caldwell granted Chance permission to sample one of his songs, with the rapper replying, “You are such an inspiration to me.”

Chance did not specify which song he sampled and said it was for a record that hasn’t come out yet.

Tyler Piccotti first joined the Biography.com staff as an Associate News Editor in February 2023, and before that worked almost eight years as a newspaper reporter and copy editor. He is a graduate of Syracuse University. When he's not writing and researching his next story, you can find him at the nearest amusement park, catching the latest movie, or cheering on his favorite sports teams.

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